AES Readiness for WA Strata and Apartment Buildings
A practical preparation pathway for WA apartment buildings and strata schemes supplied through a master meter.
Why strata buildings should assess their electricity arrangement
A building where electricity enters through a master meter and is supplied or on-charged to multiple lots may be a single property network. The prospective AES provider may be the property owner or owners, or a contracted third party. The correct answer depends on the legal and operating arrangement, not simply the existence of submeters.
Information the council or strata manager should assemble
- Strata plan and current ownership or management structure.
- Retailer bills and master-meter details.
- Single-line diagrams and switchboard information.
- Lot, common-area and meter register.
- Existing electricity agreements and sample bills.
- Details of the company reading meters or issuing bills.
- Complaint, payment, hardship and disconnection procedures.
- Solar, battery and EV charging arrangements.
A staged readiness process
- Identify the electricity service and prospective responsible provider.
- Verify the physical network, meters and customer mapping.
- Map billing and customer-protection responsibilities.
- Record gaps against current government guidance.
- Prepare a decision paper and implementation sequence for the council or owners.
Current timing
Energy Policy WA states that on-site power supply provider registration opens on 1 February 2027 and that the requirement for single property network registration is delayed to 1 July 2027. The draft SPN Code consultation has closed. Preparation should use the latest official material because implementation details can change.
Official sources: Energy Policy WA — Alternative Electricity Services framework and Energy and Water Ombudsman WA — Alternative Electricity Services.
Frequently asked questions
Is the strata manager automatically the AES provider?
No. The responsible provider depends on who supplies or operates the service and the contractual structure. This should be determined for each site.
Does a strata building need to replace every meter?
Not automatically. Existing equipment should be assessed for accuracy, suitability, communications, condition and the proposed operating model.
Can PKTR present findings to a strata council?
PKTR can prepare a practical technical summary and implementation pathway suitable for discussion with the strata manager, council and appointed advisers.