60% PLUS INCREASE ON HOUSEHOLD ELECTRICITY...WHAT NEXT?

[*cupie*]

This type of thing in a recession is just obnoxious and as usual rural people get 'the brunt' of it.....This is one of the reasons Mr. Rudd's hand outs should have been allocated to infrastructure instead....it's a bloody recession and these prawns are doubling prices?....Where does it end....who can afford electricity these days then?...what of pensioners living alone who now won't be able to afford heat in winter?...Glad I kept the old Kero Lamps....looks like in the 21st century we're all being forced back to the dark ages...wonder if they still make kero heaters?....lol

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/households-to-feel-pinch-as-price-of-power-soars-20100318-qifr.html

Households to feel pinch as price of power soars
BRIAN ROBINS AND PHILLIP COOREY
March 19, 2010

Household electricity bills are set to soar, rising by up to $918 a year by 2012-13, thanks to a combination of the federal government's planned carbon emissions trading scheme and a large spending program needed to improve network reliability.

The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) said yesterday it has approved price rises of up to 64 per cent in total over the three years from 2010-11 until the end of 2012-13. Those living outside the main cities will bear the brunt of the increases.

The federal opposition said the determination should sound the death knell for the scheme.

''If Mr Rudd stubbornly persists in trying to force his new tax on Australian households, the Coalition will remain steadfast in its commitment to oppose it for a third time,'' the Coalition Senate leader, Nick Minchin, said.

But the Climate Change Minister, Penny Wong, noted that the majority - about two-thirds of the price rises - were due to increased network prices.

''It is up to the NSW government to explain the reasons behind these price rises,'' she said, adding that the scheme provided most households with compensation to help with the increased cost of living.

IPART said compensation would be inadequate. It claimed low-income households would receive $200 a year in compensation for the scheme's impact on power bills, which was short of the $300 a year by which it said the scheme would raise bills. Treasury says the scheme will raise bills annually by $120.

The state government said it was disappointed with the approved price rises, and said it would boost its assistance program for low-income households who are not able to afford the higher prices, offering to extend a rebate program.

In its preliminary decision released in December, IPART indicated that prices could rise by as much as 62 per cent over the three-year period so that the three electricity retailers - EnergyAustralia, Integral Energy and Country Energy - could finance capital spending programs running to billions of dollars.

About one-third of the price rises stems from the federal government's proposed carbon emissions trading scheme, IPART said.

EnergyAustralia customers' electricity bills will rise by about $754 over the three-year period if the scheme is introduced, or by about $448 if not. Integral Energy's customers will pay an extra $577 if the scheme is introduced, or $246 if it is not.

Country Energy, which provides all of rural NSW customers with their electricity, has been allowed to raise its prices by the steepest amount, with an increase of $918 if the scheme is introduced; otherwise, the rise will be $601.

Overall, Energy Australia customers will see prices rise by a total of 46 per cent, for Integral Energy 60 per cent, and for Country Energy 64 per cent.

Welfare groups have warned that the price rises will force many low-income households into ''energy poverty'', and they will not be able to afford to pay their bills.

[*Yibida*]

I just got my electricity bill this morning...$600... anyone got a contact to have my own private Nuclear reactor installed ?....

[*wheels*]

$600 Yibs? 

Mine is $340. And that is with one resident who is a heavy electricity user - up till very late every night with multiple PCs running as well as his large screen plasma etc etc

Do you have air conditioning? I imagine there will be a lot of big bills after the hot weather we've had recently.

[*Ubbie Max*]

Not a problem Yib, I'll see what I can get.

That's a big bill. What you should do is take the fuses out of the fuse box before going to work & then whack them back in when you get home.

Leave the fuse for the fridge in as you don't want your Pepsi Max's warm.

If the bride complains get her a nice smooth rock about twice the size of a cricket ball. Wimen used rocks to wash clothing etc for thousands of years with great success.

There's nothing wong with a Moari Hungy & it wont take the bride long to dig the hole.

These are just a couple of suggestions to help lower electricity bills, I have more!

[*cupie*]

Hotwater, fridges, freezers,air con and heaters are the biggest power products.....We're shutting down our second fridge, we don't have air con, and our hotwater is gas as is our hob and one oven/stove in the garage flat.....even so, my electricity still comes in around 360.00-400.00 per quarter...

