Additional consumer choice of electricity services (ACCES)

Evolving technologies and new business models will lead to more participation in the electricity industry, which will promote competition and choice, and deliver significant reliability benefits to consumers.

This change will give consumers more choice in how, and who, they interact with in the electricity industry. This includes establishing trading relationships with more than one party. Consumers are increasingly able to, and are, obtaining services (including consumption, generation, demand response and other third-party provider services) from multiple suppliers.

At present, barriers exist that stop or make it difficult for consumers to enter into multiple trading relationships at one connection point. For example, purchasing consumption from one trader, selling generation to another trader or engaging an altogether different supplier to manage their load (for example hot water cylinder). This project will investigate whether allowing consumers to have multiple trading relationships would result in more efficient outcomes.

We have updated the name of the Multiple Trading Relationship project to the Additional consumer choice of electricity services (ACCES) project. This change was made to better reflect the objectives of the project and following discussion with the Board. We are examining whether there are barriers that could prevent consumers from accessing many different services from many different suppliers.