In short
Not to keep the lights on, but to be on any plan that prices by time of day: time-of-use, demand and Solar Sharer plans all need one, and so does solar export metering. Every new or replacement meter installed since late 2017 is a smart meter, and the market rules aim to have one on every home by 2030, so most households will have one whether they ask or not. What matters is knowing which tariff you land on when it arrives.
What a smart meter does
A smart meter, also called an interval meter, records your usage every half hour or less and sends the readings to the network without a meter reader. A basic accumulation meter records only a running total, read every quarter, often estimated in between. The difference is not the electricity; it is what a plan can know about when you used it.
Which plans need one
| Single rate | Any meter. |
|---|---|
| Time of use | Smart meter. See time of use or single rate. |
| Demand | Smart meter. See demand tariffs. |
| Solar Sharer Offer | Smart meter. See the Solar Sharer Offer explained. |
| Solar feed-in credit | A meter that measures export, which in practice is a smart meter. |
| Controlled load (Tariff 31 or 33) | Either; a controlled load is a separately metered circuit on any meter type. |
What a smart meter opens up
Are you getting one anyway?
Yes, in time. Since December 2017 every new or replacement meter has had to be a smart meter, and since 1 December 2025 the market rules require every basic meter to be replaced by 30 November 2030, with retailers rolling them out area by area. A retailer must tell you before it replaces your meter, and you can ask for one sooner if you want a plan that needs it. What your retailer can and cannot change after the swap covers the notice, the costs and the two-year tariff protection.
What to watch when it arrives
- The tariff you land on. A new smart meter can bring a new network tariff with it, and your plan may quietly become time-of-use or demand. Read the first bill after the install.
- Estimated reads should stop. If they do not, the meter is not communicating and the retailer should fix it.
- Your data becomes yours to use. Your retailer's portal can give you half-hourly usage, which is what a proper comparison of time-of-use and demand plans needs.
Quick answers
Does a smart meter cost money in Queensland?
Not for a meter replaced under the network's scheduled replacement plan: the rules ban an upfront fee or an exit fee for it. A retailer may charge for an upgrade you request outside its schedule, a new connection, or a meter changed because you added solar or a battery, and work on a faulty switchboard is the owner's cost. Ask before you agree.
Can I refuse a smart meter?
Generally not any more. Rule changes for the national rollout removed the opt-out households on standard contracts used to have, and every basic meter is due to be replaced by 30 November 2030. Your retailer must give you written notice first, and you can ask for a smart meter with its remote communications switched off. Nobody can make you pay to fix a faulty meter board, but until it is fixed the meter cannot be changed.
How do I know if I have a smart meter?
Your bill says. Look for interval or half-hourly reads, a meter type marked as smart, digital or interval, or the absence of estimated readings. A meter with a digital display and no spinning disc installed since 2017 is almost certainly a smart meter. Your retailer can confirm it from your NMI.
Sources
Official pages this answer relies on. If one of them changes, tell us and we will update the page.
- Residential electricity tariffs · Energex
- Finding your NMI · Energy Made Easy, Australian Energy Regulator
- Energy Made Easy · Australian Energy Regulator