FAQ's about billing and BESY Energy

What has happened to my exiting solar credits following installation of the BESY smart meter?

The Norfolk Island Regional Council's decision in October 2023 resulted in the end of the solar credits scheme. Unused solar credits at this time would no longer be carried forward. From the 1 October 2023 onwards, solar credits have been captured in the final meter reading of the old meters as they have been replaced. The net consumption has been carried into the new billing system and onto individual bills.

While we understand that some members of the community have expressed disappointment in losing a solar credit balance, this has been tempered by the transition to lower electricity costs for all residents under the new tariff arrangement. Additionally, energy sales to the grid are now paid out as part of the upgraded billing process.

What is the frequency of bills being sent?

Our intention is that you will receive your electricity bills every quarter. However, for a small number of customers we have had difficulty communicating with your meter and this has resulted in the need to manually read meters and less frequent billing, for which we apologise.

You can also request to receive bills on a monthly basis. To request this, you can send an email to connectbesyenergy

Do you have more information to help understand my bill?

All energy bills will have some common items. Below we will explain some more about the different aspects:

The electricity bill for each resident will be the net outcome of electricity bought and sold (sold for those that have solar installed) plus the daily charges. An important principle of the dynamic tariffs that are in place on Norfolk Island is that they are two-way, meaning they apply equally to electricity bought and electricity sold. Please keep in mind that all energy tariffs are determined according to the published Norfolk Island Regional Council Fees and Charges. For more information, you can access the latest document here: 2024-2025 Fees And Charges Report Configuration (nirc.gov.au).

Summary table of ‘energy consumed’ and ‘energy sold’

The two blocks of numbers are usually correlated – if you look at your ‘Energy Consumed’ and ‘Energy Sold’ totals, these should reflect the breakdown by price below if you sum up the amounts of energy consumed and energy sold.

Standard charges:

The breakdown of what you consume (and produce) by tariff is based on the time of day that you consume and produce relative to the tariffs on the island. These are published here in real time.

Tariffs are subject to review at regular intervals and may be adjusted in the future to account for changes in the fixed costs of running the electricity network.

NORFOLK ISLAND ELECTRICITY TARIFFS 2024/25

Daily supply charge $0.90/day

Energy Charges

• Diesel-in-use $0.82/kWh
• Battery discharging $0.41/kWh
• System-in-balance $0.20/kWh
• Battery charging $0.05/kWh
• Solar overload $-0.24/kWh

Senior’s rebate $27.75 per quarter

• Energy consumed
  

  Under 'Energy consumed' you will find all the different tariff charges for which you have consumed electricity in the relevant quarter or month. These charges vary depending on if the source of the energy consumed was diesel or was being covered by the large Tesla batteries on the island.

• Supply charges
  • Daily Supply Charge
    This is a standard daily charge that each customer pays for the supply of electricity, which is currently set at $0.90 per day. Hence, for a standard quarter of 91 days, this will be a total of $81.90. It reflects the fixed cost of the network and the central power station. The idea behind this charge is that NI Electricity gets enough certain revenue to manage and maintain the grid.
  • Metering Service
    Every new electricity bill will also include one single charge for the metering service. For a single-phase meter, the charge will be $2.0. For a three-phase meter, the charge will be $8.00.

Only if you have solar panels:

• Energy sold
  Similarly, under 'Energy sold' you will find all the different tariff charges for which you have sold electricity in the relevant quarter or month.

How is the payment of the Energy Relief Fund used against my electricity bill?

The Commonwealth Government stipulated that the Energy Relief Funds can only be used to offset electricity consumption. The retained negative balance is the amount of the Energy Relief Fund that the resident is yet to consume. Unused Energy Relief Fund balances will be removed after 12 months.

My bill has increased significantly even though I have reduced my electricity consumption. What can be some reasons for this?

We appreciate your concerns about any increases of your bills since the transition to a smart meter. Unfortunately, we can only analyse the data collected with the new meter, and therefore comparisons to historical bills are of limited value.

You can analyse your electricity consumption through the BESY Energy Platform portal. From the sites menu select the “view site data” option to visualise (via a graph) and download your meter data.

What to look out for?

Check to see if the consumption reduces or increases beyond your normal consumption pattern. If it reduces, this could mean that maybe you were away during those dates or had a very low energy consumption.

On the other hand, if the minimum level of consumption increases and you can see daily spikes, this will often reflect peaks in energy consumption, most likely evening peaks. Consider what types of energy usage could have caused these differences, as they can add up to a noticeable increase in your bill.

I cannot create an online account to pay my bill (e.g. you didn't receive the ‘lost password’ link). How can I access my account?

Please contact us at connectbesyenergy to help you get this fixed.

How do my solar panels interact with the grid?

On Norfolk Island electricity is still largely generated by diesel generators. The tariff for this source of energy is 82 cents/kWh from 1 July 2024. However, the diesel generators can be turned off when sufficient energy is stored in the central battery to provide a needed buffer. When the sun is shining, this buffer can be supported and even increased, thereby prolonging the period of time the diesel generators can remain off. We complement this activity with consumer owned batteries. These batteries also store solar energy, protecting the grid from receiving too much solar energy during the middle of the day, and reducing the need for diesel generation in the evenings.

Is there a phone app to show the cost of electricity?

The BESY Energy Platform operates on web-based platforms rather than a dedicated App. The cost of electricity is displayed on besy.energy/norfolk-island while your individual consumption is available by logging into the portal.

I wish to pay my bill online by credit card and am unable to do this until I can set up the online account. How can I pay my bill?

While we are helping you to access your account, there are other payment options. Please see the alternatives detailed below, which are also detailed on your electricity bill.

• Telephone & Internet Banking – Bpay
  

  Biller Code: 360594
  Ref: [unique code from your electricity bill]

• Direct Debit
  

  Contact us at connectbesyenergy to arrange automatic payment of future accounts.

• Credit Card
  

  Contact NIRC Customer Care Team to pay in person or log into the BESY Energy Platform portal and click pay my account. (This button only appears if you have an amount owing).

• In Person
  

  To arrange payments by cash, cheque or card please Contact NIRC Customer Care Team - email customercarenircgovnf or free call Local 0100 or International call +672 322244

If you should be experiencing a situation of hardship, please reach out to customercarenircgovnf so that your case can be evaluated.

Should you have any further questions about your electricity bill, please don’t hesitate to reach out to connectbesyenergy.