# Power bill



## bpb02 (Mar 2, 2010)

Has the cost of power gone up massively over the last few months our normal power bill is around $300, got the bill today and its bloody $525 we haven't being using any more power than normal

So confused


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## Mrs I (Mar 2, 2010)

I am not looking forward to my power bill, we installed a spa !!


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## TahneeMaree (Mar 2, 2010)

Mrs I said:


> I am not looking forward to my power bill, we installed a spa !!


 
LOL oh you're screwed!

Umm didn't they privatise the power supply? I think there was stink about how they could charge more etc, but I dunno lol I don't pay power bills yet so I only know what drifts into my brain on the breeze.


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## bpb02 (Mar 2, 2010)

haha that damn breeze drifts alot or crap through my brain, but yes you are right power companys can charge what they want when they sell out


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## junglepython2 (Mar 2, 2010)

Prices have gone up, well at least in vic they have, but not by that much.


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## Daryl_H (Mar 2, 2010)

I remember hearing something about smart meters costing a heap more


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## channi (Mar 2, 2010)

Mine has nearly doubled and I have used less power, did you miss the electricity rate rise debate?


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## leighroyaus (Mar 2, 2010)

airconditioners people. summer ur enclosures should be loosing far less heating.


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## sara_sabian (Mar 2, 2010)

We used less power as our last bill was huge and I wanted to avoid that happening again, this time it was $200 more expensive.


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## TURBO8 (Mar 2, 2010)

Just got my dreaded powerbill today (hands were shaking whilst opening envelope) and coped a $1138 bill for 3 Months  , thats for 3 people in a house with gas cooking/heating (no pool or any other appliences that suck the juice!) has risen by $297 since last powerbill!


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## Sel (Mar 2, 2010)

i just changed power companies, forget the name..havent got a bill yet. Energy australia annoyed me too many times. 1138 is crazy!


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## webcol (Mar 2, 2010)

Last bill period we used almost half the amount of power, but the bill had doubled...


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## Slats (Mar 2, 2010)

Ha HA im up in Katherine NT, I run the air conditioning in the snake rooms through the wet so keep the temp below 35 inside haha. 

I havent had a powerbill under 850 for at least a year and a half


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## Blondie84 (Mar 2, 2010)

I was very lucky and pleasantly surprised.... i was dreading my bill coz my current house/unit is so old and poorly insulated i was running my air con for almost 20 hours a day for at least a month of the 3 month period. But i had just combined my gas and electricity for a discounted rate so that could have helped!


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## bundysnake (Mar 2, 2010)

and they reckon power will cost around 45cents per KwH by mid year.


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## Mrs I (Mar 2, 2010)

no way bundysnake i better start saving now !!


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## smeejason (Mar 2, 2010)

iN QLD THIS IS WHY YOUR BILL OS SO HIGH.
THE GENERATORS ARE GOVERNMENT OWNED CORPORATIONS SO THEY HAVE TO MAKE A LARGE PROFIT FOR ANNA TO GET A DIVIDEND AND THEN TAX ON THE REST 
NEXT 
POWERLINK TRANSMIT THE POWER TO ENERGEX/ERGON WHICH ARE GOVERNMENT OWNED CORPORATIONS SO THEY HAVE TO MAKE A LARGE PROFIT FOR ANNA TO GET A DIVIDEND AND THEN TAX ON THE REST 
NEXT
ENERGEX/ERGON WHICH ARE GOVERNMENT OWNED CORPORATIONS SO THEY HAVE TO MAKE A LARGE PROFIT FOR ANNA TO GET A DIVIDEND AND THEN TAX ON THE REST.
ONCE WE WERE TO SOME EXTENT ONE BIG BOARD THAT SHARED ANY PROFITS BACK INTO THE SYSTEM. ANNA DID NOT BRING IN CORPORATION THE LIBS DID BUT SHE SURE HAS NOT REVERSED IT


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## tonesanlainie (Mar 2, 2010)

I know around here they dont check the meter every bill. In between readings they "average" it. Which means when they actually do read it - it can be out heaps. So bills don't necessarily fall in line with usage....

