The Great Power Rip off.

[Tandum]

We have been paying huge power bills for some year now, currently up to $900/quarter, and you seem to have little recourse to query these bills as they are coming from "calibrated meters", or so I'm told. Those sort of cost equal 40c/hour 24 hours a day, which is ridiculous.

We had an independant meter installed yesterday and in 24 hours my meter says we have used 20Kwh of juice and the "calibrated meters" are saying 31Kwh.

This has been going on for over 10 years. I'm getting an electrician I know in to double check, then a solicitor to handle the case. I am so sick of being ripped off .......

[PeterM]

Yup, Qld perfect one day unaffordable the next. I am sick of it too, just got my rates notice and up she goes. Run the economy into the ground and then tax em to blazes.

PeterM.

[Tandum]

Don't start me on the rates pete. Rates here last year where about $350/quarter. First they split up rates and water into 2 seperate bills totally about $350. This quarter, rates is $270 and water is $230, bang $500. But you can't query that one :(

[Louwai]

Rego went up a heap this year too..........

My bike is almost $450 & the 6cyl sedan is just over $800 !!!!!!!!!

I remember when I was paying $285 for my V8...............

[renormalised]

This is a prime example of governments ripping people of just to feather their own nests. It's also a prime example of why the economic system as it stands is moribund. This sort of nonsense will keep up, until, in probably 30-50 years time, you'll be paying a small fortune just to cover basic expenses, and even if your basic wages are the equivalent of $1milion or more in today's money, it won't be worth a pinch of cow pats.

[Allan_L]

Hmmm!
I agree!
So much for the State Government's "wisdom" of Privatising the Power Industry. !
We'll be joining you soon by the look of it. :(
All this....And Kev hasn't even got his ETS going yet.
...dark days ahead

[Paul K]

Hi Robin, I just don't get it....my power cost is 19.22 cents per Kw h....and I'm told it's going to be another 40 or 50% greater in the near future......yet the US average for retail domestic supply is 10 ~ 11 cents per Kw h !!....huh!!:shrug:

Paul

[Robh]

Consider ...
Back in the year 2000 in Sydney, water was 90c/kL, today it is $1.87/kL. A rise of over 100%.
Electricity was 10c/kW back in 2000. Today it is 17c/kW. A rise of 70%. To pay for carbon reduction schemes, it is proposed that this will go up another 60%.
My council rates back in 2000 were $1092 pa. Today they are $1740. A rise of nearly 60%.
Median house prices for Sydney in 2000 were around $300000 and are now around $600000. A rise of 100%.

Average weekly earnings were about $800 in 2000 and are now $1200. A rise of 50%.
No wonder households are suffering economic stress!

Regards, Rob.

[GrampianStars]

:eyepop:
easy fix
solar H/w with a manual off switch for elements so NO! night heating
(saves 18% immediately)
seperate power circuit for fridge with a small off grid solar set-up
(saves 20% immediately)
spend most nights out in the Observatory :thumbsup:
no need for TV, Lights, Heating
(saves 40% immediately)

[JD2439975]

Would love to know what the stats are for minimum award wage or benefits, I bet they look even more grim.

[pmrid]

Has anyone heard of Tarrif 33? There is our 'normal' power supply plus Tarrif 31 for hot water but it seems they are NOt the only tarrifs available. The '33' version is significantly cheaper than the 19.2 c/KwH we pay but has some catches (available only 18 hours a day and is the first one affected by load-shedding - probably more as well) but it's looks like the best way to run freezers (that can go off a a few hours a day), pool pumps, small air cons etc. But it seems your house has to be specifically wired for it.
The power ripoff is the reason I've put 3000 watts of solar on the roof and grid-connected it. Provides all our daylight power consumption and the surplus going to grid at 50c/KwH effectively funds our night-time consumption.
Peter.

[GrahamL]

Those Panels seem a great idea , though is the price fixed at a percentage of the supplied price long term ?

The largest co-gen plant in the country down the road from me
found out when fixed supply contracts expire , the energy company halfed the price of what they'ed pay making the whole exersise
bordering on recievership.

