Power and gas is to expensive.

[corndog]

The remember when game.
I remember when gas was considered the cheaper way to heat the house, cook the dinner and heat your hot water.
Forget your electricity power bill, check out your gas bill.
Sure it's winter and we use more.
No one is saying anything about the price of gas, all the talk is about electricity. And a lot of it has just been talk.
We need the price of gas brought into the picture too.
A bill for 61 days and the price of $523 excluding GST.
$8.57 a day.
Maybe we'll  stay cold, eat sandwiches, and take a cold shower soon.
It wouldn't be so bad if I couldn't remember when..............

[prodigyrf]

Remember when? 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmEsDDX25VA

[glenm64]

Now and see all the trouble you lot have started.
Terrible Tony's been monitoring this post and reckons you all want a change. He's talked Paramilitary Peter into treason, trying to usurp poor old Mindless Malcolm, to be king of this (once) wonderful kingdom.
Now i want you all to go home and write 50 lines.

I promise I wont complain about power prices anymore.......
I promise I wont complain about power prices anymore.......
I promise I wont complain about power prices anymore.......
I promise I wont complain about power prices anymore.......
I promise I wont complain about power prices anymore.......

[corndog]

I thought I had it bad. Mentioned my bill to a guy I car pool with. He said that 's nothing. Same period, over $800. At least he made me smile.

[Bird]

its all ****ed up.


from a mate at home:

listening to a guy just on radio now telling his experience.

he called up asking about his bills going up - power up from 600 to 900 same period as last year
2 hours on hold ….

oh you have to call up every year to make sure you get your 30% discount

[corndog]

And they never notify you if a better plan comes out saving you money. But why would they. They couldn't milk you dry if they did.

[Cruiser 105Tvan]

And they never notify you if a better plan comes out saving you money. But why would they. They couldn't milk you dry if they did.

That's exactly right, and everybody else is always on a different rate to you.

[Bigfish]

This has the potential as a real game changer..

https://theconversation.com/new-solar-cells-offer-you-the-chance-to-print-out-solar-panels-and-stick-them-on-your-roof-102335

[Bigfish]

Many of the coal supporters and nay-sayers about renewable energy probably wont agree....As far as I am concerned renewables, like electric cars and different power supplies/storage,  are here to stay, will function well and will help our planet survive a little longer.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-03/angus-taylor-energy-minister-power-price-solution-curious/10188496

[Rodt]

It's all about affordable storage for me. Solar is just about useless for me as we are a working family that has most of its power usage at night or late afternoon. IMO forget all the subsidies based on feeding into the grid etc affordable power storage options would get me over the line. Will say I don't view a 3 - 4 years payback as affordable either.

[JusyApples]

It's all about affordable storage for me. Solar is just about useless for me as we are a working family that has most of its power usage at night or late afternoon. IMO forget all the subsidies based on feeding into the grid etc affordable power storage options would get me over the line. Will say I don't view a 3 - 4 years payback as affordable either.

Solar is useless for me as well, 2 story house next door and a couple of trees in neighbouring yards means there's shadows over my roof most of the day.
Coal or nuclear is the only reliable way to go. The fact that renewables need subsidies tells me they are not effective

[wada4wd]

Solar is useless for me as well, 2 story house next door and a couple of trees in neighbouring yards means there's shadows over my roof most of the day.
Coal or nuclear is the only reliable way to go. The fact that renewables need subsidies tells me they are not effective

Yes, some houses can't install solar because of the shade etc, and renters can't often do it either. There are some options for them and should be more.

If power has never had subsidies then there would never have been reliable power. Coal has been a large subsidy. The difference is that actual persons has had their own subsidy with solar on their roof. The main issue for the country is that the government has not been moving forward for years and years and the original generation system is aged for coal stations.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-03/angus-taylor-energy-minister-power-price-solution-curious/10188496

Coal is now more expansive than other options including renewables like solar, wind and hydro.

[Bigfish]

Ten years ago I was living in Arnhem Land and realised that one day I would have to get back into the real world. I bought a house in Cairns (investment with a view to occupy when I moved).  I wanted to move to Cairns after a while and eventually retire.  Thinking about this I wanted to retire with as few bills coming in as possible.  I was renting the house out at the time that I decided to install a 6 kw system. $12000 at the time.  Put it in my name and the people who rented the house got free power for several years.  44 cents rebate per kw .  I got in 2 weeks before the deadline. Paid for itself in 7 years after rebates and tax incentives.  Now I break about even as electricity price hikes are continuing and I also run a swimming pool pump all year.  Solar is continuing just to get cheaper as well as batteries.  I am locked in at 44 cents until 2028.  If I was to add a battery bank I would lose my subsidy.  All my neighbours have solar, with some having 10kw systems, but 5 kw is most that can be fed into grid for a tariff.  Solar has certainly been a bonus for me.