Cheers


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## PSimmo (Mar 2, 2010)

my last one was $1439 for the 1/4, 4 of us in the house....3 of them girls


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## garthy (Mar 2, 2010)

Here in NSW, peak energy costs 36 cents/kwhr, the shoulder rate is 14cents/kwhr, off peak is 11 cents/kwhr. My energy bill has risen around 30% int last 12 months. My average bill is now $600 per quarter. My family and I have reduced consumption by approximately 25% however the bills have still crept up. We now set the AC at 26.5 deg (still feels cool when you come in from outside) we wont use the dishwasher unless really necessary and if so only after 10pm. I once switched to AGL however that automatically added around 10 % to my bill. This includes my solar hot water..... we will never win.


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## garthy (Mar 2, 2010)

PSimmo said:


> my last one was $1439 for the 1/4, 4 of us in the house....3 of them girls



I reckon I'd do some personal harm if my bill got that high.... good luck buddy


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## girdheinz (Mar 2, 2010)

$1892


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## Steman (Mar 2, 2010)

im not looking forward to my next bill. the a/c was on for about 4 weeks straight and i live on my own. gonna be interesting


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## bpb02 (Mar 2, 2010)

Yeh well good to see we are all in the same boat mine seems to be the cheapest going around, although i do live in a very small 3 bedroom house


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## anntay (Mar 2, 2010)

sara_sabian said:


> We used less power as our last bill was huge and I wanted to avoid that happening again, this time it was $200 more expensive.


yer same my last bill was nearly $500.


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## Jungletrans (Mar 2, 2010)

You can save money with the insulation scheme , you wont use much power when your house burns down .


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## mungus (Mar 2, 2010)

garthy said:


> Here in NSW, peak energy costs 36 cents/kwhr, the shoulder rate is 14cents/kwhr, off peak is 11 cents/kwhr. My energy bill has risen around 30% int last 12 months. My average bill is now $600 per quarter. My family and I have reduced consumption by approximately 25% however the bills have still crept up. We now set the AC at 26.5 deg (still feels cool when you come in from outside) we wont use the dishwasher unless really necessary and if so only after 10pm. I once switched to AGL however that automatically added around 10 % to my bill. This includes my solar hot water..... we will never win.



I'm on the smart meter, except my rates are 35 cents, then 12 cents than 9 cents.
My last bill was $700 per quarter and I almost died, let alone you guys getting bills over $1100 !!!:shock:


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## Kitah (Mar 3, 2010)

Jeeze, how much electricity do you guys use? some in the thousands? woah! My last one was $145, but granted I wasn't here for a month. before that it was $235 (went up during summer due to the 24/7 use of fans, and occasionally the aircon when it was unbearable- it was $190 before this), and thats with two people living in one unit.


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## Sock Puppet (Mar 3, 2010)

I had air con installed in Dec. I'm not looking forward to my next bill. Having said that, I have loved the air con this summer (plus the insulation done prior to the a/c).


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## CodeRed (Mar 3, 2010)

I havent gone below $1500 for the last 3 quarters despite getting new insulation (and th rebate) last June . Might have to think about a second job just to pay for electricity


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## Fireflyshuffle (Mar 3, 2010)

ok soo im in the same boat here.. Got my bill last week $1600!!!!!!!!!! and to top it, i have moved house and havent even had my reptiles on this property since 1st week of Jan, meaning my bill would only have a months worth of reptile lighting on it.. And its $400 more than usual!! Im not even using anything at the old house!grrr waiting for it to sell. I rang them for question it but they dont care, the bill still has to be paid.


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## Snake_Whisperer (Mar 3, 2010)

I'm in the exact same boat bpb, don't know what the hell that is about. No aircon or even fans, just a gouging power bill. You folks into four digits though, geez! I guess I should stop moaning about $475!