[pmrid]

[QUOTE=nightstalker;587200]Those Panels seem a great idea , though is the price fixed at a percentage of the supplied price long term ?
QUOTE]
I don't know the answer to that but understand that the energy companies (Origin etc) are lobbying heavily to end the whole grid-connect price structure. Finding out where the actual state-by-state decisions are made has been difficult. Different states have different policies on this. Some, like NSW, work on a gross output basis (i.e. they pay you at the nominated rate (52c/KwH for all power you generate. Others, like Qld, only pay on the nett - i.e after you take out your own consumption - making it a lot less attractive.
Peter.

[Analog6]

And what about the great water rip off? Council now finally 'allow' you to instal a tank on your own house (so big of them) but you are only allowed to use it for the toilet or garden, because it might be 'contaminated'.

Huhh??

How many of us grew up in the country drinking water collected from the roof? I don't know about you lot but I'm perfectly healthy (only a bit cuckoo and that's nothing to do with the water!).

First they slug you with installation costs - the there is a huge 'service charge' for utilities - every quarter - then you pay for the consumption on top of it. No wonder the private companies want a piece of the cakes, it's the best money cow I've ever heard of.

If you pay for your installation then why should you have to pay a fixed service charge EVERY bill? Why not maintenance/update charges as needed? It is totally inequitable.

[Barrykgerdes]

Well it's no good complaining. Years of miss management of utilities means that costs need to be recovered somehow. We will need to learn to live with it

50 years ago when the country was self sufficient the costs of most of these items percentagewise to the "basic wage" were actually much more than the projected increases will make them.

Today when just about everything is bought on credit of some sort there are also additional costs for servicing money.

I personally won't be troubled by the increases. I am an OAP that prepared for old age by making sure I had all the basic essentials of living before retirement. Pension allowances (that all you younger people have to pay for) are quite sufficient if you don't need to pay for rent, children, education etc.

Barry

[acropolite]

I don't believe that's so, the problem is that people are too complacent.

We get screwed on everything here in Tassie as well. Land tax, reintroduced to raise some extra revenue, started again in the 80's at just $10; by 2004 it was $80; this year over $400 representing a 500% increase in the past 6 years.

There have been so many complaints, that the government are reviewing and even removing land tax from holiday homes. Contact your local coucillor or MP and complain, don't take it sitting down.

Remember your easily collected tax and utility dollars are often offsetting the millions given as corporate welfare to big business in schemes such as MIS and power subsidies to big power users like the aluminium smelters.

[renormalised]

What we all have to remember is that these pollies and such are put in their positions by us. They are our employees, not our overlords or managers. If you don't like what they're doing, tell them and then threaten to turf them out if they don't do what you want them to. It's the same with banks and other financial institutions. They only get away with what the do because we let them. People need to take responsibility for themselves and organise to put these jokers back where they belong.

[multiweb]

Wouldn't that be nice? Just doesn't work in real life and the pollies know it that's why they know they'll get away with murder. Individuals might be smart but as a collective with no coordination, masses... not so much. Masses have very short memory. Things go in cycles and the same BS comes along again and again and again ... like a giant merry go round. :lol:

[Barrykgerdes]

Marc is right. The percentage of us people who know what is wrong with the system is not big enough to influence the general public at election time when the pollies dangle those great carrots in front of the donkeys to get their vote.

Barry

[renormalised]

It would be nice...and it would work if people weren't so apathetic. Just needs one person to start the ball rolling, but it would be nice to have more people involved first up.

[renormalised]

Well then, it's up to us who do know what's wrong to make it known to everyone else and do something about it ourselves.

In any case, it's not that most people don't know what's wrong, they either don't want to do anything about it (for a variety of reasons) and/or they'd rather someone else fix the problems for them, than put themselves out to do so.

[multiweb]

Carl... it doesn't work. The other end of the spectrum (full power to the people is not pretty either). I originally come from France, the country of unions and "coordinated strikes" :lol:

Here's how it works. Around Xmas the post office goes on strike so it impacts that time of the year where the most traffic is likely to happen. Well into January, then comes february let's say the nurses will go on strike while the post office resumes work. Then comes summer/spring holidays. Yay! How about a SNCF strike so there's no trains for the summer holidays period between June an August? Oh wait...they still can use the freeways network... quick, Truckies strike, 3 in a row across the 4 lanes driving at 40kph. That's ll do. ;)
So people have the power to "freeze" the system until they get what they want. Result, the system is screwed, less competitive and they pay for it in the end.

