Tariff 24 is a new electricity tariff option for small business customers who use less than 100 megawatt hours of electricity per year.

Its pricing structure naturally suits some businesses and presents opportunities for farmers who can adjust their demand for electricity to avoid peak periods.

Tariff 24 has a fixed daily supply charge, a usage charge (measured in kWh) and a demand charge (measured as kW), with supply and usage charges at a significantly lower rate than most other small business tariffs.

Members of the agricultural industry may like to consider making changes to their operations to make use of the Tariff 24 pricing structure by:

• Ensuring that major equipment (eg pumps) operate partly or completely outside of the peak period
• Installing variable speed drives so that pumps only run at the required electricity input, rather than 100% of their rated power
• Using more energy efficient equipment and ensuring appliances are not operated longer than necessary.

If your electricity demand runs outside the peak times of 10am to 8pm on Monday to Friday you may be suited to Tariff 24 as there is no demand charge applied outside of the peak period, including all day on weekends.

For more information, see below the Tariff Trial Group’s Tariff 24 factsheet.