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## redbellybite (Mar 3, 2010)

Between electricity and phone(landline and mobile) it is KILLING meeee ....:x:x:x
I cant believe the BS prices that these companies justify in charging ...it has become a luxury to be able to have bloody both !:evil::evil:


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## TahneeMaree (Mar 3, 2010)

At these prices it may be worthwhile in the long term to invest in a solar panel, then any extra energy you supply to the grid YOU get PAID for (my understanding of it) They're exy but not too bad compared to the bills some of you are getting O.O


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## Chris1 (Mar 3, 2010)

yikes, my bf freaked last time when ours was $450 even tho i pay 2/3s cos of the critters,....

id love to see hs face if it was over $1000,...!!

.....im thinking this one should be smaller since i dont have an airconditioner,....and there was alot less critter heating over summer. fingers crossed!!


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## Lovemydragons (Mar 3, 2010)

We don't have a choice of electricity suppliers here in Melbourne, there is one supplier per zone and that's it. But what we found out recently is that you can choose a different administrator. Because our bill (yes the sheet of paper) is printed and sent to us by another company (not the supplier) we get about 3-4 cents cheaper rate!! 

Not sure if everyone has the choice to change this, but I would investigate your area to see if you could save money!!


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## CodeRed (Mar 3, 2010)

TahneeMaree said:


> At these prices it may be worthwhile in the long term to invest in a solar panel, then any extra energy you supply to the grid YOU get PAID for (my understanding of it) They're exy but not too bad compared to the bills some of you are getting O.O



The solar panel rebate ($8k) is means tested so those who can afford to install the panels dont get the rebate. Pretty stupid planning by the govt and no wonder no one is taking up the offer. If they removed the means test I would certainly fork out the $15k to install panels.


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## TahneeMaree (Mar 3, 2010)

yeah lol, I think my dad just got in on a deal where the gov gives you a 10k intrest free loan to make your home green or something, personally I was gonna look into getting one I can just place in the yard to run my rep stuff on as the parentals are discussing upping my board because of them lol. anyone got any idea on the pricing of general solars that store power to batter?


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## Colin (Mar 3, 2010)

I have a gut feeling that theres a lot of guess work and averaging in peoples electricity these days. years ago someone actually physically read your meter and these figures were used for the calculation of your usage.. but I honestly cant see every meter being inspected and read several times a year and from my bills I received in the last year think this is a strong possibility. 
one bill jumped almost double from the prior one yet not much difference in usage would have occured. the most recent one has gone down by $200 plus but again its been roughly the same usage through the last three bills. 

same appliance are used throughout the three bills in approximately the same usage so I cant understand the differences when all three bills should be roughly the same.


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## Sturdy (Mar 3, 2010)

Didnt QLDers get a raise in their $ / KW charges.


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## Glimmerman (Mar 3, 2010)

CodeRed said:


> The solar panel rebate ($8k) is means tested so those who can afford to install the panels dont get the rebate. Pretty stupid planning by the govt and no wonder no one is taking up the offer. If they removed the means test I would certainly fork out the $15k to install panels.



Hey Steve, In NSW means testing fell out last year. Subsidies are now available for family under $250k pa. Look up Solar Choice for further details on systems (Solar Power, Solar Energy & Solar Home | Solar Energy Systems).

We just had our energy consumption audit and the assessor fell over when he walked in to the herp room :lol: "Yep there's the culprit" was his comment. I saw the humour but not so much my wife. He told us that if I was to remove the herps our bill would be approx $600 per quarter... not $1100.

She has now given me the green light to install a 3.0 kW solar panel system ($10k subsidised)


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## thebraddles (Mar 3, 2010)

yeah i got min yesterday aswell, mines gone up about 200 bucks aswell, and we didnt really have that much of a summer down here in melbourne. those smart meters are costing us i think like 20 bucks per bill we get and we have to pay even if we dont have them installed yet. apparently all vic homea are getting them in the next 4 years....