A 60% increase on that will be nearly $600.00 dollars per quarter?...as I said, thank gord I kept the Old kero lamps...lol

[*smee*]

I just got my electricity bill this morning...$600... anyone got a contact to have my own private Nuclear reactor installed ?....

Hey Yibster , Smee Enterprises are the Australian agent for these http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/nov/09/miniature-nuclear-reactors-los-alamos

how many can In pencil you in for ?

[*FluffyDuckee*]

That's a big bill Yib.   I'd say people are going to turn to solar more and more.  What a pity it was privatised.  I see no gain at all from that for the consumer.  Only the opposite.  There is no real competition and everyone is at the mercy of whatever price is put on it.  Maybe we could all buy some kero lamps like Cupie and have log fires.  Then the electricity companies would get way less money.

[*CountessA*]

This is disgusting. I am already seeing an increase in my electricity bills too... and I'm quite careful in my use of electricity.

It would be well worth starting a thread about how to save on your electricity and gas bills - strategies for lowering usage, suggestions about alternative power sources, etc.

I am sure we're already aware of the cost of "passive" power, when appliances are turned off but the power point switch is still on (so that the appliance is actually in passive mode, possibly with a light showing...). Turning off AT THE POWER POINT is one possible small saving.

Turning off lights as one leaves a room is another thing to keep in mind.

But of course... this doesn't address the issue of the government ripping people's incomes apart like a wild bear savaging a gazelle - but it seems clear that the general population have little say in this insane Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, and the forecast of rural areas being hit most by the price rises is FLAT-OUT CONTRADICTORY to the notion that those producing the highest CO₂ emissions will be hit highest by the tax.

With the failure of international agreement on carbon emission at Copenhagen, this idea of capping such a small world player in carbon pollution as Australia is like blaming a mosquito bite for a man's death when he's been shot, strangled, burned, beaten, drowned, trodden on and run over.

[*FluffyDuckee*]

It must  be electricity bill day.  Have just got a bill for $471 (never been that high) and last one was $330.

[low-enghooi]

It must  be electricity bill day.  Have just got a bill for $471 (never been that high) and last one was $330.

Sorry but is that a monthly bill?

[*FluffyDuckee*]

Quarterly, but it has never been that high before.

[low-enghooi]

Thanks. That is a lot of money in Ringgit.

Let's just say at the current rate, I can pay about 40 months of electricity usage with A$471 in Malaysia. Thing might change very soon, as the government has planned to increase the rate.

[*Yibida*]

Hotwater, fridges, freezers,air con and heaters are the biggest power products.....We're shutting down our second fridge, we don't have air con, and our hotwater is gas as is our hob and one oven/stove in the garage flat.....even so, my electricity still comes in around 360.00-400.00 per quarter...

A 60% increase on that will be nearly $600.00 dollars per quarter?...as I said, thank gord I kept the Old kero lamps...lol

Cue I have evaporative cooling so it's suppose to be cheap to run, I have now turned off the second fridge as of yesterday, only one pc per person on now instead of all 8 at the one time, I have gas hot water so thats not a big deal cost wise, I'm also careful how many lights are on around the house, my usage on the bill is no great than it has been the last 12 months,  I'm afraid it's just another grab for cash and buggger  the comsumer...AGAIN.

[*cupie*]

Rather than having a thread on how to adjust to the changes, maybe it would be better to have a protest or whistle blowers thread about these Environment toting capitalists?.....didn't we all expect that the Global Warming issue would turn into another capitalistic free for all?  

I'm looking at it seriously as though we're being held to ransom for critical utilities....how many elderly can absorb this bill ?...and what of single parents trying to make ends meet etc etc etc.....do we all go communal again and pool resources?.....rebuild the old kero heaters or install wood burners?....I'm seriously considering it...I'm surrounded by nothing but forest....lol....so much for carbon reduction when we're reduced to sitting around a camp fire again eh?...lmao

Good job I kept me old stock saddle...if petrol gets prohibitive again, I can buy a horse and ride to town....lmao.

Back to the future - welcome to progress in capitalist society....

