Frequently Asked Questions

What should I do if:

1. I move property;
2. I change to be circulated for reviewanother electricity product (non-solar city) with Origin;
3. the IHD is faulty;
4. I change to another retailer?

If any of the above situations applies to you and you have an IHD, we kindly ask you to please return the IHD in an appropriate box with your contact details to Origin using the following return address:

• Origin Energy
• ASC - IHD Return
• Level 6, 1 King William Street
• ADELAIDE SA 5000

If you have any questions, please call Origin on 13 24 61.

In the case where the IHD is faulty, we will assess the fault endeavouring to repair the IHD as soon as practical. Once the IHD is in working order again we’ll aim return it back to you. In the meantime we will activate any other means of communication (like email or SMS) in case Origin calls a Critical Peak Day.

If your Solar City tariff changes from Dynamic Saver (Critical Peak pricing) to another Solar City tariff (Smart Time of Use pricing) you can keep the In-Home Display.

The smart electricity meter and IHD are equipped with a low power wireless radio transmitter and receiver, by using the license free ISM band at 2.4 GHz. The transmitter and receiver are based on the ZigBee standard.

ISM stands for Industrial, Scientific, Medical.

For more information on the Zigbee standard please visit www.zigbee.org or on the internet. For example, Wikipedia provides an overview.

The reception of a reliable signal from the meter to the IHD depends on any physical barriers such as walls and the construction of the building. In a typical house it should work OK in most rooms.

Yes, there may be constructions that reduce or stop IHD signals communicating with the meter like e.g. walls made of metal or sheathed with metal such as steel and foil typically reduce or block the signal the most.

No, only one IHD can be linked to the electricity meter in your meter box.

Yes, the serial number that the IHD links to via your smart electricity meter is unique.

No, someone else with an IHD nearby cannot accidentally pick up a signal from your house as the IHD can only communicate to the smart electricity meter it is linked to.

The message originates from Origin Energy. It is transmitted over the mobile phone data network to the smart electricity meter, which in turn transmits the signal and sends the message to the IHD.

If you move onto a new electricity tariff, you don’t need to adjust the IHD. This change will be communicated via the wireless process and updated into the IHD.

The CPP events are displayed in local time.

Yes, the IHD will still receive messages if operating in the power saver mode. The IHD beeps on a regular basis (so long as the beep function has not been turned off by the user) and the light bar will flash to alert you that a message is waiting to be read. Simply touch the screen and follow the screen prompts to acknowledge the message on the screen.

The IHD system is designed to support additional readings for natural gas and water. However these functions are not currently enabled because the respective meters natural gas and water are not equipped to communicate with the IHD.

If there is consumption showing but there is no dollar (AUD$) amount per hour stated, this most likely means the amount of power used is relatively low and when multiplied by the tariff the $ amount calculated is less than a cent per hour.

In most circumstances you will not be able to use this figure to calculate the cost as this applies at that particular moment only. If the power consumed was exactly the same over half an hour, then it would be more accurate.

The IHD typically uses around seven (7) watts when the screen is on, and less than one (1) watt when in power save mode.

The data on the IHD goes as far back as when your smart meter was installed or re-programmed. The IHD will bring the data from the meter to populate its memory when it is first linked to the meter.

No, unfortunately you are not able to see data from an old meter on your IHD if this meter has been replaced by a new smart meter. You will only be able to see the data from the new smart meter.

Yes, there is another way to view your historical data by logging on to: www.originenergy.com.au/your-power . The online usage data via this link will still contain data from your previous meter or data from before your meter was re-programmed.

For the 2008 financial year, a final dividend of 13 cents per share (fully franked) will be paid on 3 October 2008.

The carbon emissions graph shows you how much carbon emissions (also known as greenhouse gas emissions) have been produced by your electricity consumption. The less electricity you use the less greenhouse gas emissions you generate.

The greenhouse gas emissions are calculated using a state specific greenhouse gas emissions factor. For South Australia the greenhouse gas emissions factor is 0.98kg of CO2e per kilowatt hour (kWh). This means that for every kilowatt hour of electricity you consume, 0.98kg of CO2e (greenhouse gas emissions) is emitted into the atmosphere. An average South Australian household consuming 5,000kWh per year produces 4,900kg of CO2e emissions or 4.9 tonnes of CO2e emissions. This calculation is used as the basis to derive the carbon emissions graph.

• Further information on the greenhouse gas emissions factors.

Please note: If you are on a GreenPower accredited electricity product you will be able to see the reduced impact your choice of GreenPower has in the carbon emissions graph.

The non GreenPower component is displayed in the graph by a dark blue colour shade. If you e.g. have chosen a 25% GreenPower contribution your carbon emissions will be reduced by 25% as displayed in the graph by a different green colour shade. The calculated kilogram value of carbon displayed on the IHD will be based on the percentage of non GreenPower purchased. For example if you have chosen a 100% GreenPower product your IHD will calculate 0 (zero) kilograms of carbon emissions.

That is correct. The electricity consumption information on the IHD is communicated directly from the smart electricity meter almost real time. The data on the web is read from the smart electricity meter in the early hours of the morning, and is subject to a verification process before being used. The verified electricity usage data will than be used for display on the web and for billing purposes. The verification process takes a day or two hence the delay in displaying the verified electricity usage data online via www.originenergy.com.au/your-power.

The time on the IHD is received from the smart electricity meter. The time gets checked and adjusted if needed when the meter data is remotely collected which usually happens daily. The meter always maintains the time in Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST).

The IHD remains the property of the customer.

The weather forecast information on the IHD originates from the Bureau of Metrology (BOM), the independent national weather forecaster. The weather forecast information is delivered to the IHD, via the smart electricity meter and the remote communication link (operating via the mobile communication network).

The IHD displays the forecast and temperature received from the BOM. Typically, if the minimum forecasted temperature has been reached or exceeded no minimum temperature will be displayed anymore.

The weather forecast is updated everyday at 8 PM.

No, you are not able to exactly calculate your electricity bill. Please be aware that your electricity bill includes other charges such as standing charges or supply charges. In addition there are software limitations in the IHD which may mean that a fractional difference in the tariff applied by the IHD, (rounding) will see a slightly different number than the amount displayed on the bill.

Although the electricity meter installed in your meter board starts recording the load almost straight away, the IHD and the meter only communicate every few seconds. That is why it may take a few seconds to update the change in electricity usage.

Many appliances automatically vary the amount of electricity they use during their normal operating cycle. The variation in the amount of electricity usage results in the instant kW value to jump up and down.

Most likely this is due to standby loads. Many appliances which may be switched off at the appliance are still using power for the appliance’s electronic circuits. If a number of appliances are using standby power, these can add up to a sizeable amount of electricity consumption.

To minimise and decrease the amount of electricity used and displayed on the IHD, please check all appliances that may be running on standby power and turn off the electricity supply at the wall plug socket. This should reduce the electricity consumption displayed on the IHD.

Even if you are sure every appliance is turned off at the wall, there is still electricity being used by the IHD. That is why the IHD will still display about 6 to 7 watts of electricity consumption.

If you would like to calculate the consumption of individual appliances, simply subtract 6 or 7 watts from the total electricity consumption displayed on the IHD. You can do this e.g. for your fridge.