< Back Home > Connections >
Your Connection Contract
About your connection
When you apply for a new connection or to modify your existing connection, you must enter into a connection contract with us that defines the technical requirements of the work, and fees and charges beyond the costs of your electrical professionals. Find out more about the types of contracts below.

Have your say - Share your feedback on Ausgrid's Draft Connection Contracts

At Ausgrid Customer Connections, we value your feedback and invite you to your say on our proposed suite of refreshed Connections Contracts. Your input will help shape the future of Ausgrid Customer Connections and contribute to a easier, faster and better value connections experience.

For a summary of key proposed changes, check out our Guide to Ausgrid’s Proposed Universal Connection Contracts.

To view the full proposed contracts:
Proposed Basic Connections Contract
Proposed Standard Connections Contract

Please share your feedback here prior to 31 March 2025. Thank you for your ongoing support.

Before you connect

If your premises are within the Ausgrid network area we are obliged by law to offer you connection services if you apply. We will also consider applications from customers outside but nearby our network area (see 'Getting connected').

Building or modifying a connection

When you apply for a new connection or to modify your existing connection, you must enter into a connection contract with us that defines the technical requirements of the work, and fees and charges beyond the costs of your electrical professionals. For most customers, the terms and conditions of this contract will be one of our ‘model standing offers’. A model standing offer includes Australian Energy Regulator (AER) approved terms and conditions. 

If one of our model standing offers does not suit your connection needs or they are complex, you will need to negotiate a contract with us. For example, no model standing offer covers a non-micro embedded generator. However, anyone is entitled to negotiate a contract with us.

If you wish to negotiate a contract with us, you must follow our connection negotiation process.

In some instances your connection contract may require works to be undertaken by Ausgrid as standard control services. Where these works are substantial (nominally over $1 million or more) and the augmentation is initially only for your benefit we may require you to provide a security fee to ensure our costs are adequately recovered from you through a Deed of Guarantee of Minimum Revenue.

Model Standing Offers

Select the connection contract that applies to your connection requirements.

  • MSO Basic Connection

    Our model standing offers for a basic connection service cover any connection that involves no or minimal changes our network, before the connection can be made and electrified, because our network is sufficient to meet the connection’s requirements safely.

    Basic connection services up to 100 Amps Connections Low voltage

    Use this model standing offer when you apply for a new or modified connection with a maximum capacity of 100 Amps.

     

    Basic Connection Services – Connections over 100 Amps

    Use this model standing offer when you apply for a new or modified connection with a maximum capacity above 100 Amps.

     

    Basic Connection Services – Micro Embedded Generation Connection

    Use this model standing offer when you apply to connect a micro embedded generator with a capacity of up to 10 kW, such as roof-mounted solar panels, and the generator complies with AS/NZ 4777 Grid Connection of Energy Systems via Inverters.

     

  • MSO Standard Connection
  • Contracts for other services

    Contract for Contestable Asset Relocations

    This contract contains the terms and conditions that apply when building a certified design to modify, move or remove Ausgrid infrastructure. Only an Accredited Service Provider ASP/1 can do the construction work.

    Contract for Design Related Services

    This contract contains the terms and conditions that apply to a design to modify, move or remove Ausgrid infrastructure; as well as the terms and conditions of the design-related services we may provide so we can certify the design. Only an ASP/3 can design such changes to our network and an ASP/1 can build them.

     

    Contract for Connecting Generators via an Inverter 

    A pro forma contract for connecting an non-basic embedded generation system to the network via an inverter with a total system capacity up to 5MW. 

     

    Contract for connecting Rotating Machine Generators

    A pro forma contract for connecting an embedded generation system comprising of rotating machines with a total system capacity up to 5MW.

    Contract for Connecting a Registered (On-market) Generator

    The following model agreement is indicative of the typical connection agreement offered to a customer that applies to connect a Registered (on-market) generator to Ausgrid’s network.

After you are connected

Our service obligations to you are set out in the contract that covers your ongoing connection. Most customers are covered by our Deemed Standard Connection Contract (DSCC), which will incorporate any site specific conditions agreed in your connection contract. All customers also have the right to negotiate an ongoing supply contract.

Deemed Standard Connection Contract

For a connection to our network, the terms and conditions of the Deemed Standard Connection Contract (DSCC) apply on the date the connection is electrified.

The DSCC covers such issues as:

  • maintaining electrical and metering equipment connected to the Ausgrid network at your premises
  • registering any life support equipment at your premises with your electricity retailer or us
  • any small generators at your premises that are connected to the network
  • the wrong or illegal use of electricity
  • Ausgrid’s right to access your premises
  • Ausgrid’s right to interrupt or disconnect supply after giving notice and our obligations to reconnect
  • payment for our connection services
  • your obligation to comply with certain specific and unique conditions relating to your premises that applied to these premises before you occupied them (these are known as ‘specific conditions’)
    ​

Additional protections for our small customers

Ausgrid is required by law to deliver an ongoing supply of electricity to small (in electricity usage) customers to the standards required by:

  • the Electricity Supply (General) Regulation 2014
  • the National Energy Retail Rules.

A ‘small customer’ is either a customer with a:

  • residential property
  • business property that requires up to 100 MW hours of electricity per year.

For more information see Guaranteed Service Levels. 

Need information from us to plan your connection?

If you are planning a new connection or changes to your existing connection you might want some information about likely costs or timeframes, or technical details about our infrastructure. You can find this information here.