[*cupie*]

BTW Yib...anything you have on stand by.....turn it off at the wall..i.e. TV's kitchen appliances, even computers....as Tess said, while they're sleeping, they are churning power

Thanks. That is a lot of money in Ringgit.

Let's just say at the current rate, I can pay about 40 months of electricity usage with A$471 in Malaysia. Thing might change very soon, as the government has planned to increase the rate.

Howdi Low....that sounds a lot more reasonable, than what we're being expected to pay....quite frankly the State Govts and the previous Federal Govt ignored all levels of infrastructure investment for over a decade, and here we are paying for it...the present Govt is too busy with handouts and stupid vote grabbing schemes like pink bats to put the money where it's needed e.g. upgrading electrical infrastructure .....I think politicians have the same disease (no matter which political persuasion)...it's called 'Cranial Rectal Inversion Syndrome'...lol

[Liisa-Sx]

Again our government is shafting the public..to Krudd (the megolomaniac) this scheme is his baby.. his 15 minutes of fame on the world wide stage and nothing more..we already know he has a bad temper and does NOT like to be told he is ever wrong, he won't back down from these sorts of policies.

The sad fact ultimately though is that the general Australian public is so Apathetic they willingly permit these occurances by sheer inactivity, and the government knows it..

No referendums, no debates.. they just tell Australia what they WILL do and smugly sit back.

Ask a broad selection of Aussies about this and the other internet issues our Government is foisting apon us to name a few and there will always be a vast majority that complain but then do nothing about it.

IN other countries when outreageous practices are put forth, they speak up, they march in the streets they protest long and loud..

But hey.. let someone else do it eh?

Interesting article in the daily telegraph - http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ipromise/kevin-rudd-is-living-in-a-dream-world-building-an-imaginary-empire-nobody-wants/story-fn55yw9h-1225842566187

[*cupie*]

Yeah Liisa...ya gotta love the French....they tried to impose Industrial laws over there and the youth hit the streets and rioted....I think it was industrial....anyway, the Govt didn't get to impose whatever it was....

The sentiment you're expressing has been expressed by others...In Michael Moore's Documentary entitled 'Sicko', they interview an English bloke who helped establish the Universal Health Care system in England...he posed the theory that the people had much more power than they realised and if they would only rise up, they'd win against any tyranny imposed on them by Govt sanctions or legislation. This was further extrapolated by John Pilger in his doco...The War on Democracy.  

He presented the coup against Chevez, and the uprising of the people of the Barios who stormed the palace and demanded that their president be returned...That doco speaks of 'the power of the people'....Here's a link, can't really open it on dial up but if you have broadband you could watch the whole doco...it is very interesting...and has won several awards.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3739500579629840148#

[shyer]

I'm afraid it's just another grab for cash and buggger  the comsumer...AGAIN.

Yid this is why all the state goverments (labour) sold the electricty grid, prices had to rise and state governments did not want the blame for old stations and old distribution networks. It also allowed the feral governement ( high taxes labour a new "pretend geen tax"). To save electricty and gas, gas will rise as well, INSULTATE FIRST in number order below. Heating and cooling is 70 / 80% of most house holds energy use. Firstly ONLY heat or cool rooms when occupied.Hot water small unit, unless solar or off peak. Solar hot water the cheapest way to save energy. Off peak electricty will be cheap for a long time excess capacity in electricty during off peak. Cold water clothes ect wash obviously.

1.Seal all doors and windows with stick on felt and door /window seal closers most windows can be double glassed using 2 mm poly cabonate on the inside. Small 3mm rubber bead with wipe of clear silicon, to stand off glass and wood bead glued / nailed to tidy up. BATTS in celling and foil if not installed.
2. Floor length curtains with pelments, curtains closed when heating or cooling. DO NOT use Air con when outside temp below 10C for heating.
3. External Doors if hollow core (many are) insulate or replace.
4.Stars on fridges, frezers or Air cons mean little. Just buy the smallest unit you can live with and even a second small unit for chrismas guests, the few times a year needed.

