Why bother: what a bill can’t tell you
A bill tells you how much power you used over three months. Your smart meter data, often called interval data, tells you when: every 30 minutes (or 5 minutes) of every day. That is what decides whether a time-of-use plan, a plan with free midday hours, or a battery will save you money, because all of them depend on when you use power, not how much.
It is your data and you are entitled to it. Your retailer or distributor must give you up to two years of your usage history without charge. The industry standard format is a file called NEM12, a plain CSV that any comparison or analysis tool can read.
Who to ask
You can usually get it from either your retailer (the company that bills you) or your distributor (the company that owns the poles, wires and often the meter, named on your bill). Retailers increasingly offer a usage download in their app or web account. Distributors usually have a customer portal or a data request form. If one route is slow, try the other.
Ask for at least 12 months, so every season is included, and ask specifically for the "detailed" or "NEM12" CSV file. A PDF or a chart is no use to a comparison tool. Requests made by form or email typically take up to 10 business days.
State by state
- New South Wales
- Your distributor is Ausgrid (Sydney, Central Coast, Hunter), Endeavour Energy (Western Sydney, Blue Mountains, Illawarra) or Essential Energy (regional NSW). Each has an online meter data request.
- Victoria
- Your distributor is CitiPower, Powercor, Jemena, United Energy or AusNet Services, depending on where you live. Each offers a customer portal where you can download your interval data.
- Queensland
- Energex in the south-east and Ergon Energy in regional Queensland. Both take requests online. Energex asks for the date your first bill started.
- South Australia
- SA Power Networks has a customer portal with a downloadable detailed report in NEM12 format.
- ACT
- Evoenergy. If they send a PDF, reply and ask for the NEM12 CSV.
- Tasmania
- Ask your retailer rather than the distributor.
- WA and NT
- Prices are regulated and there is little or no retail choice, so interval data matters less for choosing a plan. Your retailer can still provide it.
What to look for when it arrives
- Open the file in a text editor or spreadsheet. A NEM12 file starts with a line beginning "100,NEM12".
- Check the date range covers at least a year.
- If you have solar, check there is an export channel as well as import. Usage is often labelled E1 and export B1.
- Do not edit it. Tools read the file exactly as issued, and a spreadsheet can quietly reformat dates when it saves.
What we do with it
Upload your NEM12 file to your EnergySorted account and we split every half hour into your distributor’s real peak, shoulder and off-peak bands. Then we cost every plan at your address on that exact pattern: time-of-use plans, free-hour plans like the Victorian Midday Power Saver and the Solar Sharer, demand tariffs and feed-in bands. Without interval data we cannot see when you use power, so we never give a free-hour plan credit for hours we cannot see you using.
We also accept the simpler usage tables many retailers hand out (a date and time column and a kilowatt-hour column). Start with a free bill check, then add your interval data for the precise answer.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get my smart meter data?
Ask your retailer (many offer a download in their app or account) or your distributor (most have a portal or online request form). Ask for 12 months or more in NEM12 CSV format.
Is it free?
Yes. Your retailer or distributor must provide up to two years of your usage history without charge. They may charge for older data or frequent repeat requests.
What is a NEM12 file?
The industry standard file format for interval meter data, set by the Australian Energy Market Operator. It is a CSV that starts with a line beginning "100,NEM12".
Who is my distributor?
It is named on your bill, usually near the supply address or in the faults and emergencies section. It depends on where you live, not on which retailer you use.
How long does a request take?
Portal downloads are immediate. Form and email requests typically take up to 10 business days.
I got a PDF. Can I use it?
Not for a comparison. Reply and ask for the NEM12 CSV specifically.
Do I need a smart meter?
Yes. An older accumulation meter records only a running total, so there is no half-hourly data to give you. See the smart meter rollout.
Is it safe to upload my meter data?
Your meter data shows when your home uses power, so only give it to services you trust. EnergySorted uses it to cost plans for you, never sells it, and deletes it if you close your account.
What does interval data change in a comparison?
It lets plans that depend on timing, such as time-of-use, free midday hours, demand tariffs and battery savings, be costed on when you really use power, instead of an assumption.