Excerpt from the ABC:
Douglas McCloskey, from the Justice and Equity Centre, is sceptical about the supposed benefits for consumers under the current system.
‘Consumers do have a right to access that data, but it’s quite complicated and clunky,’ he said.
He says the metering companies’ effective control over consumers’ data can make it extremely difficult for anyone else to use that information.
This, Mr McCloskey notes, would make it all but impossible for third parties such as aggregators or small electricity retailers to provide services to punters unless the customer is able to afford an entirely new, and extra, smart meter.