[*cupie*]

If you're interested in seeing the 'sicko' documentary the link is below...I love Michael Moore....his humorous sardonic approach is hilarious and yet hard hitting...is he a modern day philosopher?...crusader of the 'average blokes' rights?...The doco demonstrates just how hard the Americans have it when it comes to something as vital as health care...If they can't pay...too bad....I hope Obama wins the fight for Universal Health Care for Americans.....it's a good fight...everyone should have access to medical treatment, no matter what their income. What are we coming to as a society when we can actually put a price over access to life saving treatments or vital resources?...

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/sicko/

[*Yibida*]

You have some good tips there shyer, most of your suggestions I have already implemented over the years, my consumption hasn't changed much over the years, only my water consumption has increased due to the offspring growing up and needing more showers often, this I can accept, the power increase is harder to swallow based on my usage now and in the past...  

[tellomon]

Go solar?

[Liisa-Sx]

Great Tips Shyer, all of which I have already implimented and my young son has a blanket I made him myself for the couch for the times when he is feeling chilly and I am not, rather than using a heater it makes sense on those not so cold days.

What peeved me more than anything the summer before last I was on vacation, my large inground pool had recently been decommissioned so the  filter was not running, no one home, all standby items were unplugged, only the essentials IE: fridge and security alarm were on.

I returned and a month later got an electricity bill way higher than the previous..when queried the alleged increase was put down to "did I have guests?" No I was away.."A house sitter?" No, no one.

I asked for a meter reading printout.. and was fobbed twice, I insisted and was finally told they occassionally do a "guestimate" based on previous readings...OH REALLY...if that was the case I argued and i expressed my distain for such an underhanded practice.. then WHY was the bill a good 12% higher???  

They had no clue..I pressed the point long and hard and had it reduced, to date and I often work from home I have NEVER seen a meter reader.

So How are they allowed to get away with this practice of "guestimation" something that to my knowledge is now the norm..how are they getting accurate usage readings and not ripping consumers off.

[shyer]

my consumption hasn't changed much over the years, only my water consumption has increased due to the offspring growing up and needing more showers often, this I can accept, the power increase is harder to swallow based on my usage now and in the past...

http://www.showertimer.com.au/purchase.html

 Solar hot water can pay itself back in under 4 years in some house holds.

While link above is over $300 installed it takes a while to recoup money, it is a price reminder. for the wasters 10 minutes is all any one needs unless you fell into a septic tank and did not hose off outside. I live on a farm and do not need timer, I just turn pump off after 10 minutes.
I also dock pocket money 50 cents for each light I turn off and 50 cents for EACH 15 seconds the fridge frezer or outside door is open over 15 seconds. All any of the family has to do is walk past and start counting.

[*cupie*]

Oh Liisa...that's an old practice....we've had the same meter reader for years and for all these years my property has been fully fenced, with huge gates....In the past the meter reader simply rang the bell, but Integral brought in a rule where if they didn't have access, they didn't have to read the meter.....So...you have to sign up for a self read and make sure you get the reading in on time or they do an 'estimated bill'.....It's usually at least double what the normal bill is....

I've had this happen also, and have argued that they have no legal right to impose a bill and then final notice for services that have not yet been rendered...cheeky bugga's.

[Liisa-Sx]

Hi Cupie, yes I knew about the access policy, however I have no front fence, and you can see the meter box from the street, walk right up to it and voila..no killer pit bulls, no barbed wire, no minefield, not even a potplant stands in the way of the meter reader and the box, so what is their excuse lol

[emptyheadted]

$700 power and water bill for the quarter, living in darwin u need aircon this time of the year or everything just goes mouldy, plus fans running all the time plus need to keep everything in the fridge, being robbed by the govenment. told or should i say force to limit power and water so big bussiness can waste it, they get it alot cheaper than i can, plus with the new gas plant in darwin we still cant get gas for our own power, oops gave it all to china, darwin still uses alot of diesel for its power, crazy with all the gas we have , power should be free or maybe before we gave china our gas we should of said we also get what we need since it was our gas, as for my water cost it rains that much up here for half the year but even though the population is 10 fold still no new dams lets just let it all run into the sea, governments are not allowed to build dam ect anymore it all has to be privitised

[*cupie*]

I'd imagine that your meter reader decided to take an early mark on a Friday, missed your meter and put in an estimated bill instead...they can be bloody arrogant when you ring them to sort it out...my advice, DON'T put up with the CSR's, ask for a manager...anyone under that will muck you around....I went above the billing section even....they're arrogant pigs as well.....When I finally got to a manager and asked why I was being threatened for twice what I actually owed, when our meter reading had been sent in but returned for being a day late?...lmao...he fixed it quickly and gave me a fax number to send my future readings......