The real problem is accountability. The pollies need to be responsible and liable for the decisions they make, like any head of a business should be, because governement are big businesses with our tax money. I also think there is a massive waste of money in governement department especially when they need to "use" all of their budget to make sure they get the same the following year.

But these things are not likely to change hey? :)

[renormalised]

I know how it works, Marc. I was in politics myself. I got out because the people whom I thought I could trust and work with weren't interested in the greater good. They were more interested in themselves. The whole system need changing, and that will take time. Yes, there needs to be more accountability, but when the system itself is shot full of holes, then you need to repair or replace it, otherwise all the accountability in the world won't help anything or make things better.

Things won't change if those that can change it, or are willing to try, do nothing :)

[multiweb]

That's a big task mate. Where do you start? You've got my vote :) :thumbsup:

[renormalised]

It starts by education...informing not only the general populace, but also teaching the youngsters still in school. At present, we can clamp down on the pollies and big businesses by making it known to them, in no uncertain terms, that things need to change and they need to respect the people. Not use and abuse them as they do now. That means accountability etc etc etc. However, the real change will come slower than this. It will probably take a number of generations to sort everything out. It won't be utopia....I think that is a false hope, but we need to get things running a lot better than what they are now. If we keep going the way things are being run, then I think the next century or so is not going to be very pretty. Stupidity, greed, lust for power (on the part of the politicians and mega businesses), and the apathy of the general populace is going to drive us, eventually, into the ground. Then we end up slipping back into another dark age. Who wants that??!!!

[bmitchell82]

I agree with you all whole heartedly.... but.... im going to give you an example and while im still young so this is in my definate lifetime.

a pie (Mrs Macs) and coke (500ml) at my school cost about $2.20.
a pie (Mrs Macs) and coke (600ml) at my uni now costs $6.45 (with guild discount.!

if you made 20 bucks a hour while i was at school you where on a good wicket.

now if you made 20 bucks your banging down the door or walking out!

What am i getting at here?

Well if you go back and have a look at what you where paid back then and the costs they are all equivelent! are you really paying more for it or are you just paying a adjusted amount? or look at it this way.

I buy a pie and coke here it costs me $6.45 AUD
I buy the same pie and coke but in say Europe it costs me 6 EURO.

now if i pay with my money ive just been stung close on 12 bucks for what i pay here 6 bucks but if i buy it with money i earnt then its comparable and you don't think of it that way.

Sure the bias between inflation of prices and what you earn never pan out its just the way things go. If you don't like it go to another country? People do forget sometimes that we live in a really nice place, one where the roads are smooth, one where we actually have electricity, one where the streets arnt filled with rubbish. Do we pay a premium for it YES. do we have the money to pay that premium well sometimes we have to skint but YES to the most part of it.

As for the first part of this thread. I hope you win because thats just sheet.! I hate it when you get ripped off.

As for everybody else complaining just think of it from a different point of view and if you don't like it try your luck somewhere else in the world.

thats my 2c worth :D

[hotspur]

Yes,its not very good here in Australia,I see it mentioned in the thread what domestic rate is in U.S,really we are being badly ripped off.PeterM is quite correct,here in QLD its perfect on day-unaffordable the next.

The rego for the old 4 cylinder Hilux was $700 this year,I am sure thats at least $120 more than last year-HOW DO THEY JUSTIFY THAT!.

Thanks to the poor management by the government here in QLD,our power bill look set to rise.

On (hopefully) a brighter note,our solar panel system is up and running,it took a year to go through the hoops etc,and we had to pay $3000.We have a one and a half kilowatt sytem,the best day so far is 6 and a half Kilowatts,In Summer I hope it might make 9 on a good day.Apparently it is supposed to reduce or power bills by 30%,but with power set to rise the same amount,Talk about going around in circles! Thanks Anna!,these politicians have a "grand ol life",I wonder what it would be like not to have to worry about the aspects of life that have been bought up on this thread?

Chris