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Reminder: Ancillary Network Services Fee Changes (Connection Offers)

What is Happening?

Essential Energy is changing the fees we charge for some Low Voltage Basic Connection Applications. We are providing six weeks’ notice of our first fee change to allow you time to prepare.

Basic Connection Application fee

From 14 March 2022, $123.38 (exc GST) will be charged per offer where a technical review is required.

This will ensure fee consistency for all Basic Connection Offers requiring technical review and recover the cost of assessing these applications from those requiring the work.

How will I know if I am going to be charged?

Basic connections involve minimal or no augmentation of the distribution network and are within the limits outlined below:

Basic Low Voltage Connection limits
Connection Request	Load Type	Voltage	Zone	Usage Type
New/modify	Single Phase	Less than 100 Amps	Urban	Domestic
New/modify	Multi Phase	Less than 63 Amps/Phase	Urban	Domestic
New	Single Phase	Less than 100 Amps with Embedded Generation (<=10KW and export limit <=5KW)	Urban	Domestic
New	Multi Phase	Less than 63 Amps with Embedded Generation (<=10KW and export limit <=5KW)	Urban	Domestic
Addition of New Embedded Generation		<=10KW and export limit <=5KW	Urban	Domestic
Addition of New Embedded Generation		<=5KW and export limit <=3KW	Rural	Domestic

A technical review is required when the proposed connection:

exceeds these limits, and / or
involves electricity generation (e.g., solar, wind, hydropower) to enable export to the electricity network.

A common application type impacted by this change is a new solar connection application. Please note that customers who include a note in their application that they are willing to voluntarily limit their solar export to 5kW (Urban) or 3kW (Rural) will not incur the fee.

Additional information can be found in our Connecting to the Network Information Pack.

Complex Connection Application fee

Complex Connection Applications can occasionally require a detailed assessment by a Connections Planning Engineer. Later this year, we will introduce a fee to recover the cost of any complex connection application that requires a detailed assessment by a Connections Planning Engineer. We will provide more information prior to this fee introduction.

What do you need to do

Accredited Service Providers, Authorised Persons, Electrical Contractors, Solar Retailers and Solar Installers should consider pricing changes when preparing quotations or estimates for customers regarding future connection applications to be submitted on or after 14 March 2022.
Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

If you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au.