Current Location: Home Tasmania Frequently Asked Questions How Does Aurora PAY AS YOU GO Work?

How Does Aurora PAY AS YOU GO Work?

How can I manage my electricity costs?

Aurora PAY AS YOU GO offers Time of Use pricing, which means that you can take advantage of different electricity rates at different times of the day. You'll also notice that there are pricing combinations for weekdays, weekends and different months of the year. This means that you can save on your electricity costs by using appliances during the cheaper times. For example, if you run your washing machine, dishwasher or dryer in the evening or at night, you'll potentially notice a saving in your power costs. Even simple things like doing your ironing in the evening can save you money.

Can someone else use my Smart Card credit in their meter?

For your safety and security, your Aurora PAY AS YOU GO Smart Card will work only in your meter.

How do I charge up my Smart Card?

Once you receive your Smart Card, sign it immediately. You can then purchase any amount of credit between $5 and $200 by taking the Smart Card to an Aurora PAY AS YOU GO Recharge Agent*.

*Please note: Aurora PAY AS YOU GO Recharge Agents prefer cash transactions and are not obliged to accept cheques, EFTPOS or credit cards.

How do I charge up the meter?

The process for charging up your meter is the same, whether you have a Siemens PAY AS YOU GO Meter or an ACTARIS Talexus Payguard.

Insert your Smart Card into your Aurora PAY AS YOU GO meter and the amount of credit you have purchased will be transferred to the meter.

How do I use my meter?

Siemens PAY AS YOU GO Meter

Insert the Smart Card with the picture-side facing left. The main display will always show the value of the credit (or debt) that is in the meter.

The value displayed on your meter is affected in three ways:

  • the amount of credit you have transferred from your Smart Card to the meter
  • the amount of electricity you use
  • the deduction of daily fixed charges

When you press the BLUE BUTTON you can scroll through the following meter displays to find out:

  • Meter readings in kilowatt hours (kWh) for each rate. (Each reading is followed by a display of its corresponding rate in cents/kWh. The rate showing "NOW" is the rate you are currently being charged.)
  • Total energy in kWh.
  • The Standing Charge in $ per week. This is made up of the services and meter charges. It also includes any outstanding debt that you may have with Aurora (You will always be notified of any special arrangement to collect a debt).
  • The Emergency Credit Threshold. Emergency Credit becomes available when the level of remaining credit falls below this amount (currently $3).
  • The Emergency Credit Limit. This is the amount of Emergency Credit available for use.
  • If you do not press the blue button again within 10 seconds, the meter will revert to the main display.

ACTARIS Talexus PayGuard

The front panel of your meter provides operating instructions. The number in brackets on the left hand side of the display indicates what information is being displayed at any time. For example [1] is the default display showing the value of the credit that is in the meter. If no extra credit is added to the amount, the credit value displayed will decrease in two ways:

  • according to the amount of electricity you use
  • the deduction of daily fixed charges (this may also include a daily deduction resulting from the repayment of an outstanding debt).

You can scroll through the following displays by pressing the blue button (if you do not press the button again within 30 seconds, the meter will revert to the main display). The display sequence is as follows:

  • Test display
  • Time and the current pricing rate being applied
  • Date and the current pricing rate being applied
  • Total credit which has been entered into the meter [2]
  • The Standing Charge in dollars per week [3]. This is made up of the Services and Meter Charges and any debt charges
  • Total energy consumption which is the sum of consumption in all rates
  • Meter readings in kWh for each rate. Each reading is followed by a display of its corresponding rate in $/kWh [4].

Are there any restrictions on who can use Aurora PAY AS YOU GO?

Aurora PAY AS YOU GO is for residential customers only. However, if you live outside a 20km radius of an Aurora PAY AS YOU GO Recharge Agent, you will be required to sign an Out of Area Agreement that indicates that you understand the limitations that this can present.

For safety reasons, Aurora PAY AS YOU GO cannot be connected to residences that have any medical life support systems that run on mains power.

Aurora PAY AS YOU GO can only be connected to single-phase power supply (most residences run on single-phase power but if you are unsure, call a licensed electrical contractor).

You must be able to safely access your own meter box in order to insert your Smart Card and press the buttons on your Aurora PAY AS YOU GO meter.