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## redbellybite (Mar 3, 2010)

One good thing about our electric bill is ,our AMBO cover is included ..so the panic of ringing for one is never a problem cause you know the bill is already covered


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## CodeRed (Mar 3, 2010)

Glimmerman said:


> Hey Steve, In NSW means testing fell out last year. Subsidies are now available for family under $250k pa. Look up Solar Choice for further details on systems (Solar Power, Solar Energy & Solar Home | Solar Energy Systems).
> 
> We just had our energy consumption audit and the assessor fell over when he walked in to the herp room :lol: "Yep there's the culprit" was his comment. I saw the humour but not so much my wife. He told us that if I was to remove the herps our bill would be approx $600 per quarter... not $1100.
> 
> She has now given me the green light to install a 3.0 kW solar panel system ($10k subsidised)



thanks Damo, i am going to look into that right now. Especially since we just put in a pool so I expect to top $2k per quarter


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## wokka (Mar 3, 2010)

In NSW the whole idea of smart meters is to discourage power use in peak periods so as to even out demand.The cheapest rate is about one third the dearest rate. If you care about the cost of heating your snakes a simple $9 timer to prevent heating in the peak power time period should cut you power cost by at least half. If snakes dont have heat in the morning or evening peak period it should not worry them.


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## Jonno from ERD (Mar 3, 2010)

Wow, some of you guys chew through power! My last bill was around $950, which is my first under $1000 in about 6 years. That's for a six bedroom, two bathroom, two kitchen house running multiple heated fish tanks and a few hundred reptiles with an airconditioner going 24/7!


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## Ozzie Python (Mar 3, 2010)

you got the meter reader on the payroll jonno?

mine jumped from $300 to $550 last 1/4, i check my reads and i did use a bit more power when i was on holidays, but not much at all. 
A/C runs most of the time when i am home, the snake rooms ambient day time temps most of the year usually makes the dimming thermostats turn almost all the heating off until night so they can't be blamed for the rising bill.


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## shellfisch (Mar 3, 2010)

I am just about due to receive the next bill,and you guys are scaring the [email protected] out of me :cry:


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## CodeRed (Mar 3, 2010)

Just got my first quote for solar panels. $3k out of pocket for a 1.5kW system after the rebate. They are claiming a saving of $300 per quarter. Even if thats a bit optimistic the system should pay for itself in a few years.


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## Hemiaspis (Mar 3, 2010)

Wow, there's some serious money being paid out for electricity. Fortunately my wife is a manager with our major power company, so we enjoy a 25% staff discount. Even with this, we still pay about 600 a quarter.


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## wizz (Mar 3, 2010)

So $5,469,37 is big one then for 3 months lol
gota love. Qld


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## wizz (Mar 3, 2010)

That's not my bill it's a mates mine is $900 most of the time


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## redbellybite (Mar 3, 2010)

wizz said:


> So $5,469,37 is big one then for 3 months lol
> gota love. Qld


Is that for domestic use ? or you being funny and its a business bill :lol::lol::lol:


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## CodeRed (Mar 3, 2010)

wizz said:


> So $5,469,37 is big one then for 3 months lol
> gota love. Qld



whats he growing?


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## redbellybite (Mar 3, 2010)

CodeRed said:


> whats he growing?


tomatoes of course


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## Jonno from ERD (Mar 3, 2010)

I know of a collection that costs the owner $40,000 a year in power, and that was 5 years ago!


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## ShaunMorelia (Mar 3, 2010)

does anyone have any links they can share about the peak and off-peak times?
Im curious as our bill has jumped up $100 as well and might have to do some reasearch to find out where our excess use is.
We usually turn everything off at the point at night or when we aren't using it to cut the costs a little.
We have even gone to the extent of using candles for light.....


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## GSXR_Boy (Mar 3, 2010)

Colin said:


> I have a gut feeling that theres a lot of guess work and averaging in peoples electricity these days. years ago someone actually physically read your meter and these figures were used for the calculation of your usage.. but I honestly cant see every meter being inspected and read several times a year and from my bills I received in the last year think this is a strong possibility.
> .


