Last year we announced a change for customers on Single Wire Earth Return (SWER) parts of our network, enabling them to be able to install up to 10kVA of capacity (increased from 5kVA) through their Flexible Exports connection.

Customers may also be able to export up to 10kW from their systems depending on the capacity of the network in their area. Some areas will be more limited in their export capacity than others and customers in certain regions may not be able to export at all. This means that customers with new or upgraded systems in SWER areas will be able to choose between:

• A fixed export limit of 0kW
• Flexible Export limit of up to 10kW (with a fall-back export limit of 0kW)

The process for this increased allowance for SWER customers differs from that of a normal Small Embedded Generation (SEG) Customer Energy Resources (CER) application. It is important to follow the new process when raising an application for SWER and low level of service sites.

What is the new process?

SWER applications do not go straight into ‘Approved’ status, and you cannot install the system straight away.

The application will enter ‘Submitted’ status in the Portal. A member of our Customer Services team will reach out to discuss the site and confirm what size meter isolator needs to be installed as per the Service and Installation rules. If a meter isolator is already on site, then a new one is not required.

Once this has been discussed, our team will manually move the application into ‘Approved’ status and you will be able to go ahead with the installation.

Until the application enters ‘Approved’ status the system cannot be installed.

What you need to do

Check your applications in the Portal to see if you have any in ‘Submitted’ status. These sites should not yet be installed. Please contact our Customer Services team to discuss the requirements for each site and have them moved into ‘Approved’ status for installation.

SA Power Networks are reviewing the compliance framework for SWER sites. Sites that have been installed without approval may count towards your non-compliance percentage in future, so it is important to address your non-compliances now and contact the Customer Services team if required.

What happens next?

We are conducting audits on random SWER sites to confirm they have been installed as per the Service and Installation Rules and TS129. If a site is selected to be audited, a notice will be sent to the electricity account holder notifying them of the date of the audit. Any issues found at site will be communicated to the account holder and the solar company.

Contact us

For any queries, or to move your SWER applications to ‘Approved’ status, please contact the Customer Services team:

• Phone: 13 12 61 (Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm)
• Email: customerservice@sapowernetworks.com.au
• Online: Contact us via our online form