[gronk]

Ten years ago I was living in Arnhem Land and realised that one day I would have to get back into the real world. I bought a house in Cairns (investment with a view to occupy when I moved).  I wanted to move to Cairns after a while and eventually retire.  Thinking about this I wanted to retire with as few bills coming in as possible.  I was renting the house out at the time that I decided to install a 6 kw system. $12000 at the time.  Put it in my name and the people who rented the house got free power for several years.  44 cents rebate per kw .  I got in 2 weeks before the deadline. Paid for itself in 7 years after rebates and tax incentives.  Now I break about even as electricity price hikes are continuing and I also run a swimming pool pump all year.  Solar is continuing just to get cheaper as well as batteries.  I am locked in at 44 cents until 2028.  If I was to add a battery bank I would lose my subsidy.  All my neighbours have solar, with some having 10kw systems, but 5 kw is most that can be fed into grid for a tariff.  Solar has certainly been a bonus for me.

And it's good for some......if you can afford the initial cost.

But, one factor with solar panels is quality and use by date. It took you 7 yrs to break even, but how many more yrs before you have to replace the panels ?
I like the idea of being completely self sufficient,  but the cost is still too far out there to be able to easily run a pool pump, pool solar pump, aircon etc.

I left it too late for installing solar (bugger all rebate now ) and can't afford  it now either, and at 60yrs old, not sure how many more yrs I have left at the present address, so solar is the last thing on my mind.

Electricity took 40 yrs to become widespread and reliable and so renewables may do the same, and may change in system designs and type of renewables, but in the meantime, reliable (and especially baseload ) energy means COAL. For how much longer Who knows, but my guess is at least 10 plus years.

[tryagain]

Ten years ago I was living in Arnhem Land and realised that one day I would have to get back into the real world. I bought a house in Cairns (investment with a view to occupy when I moved).  I wanted to move to Cairns after a while and eventually retire.  Thinking about this I wanted to retire with as few bills coming in as possible.  I was renting the house out at the time that I decided to install a 6 kw system. $12000 at the time.  Put it in my name and the people who rented the house got free power for several years.  44 cents rebate per kw .  I got in 2 weeks before the deadline. Paid for itself in 7 years after rebates and tax incentives.  Now I break about even as electricity price hikes are continuing and I also run a swimming pool pump all year.  Solar is continuing just to get cheaper as well as batteries.  I am locked in at 44 cents until 2028.  If I was to add a battery bank I would lose my subsidy.  All my neighbours have solar, with some having 10kw systems, but 5 kw is most that can be fed into grid for a tariff.  Solar has certainly been a bonus for me.

Smart financial move, unfortunately for the rest of us, we fund the difference (about 39c/kW) that they pay you as opposed to what they would pay a wholesaler for the same amount of electricity through inflated electricity prices.

[Bigfish]

Smart financial move, unfortunately for the rest of us, we fund the difference (about 39c/kW) that they pay you as opposed to what they would pay a wholesaler for the same amount of electricity through inflated electricity prices.

Yep..I was lucky that I used my brain to see a little into the future (for a change)...I think its called "growing up"..lol.   I was also fortunate to have a well paid job that saw me travel all over Australia in a company 4wd and visiting places many will never go. The same system now is around the $5000 mark..installed so prices certainly have been driven down. Solar panels will still get a lot cheaper and easier to manufacturer..see my link from 2nd last post...now they are printing solar panels from pc printers and doing it very cheaply. The technology will get better.  I know many cant afford solar at the moment but hopefully maybe in years ahead. The 44c per Kw is my way of regaining some the taxes I paid throughout my working life and for getting ripped off with 20% interest rates on my house loan 30+ years ago!!.  Many will remember this period. The state and federal governments have been an absolute joke when it comes to power.  Gas should have been in use 20 years ago rather than selling it all overseas.  Still say we are the laughiong stock of the world when it comes to handing our natural assets over.