 
They only have to inspect the meter once a year


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## wizz (Mar 3, 2010)

redbellybite said:


> Is that for domestic use ? or you being funny and its a business bill :lol::lol::lol:



Gold coast snake catcher


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## redbellybite (Mar 3, 2010)

wizz said:


> Gold coast snake catcher


 wouldnt be T.H would it .....


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## slim6y (Mar 3, 2010)

The_S_Word said:


> does anyone have any links they can share about the peak and off-peak times?
> Im curious as our bill has jumped up $100 as well and might have to do some reasearch to find out where our excess use is.
> We usually turn everything off at the point at night or when we aren't using it to cut the costs a little.
> We have even gone to the extent of using candles for light.....



Candles will certainly be costing you more money than a light and - they're just as non-environmentally friendly as a lightbulb.

The reason candles are not environmentally friendly is thaey're a by-product of the petroleum industry - burning wax lets of CO, CO2 and water vapour - the carbon is tied up in that candle till it is lit!!!

I trust you're using energy efficient lights.

Things like fans, although they appear cheap accumulate costs dramatically.

Like you suggest - if it's on at the point, it's as good as on (even if it's off).

eg - Most people's clock on their microwave oven uses more electricity in the year than the actual microwave!!!

Of course the largest users of electricity in the house is hot water cylinders (we've got a heat pump for ours), fridges and freezers (especially old ones - in fact they're very expensive to run if they have even the smallest of faults or poor seals - one thing you can do is attach the baby door stops to the fridge doors - the ones that hold cupboard doors shut to stop babies getting in to them - if you're seals are no good, then at least tighten the door shutting), air conditioners and heaters (usually anywhere from 2 - 5kW!!!).

Halogen bulbs, spot lights and incandescent bulbs are all equally inefficient.

Just because you're 42in LCD screen states it is efficient it still uses some 4 times the electricity that its CRT counterparts used (tho they were smaller over all).

Well - that's a start.... 

Some of your bills are absolutely horrendous!!!


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## wizz (Mar 3, 2010)

redbellybite said:


> wouldnt be T.H would it .....



Yep that's the one


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## imalizard (Mar 3, 2010)

Maybe we could blame reptile keepers for global warming?:lol:


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## garthy (Mar 3, 2010)

The_S_Word said:


> does anyone have any links they can share about the peak and off-peak times?
> Im curious as our bill has jumped up $100 as well and might have to do some reasearch to find out where our excess use is.
> We usually turn everything off at the point at night or when we aren't using it to cut the costs a little.
> We have even gone to the extent of using candles for light.....



In NSW it is a s follows:
WEEKDAYS
7am - 2pm Shoulder (14c/kwhr)
2pm - 8pm Peak (36c/kwhr)
8pm - 10pm Shoulder (14c/kwhr)
10pm - 7am Off-peak (11c/kwhr)

WEEKENDS & PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
7am - 10pm Shoulder (14c/kwhr)
10pm - 7am Off-peak (11c/kwhr)

Hope this helps


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## Allies_snakes (Mar 3, 2010)

Get this for UNHEARD OF...our last bill was paid by energex after repeated requests for it, after 9 months of asking for it, when it finally came it was in someone elses name..some computer glitch at their end, so we were honest enough to let them know no one at our house went by that name and we had to send copies of out last bills with our names on it etc. 

Thinking they would send us the same bill with correct names, they sent us a letter stating that they had messed up and couldnt find proper readings for the past 9 months and they couldnt work out who the person was who's name/account it was going in. So they paid it! Early Merry Xmas to us! So now we have a bill of $165 for the last 3 months...break dancin, break dancin.


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## =bECS= (Mar 3, 2010)

GSXR_Boy said:


> They only have to inspect the meter once a year



And yet they still have the gall to charge you a $40 fee per quarter to read the bloody thing!! :evil:


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## ShaunMorelia (Mar 4, 2010)

slim6y said:


> Candles will certainly be costing you more money than a light and - they're just as non-environmentally friendly as a lightbulb.


