The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) is beginning a program of work to develop standardised models for electricity distribution determinations to help progress and shape systems to deliver efficient regulation.
We set the prices for non-routine services that distributors provide to individual customers when the customer requests or needs them. Some examples of these services include temporary disconnections and reconnections, meter tests and safety services such as tiger tails. We refer to these customer-requested services as “ancillary network services” (ANS) in our electricity distribution determinations.
Today the AER opened consultation on a standardised model for customer-requested services (preliminary standardised ANS model), including an issues paper setting out key areas of consideration in developing the preliminary model.
The standardised ANS model will provide distributors with greater transparency in our expectations about modelling assumptions and functionality. This will streamline the resources and consultation required between the AER and distributors to review proposals for ANS prices. A standardised model that includes only key information in a consistent format across electricity distribution regulatory proposals, may also provide stakeholders such as retailers and end customers greater scope to engage in our distribution determinations.
The AER is also developing standardised models for public lighting and metering services and electricity distributors’ annual pricing proposals, and will consult on these models through a separate process.
The development and implementation of the standardised models follows our commitment in the AER Strategic Plan 2020–2025.
Invitation for submissions
We are now seeking submissions on the preliminary standardised ANS model by close of business on Friday 24 September 2021. Submissions should be emailed to AERPricing
aer [dot] gov [dot] au (AERPricing[at]aer[dot]gov[dot]au) with the subject line: Attention: Warwick Anderson, General Manager, Network Pricing – ANS model.
Alternatively, written submissions can also be sent to:
Mr Warwick Anderson
General Manager, Network Pricing
Australian Energy Regulator
GPO Box 3131, Canberra ACT 2601
We will take into account submissions in developing the model. The AER prefers that all submissions be sent in an electronic format in Microsoft Word or other text readable document form and publicly available, to facilitate an informed, transparent and robust consultation process. Accordingly, submissions will be treated as public documents and posted on the AER's website, unless prior arrangements are made with the AER to treat the submission, or portions of it, as confidential. Those wishing to submit confidential information are requested to:
- clearly identify the information that is the subject of the confidentiality claim; and
- provide a non-confidential version of the submission.