I can see that this is an emotive issue for some so i will tread carefully
It is plainly obv that prices went up as a result of or at the same time as the FIT system that was implemented in Qld/AUST.. to blame those who undertook the system is a bit silly ..infact its very silly IMHO.
If those people did not stump up the $$$ for those first few years of solar harvest feed back into the grid and the Power mobs had to build and install all that solar you can bet we would be paying a lot more right now.
So it was inevitable that prices would go up but how much is the real question..would we be paying more with or without the solar subsidy system. No one will ever know but I do know that regardless of the 44c FIT prices would have sky rocketed and maybe be even worse.
Those people who installed at the start and were encouraged to spend $$$ to do it and become quasi shareholders IMHO providing the needed infrastructure to the power companies and in return for their early investment they are now rewarded with continued 44c FIT , those of us who were cautious and hung back and came to the table later only get a 6c FIT.
Its like buying shares before or after a company makes it big ..you take the risk you reap the reward. Was the 44c FIT unsustainable YES was it designed to simply get the panels out and on roofs generating much needed kWh to the grid YES... did they always plan to roll it back ....YES .. so it had a limited shelf life but it achieved its desired outcome.
paying early investors 44c FIT could well be a lot less than if no one ever took it up... and we were paying the energy companies for them having to invest the $$$, so I think even trying to apportion an increase in elec costs to early 44cFIT people is off the mark...the increase was always coming and it could have been much / much worse or even had consequences of long term power failures.
so I guess my point is.. if you want to save power turn Shit off ...if you dont then pay the bills ..if you want to blame someone for the high bills blame us all who want 2 fridges and 100 lights on every night... we are the end user and when demand is high so is the price ..esp if you need to continually upgrade the network as each year demand increases, if you can prove your usage has decreased over the past 3 years then disregard my comments, for the rest of us honest enough to admit we use more and more each year, then understand we will pay more and more each year.
But everyone is entitled to an opinion and thats just mine
Other will think different ..but we can all agree the less you use the less you pay
jet
EDIT - yes that article puts a $$$ figure on it $276P/A to cover the early investors and owners of the infrastructure, imagine the cost PA to each household if you were paying back a billion $$$ loan for the power company each year..... you keep missing the point ..one way or another you and me were always going to pay more , your just upset it goes to other normal people I am happy it does.. and the environment benefits too.
