New Tasmanian Metering Rules Could Add $1,000s To Solar Installs

The Burden On Electrical Subcontractors

Here’s the kicker: once an NDI is issued, it’s illegal to charge for any remedial work. The responsibility falls squarely on the electrical subcontractor (subbie) who issued the Certificate of Electrical Compliance. That means the subbie could end up footing the bill for any required upgrades, not necessarily the retailer who sold you the system. So, if you’re a subbie, make sure you’re quoting the right upgrades to avoid any nasty surprises.

Electricians don’t want to be doing major switchboard upgrades for free, and customers shouldn’t think it’s a good outcome either because they’ll likely get the bare minimum, delivered in a rush.

A perfectly neat and serviceable Tasmanian switchboard. Note the 8 grey caulked holes in the meter panel. Image credit: Adrian Luke

CBOS Clarification: Not All Installs Affected

Tasmania’s Consumer, Business & Occupational Services (CBOS) have confirmed that these rules only apply when a meter is physically changed. If the house already has a remote-read meter, standard procedures are all you have to worry about – namely blaze braking, where holes and penetrations are closed up and filled with intumescent sealant to prevent fire propagation.

This install looks quite neat, but these days Techsafe Tasmania may not agree. credit I Want Energy.

Skirting The Rules: Retailers Are Exempt

Call me a cynic, but it’s unsurprising the major electricity industry players aren’t obliged to play by the same rules. As we have outlined in past articles detailing experiences in other states, if your electricity retailer instigates the meter changeover, no major work like fireproofing or asbestos removal is required.

The hypocrisy is galling because it’s obviously not about safety when energy retailers are exempt from the changes.

I’m guessing the rationale driving this is that customers would be outraged if the authorities turned up with a new meter, said your house is no longer compliant, and now you’re obliged to spend thousands on switchboard work.

How To Work The System

If you want to avoid the extra costs,  request a new meter from your electricity retailer before you go solar. If the request is not part of a solar installation, the retailer will usually organise the new meter within 15 days, without requiring major work like fireproofing or asbestos removal. Once the new meter is installed, you can add solar panels and batteries.

I’ve seen this happen in houses that really should have had a full-service upgrade and new meter position. I mean, it’s amusing when you find a new meter in the laundry on a non-compliant screwed wooden board fed with undersized 6mm² cables.

Shiny new meter stuck in a laundry cupboard. The manhole above conceals one of the worst death traps I’ve ever encountered.

As a customer, you want these things identified and made right. As an electrician, you want to offer this service as it helps create some genuinely beneficial work such safety switches and energy management equipment, while lowering risk for all concerned.

A good solar installer will quote to rectify a dangerous switchboard as part of their solar quote.

Despite the cement sheet lining, this black asbestos board must be dragged into the current century.

So, When You Need To Get Going On Solar