Are you eligible for a PeakSmart payment?
If you’re buying a new air conditioner, it’s worth contacting your electricity company to see if they offer financial rebates for businesses that buy ‘PeakSmart’ enabled air conditioners.
A PeakSmart enabled air conditioner is able to receive a signal via the power lines from the energy company. This signal makes it use less electricity during times of peak energy demand.
When the energy company triggers the PeakSmart capability in the air conditioner, it still cools the premises, but to a lesser degree. Using less power in this way helps to reduce the stress on the power grid and also reduces peak demand energy bills.
At the moment, not all energy companies are offering PeakSmart incentives. However, some Queensland energy companies such as Energex and Ergon are currently paying the following one-off amounts when you buy PeakSmart enabled equipment and sign up to the scheme:
| Cooling capacity | Reward available | ||
| Less than 4kW | $150 | ||
| 4kW but less than 10kW | $250 | ||
| 10kW or more | $500 |
Businesses in this Queensland scheme can currently claim up to three PeakSmart rewards per premises for any type of PeakSmart enabled air-conditioning system. Many major air-conditioning brands are now PeakSmart compatible, so if your energy company offers these rewards, you’ll have plenty of choice.
To check out the list of PeakSmart compatible air conditioners, visit EnergyCut.info/peak-smart-aircon.
To get more information on the Queensland PeakSmart scheme, download their leaflet at EnergyCut.info/peak-smart.