Blackouts In SA While Generators Stand Idle & Politicians Bicker

February 10, 2017 2017-04-18T14:53:51 by 15 Comments
Barnaby Joyce Coal Heatwave

Joyce titters, Weatherill gets mad, Australia cooks.

Late on Wednesday afternoon, in the middle of a heatwave, electricity was cut off to roughly 90,000 Adelaide properties for around 45 minutes.

Because I have access to a working TV at the moment1 I have seen an implausible number of people shitting bricks over this incident.  So many bricks I could use them to build a Great Wall of South Australia.  I’m sure it would be effective at keeping foreigners out.  After all, who’d want to enter a state surrounded by shitty bricks?

To all the people who are acting like this is some sort of unprecedented event2, I have to ask which bloody country do you live in?  Rolling blackouts during heatwaves in Australia are not uncommon and have occurred in every mainland state, including those that are almost entirely powered by coal.

But for those who are complaining for the right reasons, your anger is bloody well justified. [Read more…]

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NSW Feed In Tariff Changes – Channel 9 Adds To The Confusion

December 28, 2016 2017-04-18T15:07:57 by 15 Comments

Last night Channel Nine News in Sydney ran a short segment on how NSW’s high gross solar feed-in tariffs are ending in a few days time.

Many of the details in this segment were not correct. [Read more…]

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Cheapest Electricity Plans For Solar Owners Revealed

September 8, 2016 2024-01-25T16:57:19 by 31 Comments
ronald's head exploding

This is how I felt after spending 2 days trying to work out the best electricity plans for solar owners.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, electricity bills are confusing.

If you are one of those rare people who don’t find electricity bills confusing, then I have two things to say to you. Firstly, “Good for you”.

Secondly, “When are you returning to your home planet?” because I find it hard to believe you are human.

Because they are so confusing, it is very difficult to know which retailer offers the best plan for your household. Especially for people with rooftop solar, as they have the additional complication of accounting for feed-in tariffs. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Electricity Prices

Victoria’s Residential Demand Tariffs: Designed To Cripple Rooftop Solar?

August 19, 2016 2016-08-19T09:02:48 by 11 Comments
an evil genius pasting demand tariffs to a solar panel

The Victorian demand tariff appears to be a cunning plan to slow the spread of solar.

Residential demand tariffs are now available in Australia, and I recommend you watch out for them. If you are a modest user of grid electricity, as many solar owners are, they have the ability to blow your electricity bill through the ceiling. [Read more…]

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How Residential Demand Tariffs Could Add $1000’s To Your Bill

August 16, 2016 2024-08-18T20:30:19 by 17 Comments

demand tariff

Electricity companies around Australia are starting to roll out a new way to charge you for electricity. It is called a residential demand tariff.

Unsurprisingly this new tariff can result in higher bills for you, and higher profits for them.

This post is important. It will explain to you what a demand tariff is, how it works, and why many households should avoid it at all costs.

The electricity companies want to make demand tariffs the norm, so you must be armed with the knowledge to spot one when you see one, and understand the implications of signing up for one. [Read more…]

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Standard Tariffs Vs Time Of Use Pricing. Which Goes Best With Solar?

July 8, 2016 2025-01-02T07:08:46 by 29 Comments
time of use meter

What will give you the lowest bill, a standard or time of use tariff? What if you add solar? What about batteries?

Australians pay for grid electricity in two ways.  The most common way is a standard tariff. But you can also choose a time-of-use tariff.

What is a standard tariff?

This is where you pay a fixed rate for each kilowatt-hour used, plus a hefty supply charge.  Australians have been paying for electricity this way since the the electricity meter, invented in 1888, was developed into the ‘spinning dial’ type in 1914. So Australians have been using standard tariffs for over  a century. [Read more…]

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How To Keep Your Bills Down When The NSW 60c Feed-In Tariff Ends

June 24, 2016 2017-04-18T18:01:58 by 34 Comments
new gross meter

If you are on the 60c Feed In Tariff in NSW (AKA the Solar Bonus Scheme) you really need to get a new meter by January 1.

Across NSW there are 146,000 homes and businesses receiving a gross feed-in tariff for the electricity their rooftop solar generates.

This tariff ends on the 31st of December 2016.

If those 146,000 homes and businesses don’t get new import/export meters installed by the end of the year, their owners (or tenants) will be in the financially painful position of not just losing their generous 60-66c feed-in tariff, but also receiving nothing for the solar electricity they export into the grid.

At the start of this year there was a lot of confusion about just what people would have to do to get new meters installed. It became clear there were not enough specialist metering electricians in the state to get the job done – even if they worked on nothing else for the rest of the year.  Fortunately, the rules have been changed and the pool of people permitted to replace meters is expanding. [Read more…]

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Origin And AGL Raise Electricity Prices In South Australia Because They Can

June 17, 2016 2017-04-18T18:07:02 by 2 Comments
greedy boss man

AGL and Origin Energy have just announced price rises in South Australia.

Australia’s two largest electricity retailers have announced they will increase prices in South Australia from the 1st of July.  Origin Energy will raise prices by 6.5% increase and AGL will raise them by around 10%. [Read more…]

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