Country customers given half the electricity capacity of metro users by Western Power regulation

Regional families and business are being given half the electricity capacity of their metro counterparts, resulting in multiple power cuts each day in some areas, after a WA installation rule was enforced earlier this year. Owners of a family-run accommodation business in Dardanup said they could no longer have guests at their property because the power supply was so unstable, cutting out five or six times per day. State energy infrastructure provider Western Power said the supply allocation had not changed for rural and regional customers, yet it had begun a review into the allocation for country customers to see if the rules were “fit for purpose”. Peppermint Lane Lodge bed and breakfast owners Kim and Simon Wesley lose power about five or six times per day since having solar panels installed at their Dardanup property. But there is nothing wrong with the solar installation or any of the other appliances around their home. The couple, like other country customers who have installed solar panels since the requirements started being enforced in February, were told they needed to upgrade their property’s electrical panel in order to safely install their new solar array. Following the August 2021 update to the Western Australian Services and Installations Requirements, their electrician upgraded their circuit breaker panel to have an overload-protection switch, which cuts off a house’s power supply in order to prevent trips or surges in the grid. At face value this important safety feature will protect households and businesses, but in reality it means a new circuit breaker gives regional customers a 32 amp capacity system — half the amount of their metro counterparts who can keep their 63 amp systems. Mr Wesley said the realities of rural living meant this supply was not enough and if he had known how much it would impact their day-to-day lives, they would have never gone ahead with the upgrades. “They didn’t bother to communicate this to their customer,” he said. “We weren’t making an informed decision.” Their Dardanup property is not connected to mains sewerage, so they have electrical pumps for water and septics. Like any household, they also run a refrigerator and freezer, but if they add even a minor electrical appliance to these baseload — like the kettle or toaster — it cuts off power for the whole property. Their regular household use can’t be maintained through the 32 amp allowance, which has hugely impacted their ability to run their business. “The effects on our business have been five times worse than COVID,” Mrs Wesley said. “We can’t take any new guests until this gets sorted. “We got through COVID only to be cut off at the knees by Western Power.” Western Power has said customers can apply to upgrade their systems if needed. The Wesley’s were quoted a $10,000-$15,000 out-of-pocket cost to install a new system. The couple are also fearful of the first bushfire season since having their electricity supply restricted. A member of the Wellington Mills Bush Fire Brigade, Mr Wesley had a rooftop sprinkler system installed in 2020 to protect the property from fires. That system — which relies on a water pump — has worked without any problems until now. “If the power goes off, that’s our bushfire plan out the window,” he said. South West MLC Steve Thomas said the rule was “immensely unfair” on regional customers, who were bearing the brunt of the impacts. “If you don’t live in a metro area, you don’t get an equal service,” he said. “Regional people should be entitled to the same level of service as someone living in Nedlands.” Western Power’s head of grid transformation Ben Bristow said the 32 amp standard supply allocation for regional and rural customers was being reviewed. “These updates are to ensure the safety management of the network and to align with the evolving renewable energy market and State/national compliance frameworks, as well as Australian Standards,” he said. But Mr Thomas said this answer was not good enough. “Are they saying they’ve been approving unsafe systems for 30 years? I don’t think so,” he said. “It’s not OK to take it out on regional people.”