00:00At home in Sydney's south-eastern suburbs, Kerry Bradbury keeps a close eye on her power
00:07use.
00:08But what was a routine exercise started to fill her with dread.
00:12And it got to the stage where you're actually afraid to open your electricity bill.
00:16The bills could be as high as $2,000.
00:19So Kerry took matters into her own hands.
00:22A few years ago, she installed batteries, new solar panels and a heap of smart tech
00:26in her home.
00:27At $28,000, it wasn't cheap.
00:30But she won't have to pay a power bill now for seven years.
00:34All of it's automated.
00:35I don't have time to try and work out who's selling my electricity, what's the best price,
00:41when's the best price to be using it.
00:43Key to the arrangement are two things.
00:45The smart meter that was installed at Kerry's home and the copious amounts of data it generates.
00:50Together, they ensure she uses as much power as possible during the middle of the day when
00:55solar energy is abundant, while trying to use only what's stored in the battery later.
01:01Authorities hope the likes of Kerry Bradbury can be an example for others to follow.
01:05It's one of the reasons they want smart meters on every Australian home by 2030.
01:10But consumer advocates are warning that many of the supposed benefits could be an illusion.
01:15Because the smart meter market is largely unregulated.
01:19In that blank space, there's possibility for metering providers to use the meter and the
01:24data it provides for their own benefit and not necessarily for consumers.
01:29They say consumers typically don't choose their smart meter provider.
01:32It's chosen for them by a retailer like AGL or Origin.
01:36The metering companies effectively control the consumer's data and can make it extremely
01:41difficult for anyone else to use that information.
01:45Critics say the relationship between smart meter companies and retailers means they,
01:49and not consumers, are likely to get the most of any benefits.
01:53If we get this wrong, the energy transition will be more expensive for consumers and there
01:58will be a lot more complications than there should be.
02:01I know who would win.
02:02It would be the big boys who would win over a little person like me.
02:07Far from empowering consumers, the Sydney side of worries there could be a dark side.
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