At $2 for a candle that will burn for at least 20hrs seems like a cheaper option to me.




slim6y said:


> Like you suggest - if it's on at the point, it's as good as on (even if it's off).


Everything except the fridge is turned off at the point or at the meter box if not being used.
We have even been flicking the switch on the water heater and turning it on for 2-4hrs in the afternoon to heat the water up if needed.




slim6y said:


> Halogen bulbs, spot lights and incandescent bulbs are all equally inefficient.


 Do you know of any energy efficient replacements for halogen downlights? As we are renting and the owner has put these in most of the rooms....thats why we use candles over halogen downlights....

Cheers
S


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## junglepython2 (Mar 4, 2010)

The_S_Word said:


> At $2 for a candle that will burn for at least 20hrs seems like a cheaper option to me.


 
Even a 60W incandecsant would only cost around 25cents to run for the same time period. Plus the new energy effecient globes run on much less wattage.


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## solar 17 (Mar 4, 2010)

*Power bills*

Take a deep breath guys l just got mine $1449.86......pay em and move on ...solar 17 [Baden]


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## ShaunMorelia (Mar 4, 2010)

The_S_Word said:


> Do you know of any energy efficient replacements for halogen downlights? As we are renting and the owner has put these in most of the rooms*....thats why we use candles over halogen downlights....*
> 
> Cheers
> S


 


junglepython2 said:


> Even a 60W incandecsant would only cost around 25cents to run for the same time period. Plus the new energy effecient globes run on much less wattage.


 As said im my earlier post.
Do you know of any energy effiecient halogen replacements?


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## junglepython2 (Mar 4, 2010)

Might be a few ideas here.

Down Lights Guide - All you need to know about halogens & down light replacements - Todae

http://www.dpi.wa.gov.au/mediaFiles/ls_ConvertDownlights.pdf


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## slim6y (Mar 4, 2010)

A $2 candle burning for 20 hours costs around 10 cents an hour ($2 / 20 hours). Agreed?

A 100W lightbulb (the brightest of the incandescent bulbs that you'd want to use in your room) uses just 100W - or 100 Joules per second.... Which would probably be 5 - 15 times more than a candle.

If your electricity is charged at 15 cents per kWhr (kilowatt hour) that means if you use 1 kW for 1 hour you'll be charged 15 cents.

100W is 1/10th of a kW (a kilowatt is 1000 watts). 

Therefore a 100W lightbulb costs approximately 1.5cents per hour to run.

That makes it over 6 times cheaper - however, you probably only use 75W or 60W bulbs or 12W energy efficient bulbs for the same light.

Candles in my mind are prettier, more romantic, less heat producing but also less light producing. They also produce a very natural and aesthetic light. But they're not cheaper!!!

And they're less environmentally friendly as suggested.

Alternatives to downlights (I have the same problem in my new house) - I think there's replacement bulbs wit LEDs in them (though I am not certain in Australia) but you can try them. They're incredibly efficient.

But I doubt it's lighting that is costing you a fortune.... Though turning of your hot water cylinder may mean it works longer than it needs to.

Try turning it off at night at 8pm and on again at 8am let it heat during the day and insulate the HWC with a blanket or something that'll keep the heat in.


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## Slats (Mar 13, 2010)

Slats said:


> Ha HA im up in Katherine NT, I run the air conditioning in the snake rooms through the wet so keep the temp below 35 inside haha.
> 
> I havent had a powerbill under 850 for at least a year and a half



Again to my dismay, powerbill for wet season arrived yesterday
$1470.00
The joys


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## wiz-fiz (Mar 13, 2010)

TahneeMaree said:


> At these prices it may be worthwhile in the long term to invest in a solar panel, then any extra energy you supply to the grid YOU get PAID for (my understanding of it) They're exy but not too bad compared to the bills some of you are getting O.O



thats what i was thinking just go 2 solar and after a while u have saved a fair bit of money



CodeRed said:


> The solar panel rebate ($8k) is means tested so those who can afford to install the panels dont get the rebate. Pretty stupid planning by the govt and no wonder no one is taking up the offer. If they removed the means test I would certainly fork out the $15k to install panels.



with a $1000 bill imo it would b well worth getting the solar panels coz after 16 years your saving money on electricity, and its greener (from my understanding). 