I think monopolies like this get really arrogant because they can....no competition...

HI Ted...you're right....in decades no new damns have been built anywhere even though the population has doubled.....Cranial rectal inversion syndrome as I said...lol

[*CountessA*]

Estimated meter usage - pfffft. I taunt in their general direction. The meter readers ignore huge A3 signs on doors, refuse to collect the key from next door to access the meter when no one is there, and create incredible War-and-Peace-length estimations that are eleven times the actual usage.

And the company issuing the bills refuse to take any responsibility for this, and for repeatedly sending demands for payment even after having had the correct meter reading information made available.

The Ombudsman has unfortunately had to hear from me many times. At LEAST 12 times, the Ombudsman's office has rung the company to deal with it, and every time the company promises it will not happen again, and ... it does. (And that's not even mentioning the incomprehensible demands for a many-thousands-of-dollars bill owed by the previous owner. It's eight years ago, and we still periodically receive these demands, plus three times having a company rep come demanding to have access to disconnect the gas or power until the bill is paid. It's almost as though they're a document that was saved just before they acknowledge that it is not our bill... and something happens... and they revert back to that saved document.)

[Liisa-Sx]

These companies and others get away with it.. all too often..because they can..they LOVE apathy.

The small percentage of people that do compain become an even smaller percentage when they are hit with doublespeak, legalese and beaurocratic red tape.. most of which is NOT legal but they (the corporations) make it a minefield to negotiate so many give up.

I NEVER give up, I will not be gouged, I will not be fobbed off lol, my friends and family know this and when they have issues they get ME to call lol.

[tellomon]

Hey Liisa, are you on Facebook?

[*wheels*]

Liisa, don't complain too loudly about your meter estimations. In Vic we've just had compulsory 'smart meters' installed which we have to pay for! And gee whiz, when the installer came we also got a glow-in-the dark fridge magnet - will come in handy next time we have a blackout!

[emptyheadted]

i jumped on the solar panel rebate while kevin 07 was giving it out so i paid nearly $10k and keven07 paid $10k so now got nearly $20k worth of solar panels and so far making me $1 a day,(is wet season to so getting alot of cloud) going to take awhile to make the money back but had to do it while kev was helping out, i hope he helps out more of the little people when it comes to solar panels

[*Yibida*]

i jumped on the solar panel rebate while kevin 07 was giving it out so i paid nearly $10k and keven07 paid $10k so now got nearly $20k worth of solar panels and so far making me $1 a day,(is wet season to so getting alot of cloud) going to take awhile to make the money back but had to do it while kev was helping out, i hope he helps out more of the little people when it comes to solar panels

Ted.... that was when Kev was in Global warming mode and was going to save all humanity... since the Global warming bubble has been partially deflated don't count on him helping out with saving the planet contingency's... let along the little people...

[emptyheadted]

i need about 4x the solar panels i have got to get no power bill  lol but no way i can afford that, please keven 07 help me save the planet and give people jobs make and install cheaper solar panels, really $20k = 6 panels and inverter install cost ect , very expencive would never have done it without that rebate

[*wheels*]

There is hope for much cheaper, more efficient solar power in the near future. I was listening to an interview on the radio the other day about a team from RMIT Uni that has developed a modified solar cell system that costs a lot less and produces more power.

I'll see if I can find an article about it.

[*wheels*]

here it is:

http://www.gizmag.com/cuess-solar-panel-photovoltaic/14507/

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/cheap-solar-on-the-way/story-e6frf7kx-1225840408871

[tellomon]

The similarities are astounding!

[gr8-expectations]

ded post ....

[*cupie*]

What these clowns aren't telling you is that our bills have already increased substantially in the past six months...These huge bills you're getting now are evidence of that........this new increase is what's to come....(on top of that)....scary ha?.....