[Bird]

Interesting and scary.. overnight we may have 1000's of "solar experts"

Victoria’s $1.24 billion pledge to provide heavily discounted solar panels to thousands of households has drawn parallels with the former Rudd government’s failed home insulation scheme, amid fears it could attract dubious operators and lead to safety risks.

Responding to the Labor government’s pre-election announcement yesterday, opposition energy spokesman David Southwick called on Premier Daniel ­Andrews to explain how it would safeguard families “from being scammed by telemarketers and dodgy installers … that will flood the system under this scheme”.

“Daniel Andrews’s solar panel election promise sounds a lot like Kevin Rudd’s pink batts disaster,” Mr Southwick said, referring to federal Labor’s home insulation program that was scrapped in 2010 after four installation workers died.

“This is ‘Pink Batts mark 2’ — it failed the first time and it is at risk of failing again.”

While the government moved to allay such fears, claiming that the scheme would be overseen by an independent authority to ­ensure the highest safety standards, the push to have 650,000 owner-occupied households install solar panels comes after the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission recently called for solar rebates to be phased out by 2021.

Releasing a blueprint on July 11 to ­reduce electricity prices, the ACCC argued that government subsidies for household solar had been a well-intentioned but misguided policy. Solar schemes were too generous, unfairly disadvantaged lower-income households and had failed to adjust to the changing economics of household solar, it said.

Labor has predicted that its scheme, which will provide owner-occupiers with a 50 per cent rebate on the cost of installing a solar panel system and ­interest-free loans to repay the balance over four years, will bring the number of homes across the state with solar panels to one million within 10 years. It is open to households earning up to $180,000 a year and homes valued at less than $3 million.

In an unashamed play to voters’ cost-of-living concerns, Mr Andrews said the scheme would save a typical Victorian household up to $2225 on installation and $890 a year on electricity bills.

“We know the cost of living is going up and it’s getting harder to make ends meet,” the Premier said. “That’s why Labor is helping families with their energy bills.”

Mr Andrews also took a swipe at the federal government over the status of the national energy guarantee and ongoing infighting within the Coalition over power prices.

“I honestly can’t give an ­answer on whether we will or won’t support whatever they’re proposing in Canberra because it just keeps on changing,” he said.

“When we’ve got some detail, when we’ve got a final position agreed to by the commonwealth, we’ll look at it carefully.”

Mr Southwick described the state government’s announcement as a “thought bubble” that would do little to help Victorians who were struggling and could not afford to install solar panels.

“Victorians are the highest taxed in Australia and it’s being used to fund programs like this that have a track record of failure,” he said. “Daniel Andrews’s answer to his high power bills is to ask ­people to spend more money.”

The Australian Conservation Foundation welcomed the initia­tive. “The Victorian solar homes plan will be good for our climate, good for clean energy, and good for household power bills,” ACF climate change program manager Gavan McFadzean said.

“Driving more renewables into the system is the best way to cut climate pollution and electricity prices, while adding stability to the national grid.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/andrews-solar-panel-scheme-like-pink-batts-disaster-says-opposition/news-story/127b16191f6bf840bf425a3366e32a67

[tryagain]

Yep..I was lucky that I used my brain to see a little into the future (for a change)...I think its called "growing up"..lol.   I was also fortunate to have a well paid job that saw me travel all over Australia in a company 4wd and visiting places many will never go. The same system now is around the $5000 mark..installed so prices certainly have been driven down. Solar panels will still get a lot cheaper and easier to manufacturer..see my link from 2nd last post...now they are printing solar panels from pc printers and doing it very cheaply. The technology will get better.  I know many cant afford solar at the moment but hopefully maybe in years ahead. The 44c per Kw is my way of regaining some the taxes I paid throughout my working life and for getting ripped off with 20% interest rates on my house loan 30+ years ago!!.  Many will remember this period. The state and federal governments have been an absolute joke when it comes to power.  Gas should have been in use 20 years ago rather than selling it all overseas.  Still say we are the laughiong stock of the world when it comes to handing our natural assets over.

My issue is with the way the Gov of the day set it up, If it was tax dollars paying the subsidy then I wouldn't really have as much of an issue, but instead, they were "clever" and funded it through increased electricity prices (for everyone else), the result is effectively a poor tax, those who can't afford a solar setup (or renters) effectively subsidising those that can. This is from all the from the side of politics that is supposed to be for the "working class" too. Just to be clear I am not having a go at those who took advantage of it (the funding details aren't obvious), but those who set it up and the way they did it.

