What is an embedded network in a strata scheme?
It is a private electricity network inside the building. The site takes one connection from the grid and power is metered individually to each lot and to common property, such as hallways, foyers, car parks, lifts and shared amenities. Residents are billed by the embedded network operator that runs the site. Because the building buys its power in bulk through that one connection, it can secure better rates than each lot would get on its own.
Our building already has an embedded network. Can we change operator?
Usually yes, though it depends on the contract. Some embedded network agreements run for a long term with specific exit conditions; others roll over annually. Reading the contract is the first step, which is why our review often starts there. Where there is time left to run, a buyout is often the way through: we quantify what it costs to exit the existing agreement, set that against what the building would save under a better arrangement, and in many cases the buyout can sit inside the commercial terms rather than being paid up front by the building. Because automatic rollovers are common, the earlier you bring us in the better, so the transition can be timed to the end of the current contract rather than missed by a few weeks. If the numbers do not stack up, we will tell you that rather than start a process that goes nowhere. If the committee would rather run the process itself first, our guide to running an embedded network tender without a consultant walks through it.
Who makes the decision, the committee or the owners corporation?
It depends on your state and on what the change involves. A change of embedded network operator or supply arrangement generally needs a resolution of the owners corporation (the body corporate in Queensland) rather than a committee decision, and installing equipment on common property normally does too. Your strata manager will confirm what applies. We prepare the material for the meeting either way.
What happens to residents during a changeover?
Supply does not stop and meters keep reading straight through, so nothing changes inside the apartment. Residents get advance notice, a welcome pack and a new account, so the first they see of the change is a bill that looks different and a number to call if they have a question. We prepare that communication and make sure it lands before the switch, not after.
Does the building get any value back from the embedded network?
Yes, and it belongs to the building. Most often it shows up as cost: a sharper rate on common property, which feeds straight into the levy. Depending on how the arrangement is structured, it can also come back as network infrastructure the building would otherwise have funded itself. A changeover is also the natural moment to add solar, battery storage, or EV charging capability, because the metering and the network are potentially being reworked anyway, and the return on that sits with the building for the life of the asset. We set the options out at review so the owners corporation can decide which one suits.