BLND3TO — LV Demand — Alternative

Essential Energy · Optional · Low voltage · 2026–27

Regional, rural and remote NSW, including most areas outside the major coastal networks.

BLND3TO LV Demand — Alternative tariff guide

Who it’s for

Eligible low-voltage businesses using more than 160 MWh a year.

What you pay

You pay fixed and energy charges. The bill also uses the highest kVA reading in set periods.

If you get solar

Solar can reduce daytime grid use. If the highest kVA reading occurs after solar output falls, solar alone will not remove it. Solar does not correct poor power factor.

If you get a battery

A battery can reduce the active-power part of the kVA peak. Check power factor before you size it.

Check before you decide

  • Confirm this code on a current retailer bill.
  • Use 12 months of interval data. Check the time of each billed peak.
  • Get kW, kVA and power-factor data from the billing meter.
2026–27 network prices

What it costs, and when

These are the network’s charges only. Your retailer adds its own prices on top.

BLND3TO in one day

Weekdays only — weekends are all off-peak.

What the network charges

Access
$22.3346/day
Peak energy
19.2768 c/kWh
Shoulder energy
14.6931 c/kWh
Off-peak energy
6.7066 c/kWh
Peak-or-shoulder demand
$15.4853/kVA/month

When the rates apply

One monthly demand charge uses the highest half-hour kVA reading in either the peak or shoulder period.

Illustrative example

Reduce the BLND3TO peak-or-shoulder maximum by 50 kVA

  • The highest peak-or-shoulder reading falls by 50 kVA.
  • No later peak or shoulder interval replaces it.
  • The example uses one month of network demand charges.
The demand charge falls by about $774.27 for that month: 50 × $15.4853.

Do not compare this demand result alone with BLND3AO. The energy rates differ. Use 12 months of interval kWh and kVA data.

Would a battery help?

A guide, not a quote

Strong fit

Peak-kVA control

A controlled battery may reduce the site maximum, but the bill is based on apparent power. Power factor and reactive load can be as important as battery kW.

A battery can reduce these

  • The active-power contribution to the measured kVA maximum.
  • Peak-period grid energy when the battery discharges at the same time.
  • Solar spill that can be stored without sacrificing the required peak reserve.

A battery can’t change these

  • Daily access, metering and other fixed charges.
  • Reactive-power demand unless the inverter and control design explicitly provide power-factor support.
  • A new maximum created after the battery empties or misses dispatch.

You’d need to check

  1. At least 12 months of interval data, including every billed maximum.
  2. Demand timestamps, seasonal windows and billing reset rules.
  3. kW, kVA, kvar and power-factor data at the billing meter.
  4. Retailer rates plus the network tariff—not a blended cents-per-kWh assumption.