22/04/2026
WiseUp Energy Response — The Courier Mail, 23 Apr 2026
"Network tariff overhaul promises $6bn in savings — but who actually wins?"
Struth. Let's unpack this one.
The AEMC is proposing a major reset of how network charges work — splitting electricity bills into a bigger fixed charge plus a variable rate that moves with peak demand. The pitch is up to $6 billion in system savings over 15 years, with most households "better off" by $40 to $80 a year by 2040.
Hold that figure for a moment. $40 to $80 a year. By 2040. Strip out 14 years of inflation and you're realistically looking at half of that in today's money.
For households:
-Fixed charges only ever go one way. Year on year, across every network and every retailer, the fixed daily supply charge keeps creeping up — regardless of how cleverly customers shift their load. Make the fixed component bigger and you reduce the customer's ability to control their bill.
-Solar households cop it. A bigger fixed charge erodes the value of every kWh of solar generation — because you're paying more just to be connected, before you've used a single unit.
-"Most households better off" is doing a lot of heavy lifting. The AEMC's own modelling concedes there will be losers. Whether you're on the right side depends on your usage pattern, your appliances, and whether you can actually shift load. Plenty of households simply can't — or have already got the memo and are doing what they can already.
For business — where the impact lands harder and faster:
-Network charges are 40% of your bill — and the rules are changing under your feet. Every commercial and industrial site is already exposed to network tariffs that change with time of day, demand, and capacity. The AEMC's proposal accelerates that shift. If you don't know which network tariff each of your sites is assigned to, you're already behind.
-Demand charges are the silent killer. For many sites, the demand charge — billed on your peak kVA or kW in a single 30-minute interval — is the single biggest line on your bill. Depending on the network, one bad afternoon could set your peak for the month, or even lock in a charge that follows you for a rolling 12 months. Reform will make this worse, not better.
-Behind-the-meter investment gets harder to justify. A heavier fixed charge erodes the payback on rooftop solar, batteries, and efficiency upgrades. Businesses planning capital investment deserve a sharper conversation about what these reforms mean for their ROI — before they commit.
-Multi-site operators, multiply everything above by every NMI. Complexity compounds. So does the cost of getting it wrong.
The common thread:
The savings under this model live in behaviour change. Translation: the customers — residential and business — who actively manage their energy will come out ahead. The set-and-forget crowd will quietly subsidise them.
My honest advice? Don't wait until 2040 for a system to deliver you $40. The customers who take energy cost control into their own hands today are going to be far better off long term.
Understand your tariff. Know your usage profile. Question every line on your bill. And if it's beyond your wheelhouse, get someone independent in your corner.
There are good people around who can help.
Time to WiseUp, my friends.
— Sharon Musker Founder, WiseUp Energy Solutions The smarter way to manage energy
