So Annoyed with Electricity Company – who are you using

[AgentMail]

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I don’t know if I can say what electricity company I am with, but just received yet another letter with a price increase, which is likely to cost another $40-60 a month. Just wondering who everyone else is using. I have tried to do a bit of a comparison, and I know there’s a number of variables, but thought I would ask anyway, and see who the other SMBs are using

[The Copy Chick]

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I think they’re all as bad as each other if you read the online reviews.

I got a letter a few months back from [business name removed] advising my charges would be frozen until July 2014, then a phone call a few weeks back advising the prices would be increasing.

When I mentioned the letter I got, they said “oh, that’s only for the retail price… the rest of the cost is made up of other obscure factors which means we can break our promise to you by using smoke and mirrors to worm our way out of any such agreement” (or something along those lines..!)

A pox on them all, I say!

[bridiej]

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Be grateful you have a choice….

[AdvancedPetSitting]

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Just received my bill and it’s almost $150 more than last time. oh and I’ve used less energy… 😡

[The Copy Chick]

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AdvancedPetSitting, post: 167563 wrote:

Just received my bill and it’s almost $150 more than last time. oh and I’ve used less energy… 😡

I’ve been tracking my last 3 year’s energy bills in a spreadsheet and have found the same. Despite our energy use being much the same – or lower most of the year – the prices just keep on going up and up and up.

Wish I could match their price increases in my business!! I could retire very wealthy.

[bridiej]

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I just transcribed a podcast on this very subject and in it they said prices had gone up 90% since 2007…..!

We’re lucky as the house we moved to has solar. Our biggest bill so far was the last one at $97

Mind you, they are making changes here so that everyone pays more of a fixed charge for their electricity. Apparently because the solar incentive was so popular over the last couple of years the government aren’t making enough money off electricity. Wish they’d make their minds up…

[The Copy Chick]

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bridiej, post: 167577 wrote:

I just transcribed a podcast on this very subject and in it they said prices had gone up 90% since 2007…..!

It amazes me that people still blame those with solar panels for the increases to the price of power, despite even the power companies admitting the solar feed-in tariffs only account for 6% of price increases.

The rest goes toward upgrades on infrastructure and the wholesale cost of power.

Interestingly, the wholesale price has recently been at it’s lowest in 10 years, and with the large uptake of solar panels feeding power into the grid at peak loading times (such as hot summer days), it not only reduces the wholesale price, it also helps alleviate the pressure on aging energy infrastructure.

I can’t help but think that privatisation of our utilities to create profit-driven models answerable to shareholders is a large part of the problem.

It’s the same with water. Demand has reduced significantly with water-saving measures, so the prices go up and up to keep profit margins fat.

*tapes mouth and alights from soapbox*

[Cat – GLC]

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Hi Carl,

I will send you the details of a guy that I think may be able to help you out.

Cheers

Cat

[bluepenguin]

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I have found those iSelect, Energy Deal, etc. services to be quite useful. They do get a commission for signing you up, but it’s always worked for me.

Every now and again, I get calls from telemarketers and I tell them what plan I’m on, then they pause and say “sorry, we can’t beat that.”

I’m not sure if QLD is like VIC, but from my understanding, down here – each area has a wholesale company assigned to it, and the other companies buy the power off them. If you can get onto a good plan with the wholesaler, you’re doing ok.

[bridiej]

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The Copy Chick, post: 167646 wrote:

It amazes me that people still blame those with solar panels for the increases to the price of power, despite even the power companies admitting the solar feed-in tariffs only account for 6% of price increases.

The rest goes toward upgrades on infrastructure and the wholesale cost of power.

Interestingly, the wholesale price has recently been at it’s lowest in 10 years, and with the large uptake of solar panels feeding power into the grid at peak loading times (such as hot summer days), it not only reduces the wholesale price, it also helps alleviate the pressure on aging energy infrastructure.

I can’t help but think that privatisation of our utilities to create profit-driven models answerable to shareholders is a large part of the problem.

It’s the same with water. Demand has reduced significantly with water-saving measures, so the prices go up and up to keep profit margins fat.

*tapes mouth and alights from soapbox*

Agree on every point!

Glad we are now on tank water so don’t have to worry about that aspect…!

[The Copy Chick]

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bridiej, post: 167697 wrote:

Agree on every point!

Glad we are now on tank water so don’t have to worry about that aspect…!

We’ve been on tank water since moving into our new home almost 4 years ago and have used exactly 0kL of water in that time. However our supply charge in that time (the cost of having the pipes run past the property) has risen from $140 a year to $324 and on top of that we pay the River Murray Levy of $40 a year.

This is how the SA government rewards homeowners who reduce their water consumption for the greater good. Ridiculous!

[MatthewKeath]

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What gets me is the really complicated plans which makes it impossible to actually compare with other providers.

We tried to move our Telstra account to a business one (like our mobiles) but it was so complicated we has to pause to regroup…

The Copy Chick, post: 167759 wrote:

This is how the SA government rewards homeowners who reduce their water consumption for the greater good. Ridiculous!$1 per day for water security sounds reasonable.

[bridiej]

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The Copy Chick, post: 167759 wrote:

We’ve been on tank water since moving into our new home almost 4 years ago and have used exactly 0kL of water in that time. However our supply charge in that time (the cost of having the pipes run past the property) has risen from $140 a year to $324 and on top of that we pay the River Murray Levy of $40 a year.

This is how the SA government rewards homeowners who reduce their water consumption for the greater good. Ridiculous!

OMG how does that work? Over here, if you’re not connected to the water you don’t pay. That sounds like a crazy system!

[The Copy Chick]

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MatthewKeath, post: 167773 wrote:

$1 per day for water security sounds reasonable.

I’m providing my own water security. I’ve not used a drop of SA Water’s water in 4 years.

Rather than upping the supply charge as a fixed fee, making it a percentage of consumption would be a fairer system. The more water you use, the more you pay in supply. As it stands the more water you use, the less it costs p/kL. Not sure how that promotes water conservation or water security.

@ Bridie – it’s because the connection is available to us that we pay for it, even if we don’t actually use it.

@AgentMail… sorry for hijacking your thread 😮

[Author]

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