Whangarei residents report higher bills after smart meter installation
If you have experienced a significant increase in your electricity bill with no change in your electricity usage after a smart meter installation, you are not alone.
In mid-2015, the Northern Advocate reported on the experience of Whangarei residents who had much higher bills after a smart meter installation. You can read the story at this link http://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503450&objectid=11460616
Update: The reason for the higher bill in the case of Alan Graf (who is featured in the story at the link above) has turned out to be that he had been incorrectly charged at a for three phase power (via the smart meter) for his residential home that uses only single phase power.
Since the story about Mr Graf, a news item on Maori TV reported on a greatly increased bill faced by another Whangarei customer as well as another Whangarei woman who has suffered health problems since a smart meter was installed at her home. The story is at this link: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/maori-tv-news-te-kaea-covers-the-smart-meter-story/
Have you had higher bills after a smart meter installation?
NB: If you are in the situation of having had a large bill increase after a smart meter installation, it could possibly be due to a faulty meter or perhaps your tariff may have been changed around the time that the smart meter was installed. If your bill increase does not appear to relate to increased electricity use, you have the option of first complaining to your electricity retailer, and if that does not solve the problem, complaining to the Electricity and Gas Complaints Commissioner Scheme.
Smart meters are NOT compulsory in NZ
Please note that while staff from some electricity companies have been telling their customers that smart meters are compulsory or are some sort of government requirement, this is NOT true. (There is more information about this issue at this link )
If you do not want a smart meter because you are concerned about the higher bills that could follow a smart meter installation, or Time of Use pricing, many people in NZ are successfully refusing to have a smart meter installed using the techniques described at this link
NB: If you would like to keep up to date with information about the “smart” meter issue in NZ, please sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz. Thank you
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