How will the power price increases affect you?

[Trillian]

I have been meaning to post about this for ages. There was a report on the news that power costs will increase as much as 62% by the end of 2013. Country Energy customers will bear the brunt of the increases, paying the 62% but those with other engery providers will pay less, but still over 50%.

62 per cent power price rise by 2013


Some of the rise is due to the Federal Government's Emission Trading Scheme. (ABC News)

The independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) has recommended electricity prices rise by up to 62 per cent over the next three years in New South Wales.

The tribunal says its draft determination is mainly due to rises in network prices and the proposed introduction of the Federal Government's Emissions Trading Scheme .

Residents in country areas will be hit with the highest bill increases, with the changes expected to add close to $900 to a customer's bill in 2013.

With the prices increases we have already seen the past 12 months, we have an average bill of nearly $900. I worked it out and we will be paying an extra $3500 per year for power by the end of 2013. We just can't afford those costs. We haven't used the air conditioner at all so far this summer and we are only using fans to try to keep the cost down as there is nowhere else we can cut power use - everything is always turned off at the wall every night bar the fridge and freezer

[maz]

we have $550 bills atm.....another $750 on that... ....look's like I might have to go stand under a street light to pay for it

[Lulu]

I have no idea and I am crapping my pants....

[Pandora]

me too. we can barely afford what we are paying at the moment.
I can see us selling our house for somehting smaller, getting rid of/chaning appliances for things that cost less - hell it will probably affect what school I was going to send the kids to.

[Trillian]

We are too Lu, hence not using the air con. The only choice we have is Country energy and they are going to hit us the hardest. It is scary to think about and even if they did bring in rebates for lower income families, I can bet that the cost of power will rise again oh so conveniently.

[Butterfly Child]

ohh gawwd! i dont know how ill go.. moneys tight enough as it is didnt think it could get any tighter its just astronomical the cost of living

[AliBaby]

We cant afford our bills at the moment either. I think I have had quite a number of boo hoo threads on our electricity bill.

We dont run a pool or use a dishwasher or dryer, we dont have ducted air, rarely use a/c and still our bills are ridiculously expensive.

Very scary to think about the future.

[The[cookie]Doctor]

I will probably have to learn some new vegetarian meals I'd say It's so hard not using the dryer here in winter too... and the nappies... ohhhh all that money i was saving on nappies by not buying sposies but im hardly going to be able to afford washing and drying them!! I need to teach DF to be more power conscious... he turns the pc on first thing and then the xbox and wont turn one off if playing the other etc... the pc i understand as its our music source but the xbox will have been on for 12hrs when i cmoe home somedays. makes my blood boil.

[maz]

is electricity the only thing going up then? im worried that gas will follow as it usually does then water
I might start putting an extra $10 a fortnight into my electricity account to soften the blow a bit

[Trillian]

As far as I know Maz it is only the power. We don't have gas so I don't know if that industry will be affected in the same way as eletricity or not.

[~Kim~]

Trill I was thinking of you the other day when I saw that...Country Energy already charge heaps more....
Sucks.

[maz]

thankshon. im screwedlike you...friggen country power!!!!!

[Trillian]

Thanks Kim Maz it sucks bigtime. We were offered a 'contract' with them about 2yrs ago now with a fixed price and it did work out cheaper than what we were paying at the time - not a lot- just a few cents cheaper and it was a 2 or 3 yr contract (can't remember how long for now) and the buggers canned it after only one year with no explanation, but I have a feeling now that it was a cleverly orchestrated move by them because not long after that power just shot up in price and I think they wanted all their customers off their contracts so they could legally charge us the higher price. And it does suck too that we don't have a choice in who we get our electricity from, and they have the lions share of customers and they are charging more and the increases will be signifcantly higher than their competitors.

[maz]

I have to check mine now because I have a contract with them that if we stay contected with them for 12 months they pay one monts electricity for us...thats $200 and I'll be peeved to say it nicely if they go back on it

[LimeSlice]

The gas in WA is going up as much as the power. They put ours up 26% last year, and another 25% to come this year and next....

Solar pannels and a Stirling are our only choices

[Trillian]

LOL LS, we are seriously considering getting a gen-set to use as well.

[LimeSlice]

DH is dead set on the Stirling engine...has even found a guy in Sydney that makes them lol
I simply dont see we have any other choice.
And really especially in WA there is no excuse as to why EVERY SINGLE HOME shouldn't HAVE to have, by law, solar pannels on their roof. Such a waste of energy that goes on here.

[Trillian]

Same goes for here. Even a wind turbine would be awesome. We missed the boat on the govt solar panel rebate though.