TASNETWORKS must reimburse up to 10,000 customers short-changed by faulty solar meters by about $2.4 million. The state-owned company yesterday revealed almost half of Tasmanian households fitted with solar panels had been underpaid for extra energy they were pumping back into a grid. The issue was discovered after a customer query and traced to meters installed since March 30, 2011, which were not correctly recording electricity generated. TasNetworks must foot the bill for the under-crediting blunder, but spokesman Mike Paine insisted the payouts would not drive up power prices. ‘‘The average [payout] for our customers, on our testing, is around $240 a customer,’’ Mr Paine said. ‘‘There will be no impact on pricing as a result of this and we will incur all the costs internally as a business.’’ TasNetworks will also have to remove and replace all 10,000 meters – a process expected to take many months. Mr Paine said contractors would be hired to help replace the faulty meters. ‘‘There will be a number of extra contractors engaged, but if we’re going to do this in a timely manner we need to do that,’’ he said. Communications Electrical Plumbing Union state organiser Todd Lambert said the buck for the blunder stopped at the top. ‘‘Our guys on the frontline are getting the abuse for these decisions when really they’re made out of their control,’’ Mr Lambert said. ‘‘The top-tier bureaucrats in charge of these decisions are the ones that are ultimately responsible.’’ TasNetworks will write to all affected customers in coming days.
TASNETWORKS must reimburse up to 10,000 customers short-changed by faulty solar meters by about $2.4 million.
The state-owned company yesterday revealed almost half of Tasmanian households fitted with solar panels had been underpaid for extra energy they were pumping back into a grid.
The issue was discovered after a customer query and traced to meters installed since March 30, 2011, which were not correctly recording electricity generated.
TasNetworks must foot the bill for the under-crediting blunder, but spokesman Mike Paine insisted the payouts would not drive up power prices.
‘‘The average [payout] for our customers, on our testing, is around $240 a customer,’’ Mr Paine said.
‘‘There will be no impact on pricing as a result of this and we will incur all the costs internally as a business.’’
TasNetworks will also have to remove and replace all 10,000 meters – a process expected to take many months.
Mr Paine said contractors would be hired to help replace the faulty meters.
‘‘There will be a number of extra contractors engaged, but if we’re going to do this in a timely manner we need to do that,’’ he said.
Communications Electrical Plumbing Union state organiser Todd Lambert said the buck for the blunder stopped at the top.
‘‘Our guys on the frontline are getting the abuse for these decisions when really they’re made out of their control,’’ Mr Lambert said.
‘‘The top-tier bureaucrats in charge of these decisions are the ones that are ultimately responsible.’’
TasNetworks will write to all affected customers in coming days.