Will


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## hallie (Mar 13, 2010)

Smart meters are the biggest scam!

The are read remotely so no meter readers required..

I take my own meter readings to make sure im not getting ripped off.
(anymore than usual anyway..):|


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## CodeRed (Mar 13, 2010)

wiz-fiz said:


> with a $1000 bill imo it would b well worth getting the solar panels coz after 16 years your saving money on electricity, and its greener (from my understanding).



geeze only 16 yrs to break even ... no thanks.


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## Lesa (Mar 13, 2010)

all that's just scary... ours is approx $325 q quarter. That's with AC running A LOT during summer (but we chucked the dryer.) Good thing I like "mood lighting"


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## Stevo2 (Mar 13, 2010)

CodeRed said:


> geeze only 16 yrs to break even ... no thanks.


 
Such short-sightedness


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## Stitched (Mar 13, 2010)

just to clarify, you dont get paid for sending electricity back into the grid, you get credit from your supplier. However, you would need a hell of a lot of solar panels to create more energy than you actually use, so its not particularly beneficial to most people. It is good for cost reduction though. Also, LED downlights are more efficient and last longer, but sometimes require different transformers, depending on the type you have. Just another cost to look out for


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## Chris89 (Mar 14, 2010)

My last Power Bill that I got in November was $560 and it was only me living in the house. . . I haven't had another one yet, I am kind of dredding it and expected it to have arrived by now, but I'm not calling the company to remind them (lol)


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## lex10 (Mar 16, 2010)

> The solar panel rebate ($8k) is means tested so those who can afford to install the panels dont get the rebate. Pretty stupid planning by the govt and no wonder no one is taking up the offer. If they removed the means test I would certainly fork out the $15k to install panels.



I just got solar panels, the only 2 requirements for the means test was you must be the rate payer (home owner) and not earn over $100,000 per year. So many people did get panels here in Victoria that they actually ended the rebate early with only a few hours notice.

I can't believe some of the electric bills you guys have, woah! 

Do you all pay the 'estimated' bills? I'm sure it's our right to only pay what we use, has anyone gone to the energy ombudsman about it?


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## Chris1 (Mar 16, 2010)

i signed up for solar panels on the weekend, $3,990 for 1.5kw with a 2.2kw inverter,...

i was hoping for 3kw, but most of the good roof space is facing the wrong way.  bumma.


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## Chris1 (Mar 16, 2010)

Stitched said:


> just to clarify, you dont get paid for sending electricity back into the grid, you get credit from your supplier. However, you would need a hell of a lot of solar panels to create more energy than you actually use, so its not particularly beneficial to most people)



actaully the way it was explained to me, was 1.5kw produces say 7kw a day, and u get 60c per kw, so if my usage is 21kw per day at 15c, then my bill is more than covered,....
for the people that get them in time, the feed in tarriff lasts till 2016, so the price of the solar panels will be covered a long time before then,...


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## Jonno from ERD (Mar 16, 2010)

Just got ours the other day - $1050. We exclusively use a clothes drier which may be contributing?


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## Snowman (Mar 16, 2010)

Originally Posted by *CodeRed* 

 
_geeze only 16 yrs to break even ... no thanks._



Stevo2 said:


> Such short-sightedness


 
not really. you should be able to turn that money into alot more than breaking even in 16 years with the right investments.  Even after the crash you'd be miles ahead if you had of invested in BHP (not the python) or the like 16 years ago....


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## Blondie84 (Mar 16, 2010)

Snowman said:


> Originally Posted by *CodeRed*
> 
> 
> _geeze only 16 yrs to break even ... no thanks._
> ...