I'm deadset investigating how much hassle it will be to install a fireplace on the top or bottom floor...don't care which....we are completely surrounded by trees that many people have to remove to build and then they're stuck with the wood if they don't install fireplaces....hell, they fall down in the bush just outside the door...lol....many people swap fire wood for beer or something else....but firewood is everywhere down here...if they force us back to basic survival, then screw em....we'll just have to survive...lol

Anyone know anything about installing a fireplace  in a two story building?....can you take the flu out and up ?.....on the outside? like the old chimneys?  don't want to punch through both floors to install a flu.

Oh, and another older technology is 'wet backs'...no...not the unPC kind....but a copper tank that sits behind a fire place, and which is fed by an external water tank...when you light the fire, you have free hot water.....best to have the bathroom backing onto the fireplace....for this to work....lol

[*r3830*]

I'm thinking about creating an isolated electrical circuit in the house that will drive fridges and air con - and powering it with a fuel generator. P.A.Y.Use, you might say. Fridges only need to run 2 hours / day to maintain cooling. Our last bill was a shade under $1000.

[*cupie*]

Hi Loco....I reckon it's the old engineering technologies that are going to come in handy as fuel rises.....I was thinking generator too because many farms in the old days used to generate power that way....when it was needed...not all day long....

[*CountessA*]

Perhaps the way of the future is to hire very fit cyclists to sit there, peddling away and generating the required electricity...

No... There'd be a cycling tax. GCT, they'd call it...

[*cupie*]

LOL....

[*r3830*]

Now there's a really good idea! Energy transfer from the waistline to the powerpoint. Reckon I could supply that for a while. 

[tellomon]

Fridges only need to run 2 hours / day to maintain cooling.

So if....I put a timer on the power cord, I can get the same action?

[golden]

Hi there Cupie, we are wood burners and very happy.  Some disjointed thoughts on the subject are:

They're really cheap to buy 2nd hand out of Melb, Syd, where wood is just too much hassle now.  We bought a "saxon" to heat 35 sq's off ebay for $500, (instead of BBQS galore $2750) flue etc included.  A hearth can be bought or built for around $150 or less. Our model only has to sit 150 mm from the wall. 

If you were to install one in a double story house, I guess the assumption is "hot air rises" so most likely downstairs. Open fires are not economic but some of these newer glass fronted models burn very efficiently. Remember they do run a fan. Triple skinned flues are the go. (internal copper, then a full skin, then a decorative outer,) they seem to be able to install them in lots of places, through rooves, out through the back etc. lengths are available by the metre.

We don't buy wood because we live on a farm.  Prices around here (Central Vic, Bendigo) are about $105 per cubic metre, delivered, split, stacked. Be careful buying by the tonne or metre.

We would burn about 10 metres a year.  We burn yellow/grey box and red gum.  They all have their own qualities but we prefer these species.  A chainsaw costs about $1000 and then you have to use the thing, split, stack and actually keep the thing burning all night. Another thought is make sure its big enough to put a log on at 10 pm and still be going at 7 am when you get up.  It can be a pain in the neck if you have to go back to kindling and relight in the morning.

DSE are the mob in charge here.  A permit costs about $160 for 6 metres in the bush and as of this year you are only allowed to collect "green" wood, so you need to be a year in front from now.  Apparently its to stop theft.  There are great discounts on those prices for anyone holding a concession card. I have also heard it wont be long before DSE require you to complete a chainsaw course to be able to buy the permit.

I still have a couple of kero heaters in my shed, but they arent efficient anymore with the price of kero.

We love our fire, sit round it like a telly as a family and wouldn't change that for the world.

[tellomon]

I loves me Designer Firewood!

[*Yibida*]

The other half has been bugging me to get a log burning heater for yonks, I keep putting it off, I can't be bothered cleaning the ashes out of it on a regular basis, but I'm starting to like the idea of sitting in front of it with my legs up toasting me footies....LOL

[*r3830*]

Yib - You can get an electric one..... no ash. Same applies to gas. All the beauty less the soot!

[*Yibida*]

Yeh Loco I mentioned that to her but she wants the real thing...anything else wouldn't be the same she recons.....