Electricity Bills sky-rocketing !!

[Melbournian]

yeah electricity bills are up for sure. ive recently re-let my fully furnished apartment but took out the bills included offer, previous tenants ran the a/c, tv, computers, other crap non stop, was costing me a fortune

yeah i know a few ppl in melbourne who rented a fully furnished apartment in freshwater place - that includes the foxtel, electricity etc.

A/C is on 24/7 during summer, heater on eventhough no one is at home. TV is one etc. lots of abuse of the system. though they were paying close to 1K per week for a 2 bedder.

 

[HiEquity]

It's pretty easy to check your bill history to see how much of the increase is due to the price per KWh (unit) increasing and how much is due to consumption increasing. It clearly states the price per unit after all. Focussing on just the amount of the bill doesn't really leave anyone any the wiser on the cost of power.

 

[weg]

The bills always have on them that little graph showing previous usage (it's not in KWh's but still gives a reasonable indication), so you must assume when people say it's gone up they mean the price of the electricity has gone up.

Even i mentioned that my usage went up slightly when I stated my bill went up significantly.

Then there are those like us who have not changed the amount of appliances we've puchased or use, yet we notice the bills getting bigger and bigger.

Apparently SA is been slugged the hardest too, so perhaps it's that and the larger base the % is calculated from translating to a higher dollar figure is what's had me notice it more.

Either way I'm not miscalculating.

 

[HiEquity]

If all you want to know is how much prices have gone up with and without the impact of carbon, then rather than reading the tea leaves of past bills and trying to adjust for consumption...

Regulated electricity price increases from 1 July 2012 for typical residential customers

Overall percentage increase (including wholesale, network, retail and carbon charges, rounded to one decimal place) - then Carbon contribution percentage points

New South Wales 18.1 per cent overall (Carbon = 8.9 per cent)
South Australia 18.0 per cent overall (Carbon = 4.6 per cent)
Queensland 13.1 per cent (Carbon = 11.0 per cent)
Tasmania 10.6 per cent (Carbon = 5.6 per cent)
Western Australia 12.6 per cent (Carbon = 9.1 per cent)
Northern Territory 9.6 per cent (Carbon = 6.8 per cent)
Australian Capital Territory 17.7 per cent (Carbon = 14.2 per cent)
Victoria The prices in Victoria are not regulated and the increases vary between retailers and distribution network areas. Treasury modelled an average increase of 11 per cent for Carbon.

 

[lizzie]

And yet the pollies were on the news last night claiming the carbon tax had made no difference, and that no one was complaining.

Perhaps they should actually get out and talk to the people - or come on here

 

[The Fence]

If all you want to know is how much prices have gone up with and without the impact of carbon, then rather than reading the tea leaves of past bills and trying to adjust for consumption...

Well how can one ignore ones actual bills...?

Using our Sept 2011 and Sept 2012 bills:
Service Availability daily rate increased 51%
Usage charge rate increased 41%

12 months.

 

[willair]

Perhaps they should actually get out and talk to the people - or come on here

Get real they are all overseas or on the blue highway at 30,000 feet ####ing it up all on the Tax Payer,while they can before they are all shown the back door by the Australian Tax Paying Public..

 

[willair]

We have a seafood shop next door to us in the complex. Now I reckon he is going to start hurting as Ive seen the main bill go from a fairly consistant ~$4k over the past 12 months (and about $3k the previous 12mths) to ~$8k August, ~$9k September, ~$10k October. The other workshops either side of my office tenancy within the complex would probably use less than us, which I believe would collectively be only 10% of the bill! His freezers run 24/7, he charges all his truck freezers, shopfront, office, tearoom etc.


pinkboy

When you look at the cost of R404A,and the cost too run the fridges,freezers,and chillers,as well as his vehicles are refrigerated
and prone too the pipes to break and rattle over time,so he would be constantly replacing the gas in his fleet because you always get leaks in refrigeration,because it's concentrated carbon,plus his electricity the writing is on the wall for that business..

 

[pinkboy]

When you look at the cost of R404A,and the cost too run the fridges,freezers,and chillers,as well as his vehicles are refrigerated
and prone too the pipes to break and rattle over time,so he would be constantly replacing the gas in his fleet because you always get leaks in refrigeration,because it's concentrated carbon,plus his electricity the writing is on the wall for that business..

He has been trying to sell for the past 12 months. $2mil, $1.8mil, $1.5mil, now I think $1.2mil.

He is begining to be a really cranky neighbour as well which is a sign you allude to. Apparently the dust flying up from the road is my fault because I use it the most - its a gravel road ffs. I may use it the most, but my tenancy is double that of his, and trucks deliver and pick up steel 10hrs a day from us. He has deliveries come and go and not once have I ever 'been so overcome by the dust that I have passed out'! according to him.

Anyway, back to the electricity debate. Yep, costs go up - then so does the cost of my services and goods....simple!

pinkboy

 

[willair]

He has been trying to sell for the past 12 months. $2mil, $1.8mil, $1.5mil, now I think $1.2mil.

He is begining to be a really cranky neighbour as well which is a sign you allude to. Apparently the dust flying up from the road is my fault because I use it the most - its a gravel road ffs. I may use it the most, but my tenancy is double that of his, and trucks deliver and pick up steel 10hrs a day from us. He has deliveries come and go and not once have I ever 'been so overcome by the dust that I have passed out'! according to him.

Anyway, back to the electricity debate. Yep, costs go up - then so does the cost of my services and goods....simple!

pinkboy

But in your business you may be able to pass on the extra cost if you are in suply chain mining,but in his game with less customers it would be very tough at the moment,how can his business take that sort of price hike in this environment,and that is the face of so many businessess in Australia that under Gillards Government think it's all sweet..

 

[pinkboy]

But in your business you may be able to pass on the extra cost if you are in suply chain mining,but in his game with less customers it would be very tough at the moment,how can his business take that sort of price hike in this environment,and that is the face of so many businessess in Australia that under Gillards Government think it's all sweet..

I agree. Remembering too that seafood is a 'luxury' in my books (not for me though, I am allergic). I know Id rather pay my power bill and be able to run my airconditioner and kettle, than eat my chocolate in my hot office !

pinkboy

 

[kathryn d]

Yesterday on the TV they were talking about electricity rates will be increasing a further 30% and water rates 40 %.
I'm pretty sure they were referring to Queensland.


Plenty of talk about people receiving house insurance that has increased 10x

 

[lizzie]

... which is exactly why you need to overestimate what you're going to require in funds for retirement.

I'd hate to get to the stage where I'd have to toss up between heating and eating (and many on the pension already do).

I'd much rather pay the electricity/water/insurance etc bill the day before I wing out to another 3 months swanning around italy

 

[Sean M]

In relation to the tax free threshold. Please note that they gave you 18k tax free but removed the low income offset... and so your basically back to square one. No real gain if anything at all. Also note that the progressive tax % is actually higher.

Get rid of the Carbon tax and get rid of the 18k tax free threshold and take it back down to 6k and you will be worse off. Hence why the increase to the tax free threshold was introduced.

My bill actually went down when you look at the one pre Carbon tax and the one post Carbon tax. Explain that one