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If you have an interval or smart meter, you can request 12 months of your electricity usage data from your Distributed Network Service Provider (DNSP) and upload it to SunSPOT. This will produce the most accurate estimates possible.

At this stage, SunSPOT only accepts meter data in CSV files in NEM12 format which your DNSP will send to you upon request. SunSPOT cannot accept data in other formats from energy retailers or other apps.

Click here for more detail on smart meter data.

SunSPOT has some data requirements that must be met before uploading to avoid errors. This includes allowed date ranges and the requirement for NEM12 formatted data only. We update the allowed date ranges every few months to add more allowed dates, so to check the current requirements click here.

The page linked above also has guidelines around what data to request if you have recently installed solar or made a big change to the property that changes how you use electricity.

If your data does not meet the requirements, try a different method for sharing your usage information, like adding your usage manually. If you already have solar and are looking at upgrading or replacing the system, you may need to try a different SunSPOT pathway by going back to the home page and selecting a different starting option for now.

If any of the following are true for your property, it’s likely that you do have a smart or interval meter:

✔️ You had solar installed in the past 3 years

✔️ You are billed different rates for different times/days (this is ‘time of use’ or TOU billing)

✔️ Your property is new (built after 2017)

✔️ Your property is located in Victoria

If someone comes to read your meter in person, you probably don’t have a smart meter. However, you may still have an interval meter: if you have time of use billing, then it’s likely that you have an interval meter.

You can request and upload meter data to SunSPOT if you have either a smart meter or an interval meter.

⚠️ Note: SunSPOT has some data requirements that must be met before uploading to avoid errors. This includes allowed date ranges and the requirement for NEM12 formatted data only. We update the allowed date ranges every few months to add more allowed dates, so to check the current requirements click here.

Your Distributed Network Service Provider (DNSP) is different to your electricity retailer. You can find your DNSP named under “Faults and Emergencies” on your electricity bill, or by searching the Australian Energy Regulator’s Who is your distributor? page.

The DNSP is the organisation that owns and controls the physical infrastructure used to distribute electricity (like power poles and wires).

We have a whole section on this website dedicated to helping you find and access your smart meter data here.

You’ll need to know your DNSP and your NMI number, and you can find both on your most recent electricity bill.

⚠️ Note: SunSPOT has some data requirements that must be met before uploading to avoid errors. This includes allowed date ranges and the requirement for NEM12 formatted data only. We update the allowed date ranges every few months to add more allowed dates, so to check the current requirements click here.

The NEM12 format is designed by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) and is the format required by the National Electricity Rules (NER) for retailers and DNSPs to provide detailed meter data to customers. This means that all data in NEM12 format has the same structure and quality requirements by law.

Because electricity data can be very complex and can be structured in lots of different ways, using this regulated format means that SunSPOT will always know how to read your NEM12 meter data. This helps validate your data and prevent errors in the calculation that could occur with tiny changes to the data format.

In some cases you may not be able to upload meter data CSV files from an Android device in a Chrome browser. Unfortunately, this is caused by an issue within the Chrome browser itself and some versions of Android operating systems.

What you can do is try a different browser (e.g. Safari or Firefox), or a different device (e.g. a laptop or desktop computer). If you’re still running into issues with uploading data, please get in touch and we’ll try our best to help.

For residential users, adding information from multiple bills (up to a full year) helps SunSPOT understand how your electricity usage changes across the seasons.

Commercial users can add information from one recent bill. To get the most accurate estimate, commercial users should upload 12 months of real meter data in NEM12 format.

Check out this page for help understanding your bill, including a guide to finding the information SunSPOT needs.