Comparing investing in solar energy with investing in a mining company.... can anyone else see the irony here?!? :?


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## scout (Mar 16, 2010)

Ive just got mine..$1040, and im a single mum on the sole parent pension, this is not quiet a what i get a month. Dont know how im going to eat this month


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## The Devil (Mar 16, 2010)

My power bill turned up today....$353.00 for the quarter. Given the hot weather this past few months and my use of a 3.5 hp air condt. I was expecting more.

I have solar panels, off peak power and night rate power. Every little bit of reduction helps.

My 1KW solar system cost me $185., yes that's all $185. Got it under a Qld Gov. supply contract.
The 1KW system has to date produced an average of 4.87KW per day, which at 18.85 cents per KW equates to a saving of about $83. for the quarter.


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## wokka (Mar 16, 2010)

scout said:


> Ive just got mine..$1040, and im a single mum on the sole parent pension, this is not quiet a what i get a month. Dont know how im going to eat this month



And next month. It might be time to look at reducing power consumption which will in turn reduce your bill. $1040 is a lot kilowatts. Perhaps an energy audit will show where the power is going.


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## holden08 (Mar 16, 2010)

TahneeMaree said:


> At these prices it may be worthwhile in the long term to invest in a solar panel, then any extra energy you supply to the grid YOU get PAID for (my understanding of it) They're exy but not too bad compared to the bills some of you are getting O.O


 

solar panels dont generate much power


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## -Matt- (Mar 18, 2010)

Got mine today and was shocked to see that it was $280!!! That's with four people, a whole room full of enclosures, air-con, etc etc

I'm definatly not complaining!


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## mungus (Apr 14, 2010)

got mine the other day.
$701.40 for the quarter.
Thats not bad for a full snake room and 2 ceiling mounted A/c's running through the day as the wife was on school holidays.


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## patonthego (Apr 14, 2010)

*Agl*

Got our bill $277. So am very happy about that was expecting worse. They say it depends on your suburb which is shocking.


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## Kurto (Apr 15, 2010)

patonthego said:


> Got our bill $277. So am very happy about that was expecting worse. They say it depends on your suburb which is shocking.




$277 WOW! :shock: I wish!!!!! I average $800/q with no kids!! Lord help me if I ever have some!!


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## Dragon_Lover_85 (Apr 15, 2010)

Yeh mine just came in at $745. Only have 1 A/C going at a time and 6 enclosures. Its rediculous our power bill has never been under $650 how do they justify this!


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## Chris1 (Apr 15, 2010)

$290!! 

woot woot!! 

i hope its not a misprint!!!


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## slim6y (Apr 15, 2010)

Dragon_Lover_85 said:


> Yeh mine just came in at $745. Only have 1 A/C going at a time and 6 enclosures. Its rediculous our power bill has never been under $650 how do they justify this!



Firstly - check how much you pay per kWh (kilowatt hour) - I pay around 17 cents.

Secondly - look at the big picture... 1 AC unit can be as small as 2.5kW or as big as 6kW (maybe larger)....

Now for 1 hour that's 2.5 x 17 cents - that's 43cents per hour... Now let's say you have it on for 5 hours a day.... That's $2.15 a day (there abouts).... How many days is your power bill? 90 days?

Well, there's $194 just in that alone...

I'm not suggesting that it's perfect... but that's the idea. 

Then there's your hot water cylinder... your oven... your fridge... your freezers.... your big screen TV... Computers... 

It all adds up - that's how they justify it


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## Snowman (Apr 19, 2010)

Blondie84 said:


> Comparing investing in solar energy with investing in a mining company.... can anyone else see the irony here?!? :?


 
LOL I just saw this... Blondie84  I'm sure you read the news and are quite educated thinking bhp is just a mining company  But incase you missed it BHP have been looking at building the WORLD's LARGEST SOLAR ENERGY plant with WP. The irony of it all!!!!! World of Solar Thermal.com | Solar Thermal News and Information - Mine giants Rio and BHP bet on solar power


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