Metering and Monitoring Planning (NSW)

Funding program archive

This page preserves a dated funding-program record and links it to current project-planning guidance.

Publication date: 1 January 2022.

Status note: This archive does not confirm that applications are open, funds remain available or the earlier eligibility and co-funding settings still apply. Verify the current administrator page and guidelines.

What this article reported

By assessing and understanding your existing energy metering, you can pinpoint gaps in the system and determine how enhancing your metering systems can lead to reduced energy consumption and expenses. The Metering and Monitoring Planning (MMP) initiative presents an opportunity for businesses to identify gaps in their metering systems and explore measures to rectify them.

Each service provider will receive up to $15,000 per metering and monitoring plan depending on the amount of your facility's annual spend on non-transport energy. Expressions of interest will close once the $1.5 million budget for this initiative is exhausted.

Who is this for?

This initiative is for NSW businesses in the manufacturing or industrial or commercial sector.

Eligibility:

You can apply if you:

If a metering and monitoring plan is for a commercial building:

Related Grant:

Check out the Metering Implementation Plan Grant Round 1 to apply.

How to use this information now

Before relying on a grant, confirm the current round, applicant and project eligibility, eligible expenditure, co-contribution, assessment process, closing date and evidence obligations. Build the technical case so the project remains understandable with grant support shown separately.

Separate source-reported facts from forecasts, targets and commentary. For a current project, retain the official source, version, effective date, assumptions and decision record in the evidence file.

What is the Metering and Monitoring Planning (MMP) initiative in NSW?

The Metering and Monitoring Planning (MMP) initiative is a NSW program that allows businesses to identify gaps in their existing energy metering systems and explore measures to rectify them, helping them understand how enhanced metering can reduce energy consumption and expenses. The program recognizes that a useful metering system answers a specific operational or investment question by combining hardware and software to collect and interpret energy data, supporting measurement and verification of energy projects and compliance with reporting obligations.

How much funding can service providers receive per metering and monitoring plan under the MMP initiative?

Each service provider will receive up to $15,000 per metering and monitoring plan, with the exact amount depending on the facility's annual spend on non-transport energy. This funding supports the planning phase, which includes defining information requirements, establishing data responsibilities before installation, matching measurement periods to operating cycles, and creating operational handover specifications that assign responsibility for reviewing reports and responding to anomalies.

What is the total budget for the MMP initiative and when do expressions of interest close?

The MMP initiative has a total budget of $1.5 million, and expressions of interest will close once this budget is exhausted. This budget structure means applications are assessed on a first-come basis, making early engagement important for businesses interested in developing a metering and monitoring plan.

What eligibility requirements must a facility meet to apply for the MMP initiative?

Applicants must have an Australian business number (ABN) and be registered for GST; be a manufacturing, industrial, or commercial sector business located in NSW; spend more than $200,000 annually on energy per site (excluding transport fuel); have a complex energy system requiring a comprehensive metering plan; have a clear, justifiable objective for the plan; and not have already completed a similar plan under this program. For commercial buildings, only the base building is eligible and the occupancy certificate must have been issued before 1 January 2022.

What key planning steps should be established before metering infrastructure is installed?

Before installation, establish who owns the data, who can access it, how it is exported, and how equipment changes will be recorded. Define how missing periods, resets, duplicates, and implausible values will be detected and documented. Ensure the measurement period matches the facility's operating cycle to capture representative conditions, particularly for seasonal or variable operations. Create a short handover specification identifying which question each report answers, who reviews it, and what happens when an anomaly is found to ensure the infrastructure supports actual decision-making rather than remaining unused.

How does Northmore Gordon support businesses through the MMP initiative?

We deliver metering and monitoring planning services as part of the MMP initiative, providing costing, purchasing support, and oversight of metering installation. Our engagement begins with understanding the business problem and site-specific constraints, then designs a metering plan that answers defined operational or investment questions. We can also assist with funding-pathway assessment, helping identify whether related schemes such as the Metering Implementation Plan Grant Round 1 apply to support the actual installation phase following the planning stage.

What is the relationship between the MMP initiative and the Metering Implementation Plan Grant Round 1?

The Metering Implementation Plan Grant Round 1 is a related grant program that businesses can apply for following completion of a metering and monitoring plan developed under the MMP initiative. The planning phase identifies what metering infrastructure is needed and establishes the evidence specifications, while the implementation grant can then support the capital costs of installing that infrastructure. We can provide guidance on both programs as separate funding pathways within an overall metering strategy.

Why is early measurement planning important for energy projects involving metering?

Early measurement planning is critical because leaving measurement setup until immediately before installation can make the intended analysis difficult or impossible. A complete operating cycle of baseline data is necessary to represent typical conditions and support credible measurement and verification if energy savings are later claimed. The MMP initiative addresses this by funding the planning phase upfront, allowing businesses to establish data responsibilities, quality procedures, and measurement boundaries before committing to installation, ensuring the infrastructure will generate useful evidence for operational and investment decisions.

How should a business structure information when applying for the MMP initiative?

Prepare a project brief describing the business problem, facility location and boundary, existing equipment and energy data available, the decision the metering system must support, annual energy spend, current project stage, and any complexity in processes or distribution systems. Include at least a year of electricity and fuel history, interval data if available, production volumes, operating schedules, and equipment information. Flag missing data and major shutdowns. This chronological, evidence-based approach helps Northmore Gordon scope an appropriate planning engagement and confirm eligibility early in the process.

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