I wish that number was a joke, but unfortunately it is not. The price per kilowatt hour of electricity could jump from the current price of about 30c/kWh, up to $47 per kilowatt hour during peak usage times!
75% of Australian homes have air conditioners, which will be the households most affected by the increase. Because of the harsh climate that we have here in South Australia that percentage is even higher at 90%. The “critical peak surcharge” could be applied on the hottest days, for up to 4-hours.
According to AEMC’s (Australian Energy Markets Commission’s) consumer advocacy panel, the increases in electricity prices will hurt “customers who are least able to manage their consumption”. The people who will be most hit by the increase are said to be households with stay-at-home parents.
Given that I work from home, and my wife is a stay-at-home mum, we could be up for a very large financial hit when the changes start in 2017. My wife suffers from both Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia, which makes regulating the temperature in our household not just a “luxury”, but very important for her quality of life.
Not only is it important for my wife’s health, but having proper cooling is also extremely important for our kid’s learning. According to this story, “comprehension starts to diminish at 28 degrees”. Since this goes for learning, no doubt it also goes for working as well.
Let’s see how the changes play out, but I for one hope that the 15,000 percent increase doesn’t come into play here …
Source: news.com.au
Image credit: Lydia
There is need of insulation to the houses in Australia. Insulation can help to save more energy and hence reduced electricity bills.
Check http://www.smartcompany.com.au/smartcompany-awards-2014/827-smartcompany-awards-2014/43750-11-ventis-hq.html
A lot of people are going to turn to sustainable options and figure out a way of keeping electricity and power in storage on their premises if the charge for utilities are really going to increase like this! It’s mad!
I don’t think a lot of people are going to be very happy about this. But then again, a lot of Australians have a solar solution in their homes to help ensure that they have a little bit of energy in storage. It’s the people who are living in condominiums who are really going to suffer from the hike in prices. Unfortunately the utilities companies don’t care about that and just want to profit more per unit. It’s really quite typical and disgusting if you ask me!