Many of the initiatives in the trial may change the way we use, supply and pay for electricity in the future.

Some cutting edge technologies will be trialled in households. They are designed to give you near real-time information about your power use so you can control costs and see the environmental impact of your electricity use.

Smart grids can also make our power supply more reliable and secure, through fewer and shorter outages, thanks to detailed real-time information on the local power supply. More information about the grid also means potential equipment faults can be identified and repaired to avoid interruptions.

We're also testing technology and pricing options to flatten demand for electricity at peak times. This makes the grid more efficient and reduces the need for costly infrastructure.

Smart grid technology may also help us better integrate renewable sources of energy into the local grid where it is used. For many decades, the grid was designed to send electricity from power stations located outside cities to the home.  With a smart grid, power that is generated locally from solar and wind can be shared more efficiently in the community.

Testing these technologies helps keep Australia at the forefront of new energy development around the world.  

Why is the Smart Grid, Smart City trial so important?

	It’s smarter for you The more you know about your electricity consumption, the more control you have over your usage and your bills. When it comes to managing electricity, knowledge really is power.
	It’s smarter for the planet The technology we’re trialling will provide selected households with daily estimates of the greenhouse gases associated with their electricity usage. At the same time, we’re trialling technologies that in the future will improve how renewable energy sources are integrated with the electricity grid.
	It’s smarter for us all Smart meters and smart grids can make your electricity supply more reliable, with fewer and shorter outages. We need to start planning for the future today, by building a smarter grid and giving people smarter ways to control their energy consumption. Your part in this trial will help shape the future of electricity use in Australia.