I have just moved from Canberra to Brisbane. My PPOR is nearing completion and behind deadline. I will just comment on how the electrical process in Qld frustrates me. My house is meant to have solar power and 3 phase right from the start. However, my electrician who works for my builder says it is not his responsibility to submit to Energex that what I need is a meter that will accommodate solar and 3 phase. My solar provider tried to get a meter installed that will accommodate 3 phase and solar. It got bogged. Builder blame me for not asking a standard meter. Eventually, standard meter was installed. Electrician applied for 3 phase and meter was changed to a bigger 3 phase meter. Solar provider now applied to Energex for the bigger 3 phase meter to be replaced with solar meter. Can Queensland do better than all this inefficiency, cost and delay? I imagine everyone else building a new house also goes through the same rigmarole? Should I write to the Queensland Minister about this state of affairs?
I have a similar (but different) story. I applied two months ago to have our electricity supplier take over our gas as well. Three times I've had an email saying their meter reader could not access the meter. The gas meter is two feet away from the electricity meter that is read regularly. Granted, a different person is probably reading the meter to set up our gas account than the person who regularly reads the electricity meter, but how hard can it be? There is nothing at all stopping them from reading our gas meter. I've now escalated this (twice - let's see how it goes this time), to ask that they call me before they come. I'll walk with them to the meter and try very hard not to be sarcastic when I ask why they couldn't read it the other two times. The worst thing is the old gas supplier is calling every second day to try to keep us, sending us mail offering to keep us. They are driving us nuts. Sorry I cannot help you, but getting that off my chest sure feels better...
If old energy provider is calling all the time, tell them to add your number to the "do not call list".
I'm giving them one last chance because it will be slightly cheaper and one less supplier to confuse me (which is gas?, which is power?). But if they don't manage it this time, and cannot get their story straight about why they cannot read the meter, I'll stick with my current supplier and ask them for a bigger discount. To be fair, it is not the company doing the meter reading but the gas supplier (wholesaler?). But why, oh why can't they give me the direct number so I can meet the meter reader at the gate (we are home anyway) and point his nose right at the meter. I've been lied to anyway. They say they couldn't get in to read the meter, and then I'm told yesterday the jobs were cancelled, but they'll waive the extra meter read charges (how generous of them ). Did they try to read, or not? Something is fishy.