[wada4wd]

In the last year or so, people interested and able are adding solar and battery.

Why would they do that? Because the governments have stuffed up the cost of electricity for the public. Selling off most of the power plants, failing to upgrade the system, paying high cost for poles and wires added to the public costs and then moved the retail system by adding extra costs so the retail suppliers make money. In SA, we used to get bills from ETSA but changed to a retail group making their own $$.

Over time, 5-10 years, it is cheaper to run your main power from the solar system. Not because it is cheap to add solar and battery, but because the governments have screwed up the system by failing to move forward. Lot of house owners just added the cost of solar to their house mortgage because it is cheaper than paying retail 100% electricity!

2011 we added 10kW solar to the roof on a stone house uses power to keep it reasonably comfort. Have done anything we can to reduce the energy for the place and we are neutral kW over a year including power the EV car. If we were doing it now, would do the same with battery storage, might do that anyway over time as the cost of batteries etc is cost dropping down over time.

[Bird]

Just to be clear I am not having a go at those who took advantage of it (the funding details aren't obvious), but those who set it up and the way they did it.

one member on here filled house and shed with panels when it was originally done so gets max rebate..
he has free gas and electric and gets a chq too ;(
wish I'd had the $$$ at the time.

[Bigfish]

I used to get a cheque once a year for about $800.  Now I get about $300...Still better than paying.  This was probably one of the smarter things I have done..

[Bird]

I used to get a cheque once a year for about $800.  Now I get about $300...Still better than paying. 

x eleventy willionteen.

This was probably one of the smarter things I have done..

hindsight

[Pete79]

Yep..I was lucky that I used my brain to see a little into the future (for a change)...

Fortunately there are still some decision makers that haven't got their heads completely buried in the sand and also consider the future when planning new projects.
I guess it helps when 40% of your constituents are thinking along the same lines and have invested in the future on their own homes...

The Sunshine Coast Solar Farm took out the top gong at the National Federation Awards last night in Canberra (August 23), winning the national award for Environmental Leadership and Sustainability.
Sunshine Coast Council competed against other state winners in the sustainability category after winning the Local Government Managers Association Sustainability Excellence Award in April.

Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson said this was the fourth prestigious award the solar farm had won in the past 12 months and goes to prove the value of investing in this project on behalf of the region.
“To win the national award for environmental leadership and sustainability speaks to the very heart of what Sunshine Coast Council is all about and underpins our commitment to becoming Australia’s most sustainable region,” Mayor Jamieson said.
“This game changing project has delivered day after day since it was switched on in July last year, to a tune of $1.7 million so far.
“Every dollar we don’t spend on electricity is a dollar better used delivering the services and facilities our region needs.
“We are also about to hit 30,000 megawatt hours of generated energy with a resultant saving of almost 23,000 tonnes in carbon emissions – which is great news for our environment.”

Economic Development and Innovation Portfolio Councillor Stephen Robinson said the award recognised the achievements of individuals and teams working to achieve great things for their communities.

“The Solar Farm is certainly working for our community but it’s just one part of the clean energy puzzle, representing just 10% of the region’s current solar generation,” Cr Robinson said.
“Forty per cent of homes on the Sunshine Coast have already made the switch to rooftop solar and it’s our community which can make the most significant impact.
“That’s why, over the next six months, council will be providing information to help our community make informed renewable energy choices, starting with free renewable energy sessions at council libraries from August 28.
“We’ll also be working with independent renewable energy experts to provide information through social media and on our website to help our community learn about renewable energy options, rebates, energy saving and making the most out of their existing systems.”

The Sunshine Coast Solar Farm has previously been recognized at the Planning Institute of Australia Awards for planning excellence, received the Wendy Chadwick Encouragement Award for innovation and won the Local Government Managers Australia (Queensland) Award for Sustainability Excellence.

The nay-sayers can call them unrealiables as much as they like, but $1.7 Million being invested back into my community and not going to power companies can only be a good thing in my books. 

[Nomad]

but but but Noosa is meant to be the greenest location of all........I mean we have a biosphere ffs that takes about $1m a year to run that so far has achieved..........well nothing I can think of................our council are a bunch of small time losers..........thanks for the airport by the way we will get a substantial return out of that project.

It pretty ****ed that everyone up here laughs at the money being invested in the Sunshine Coast Council area and the debt that Jamieson has gone into to do that but for every dollar he spends I reckon it'll make $5 to $10 in the medium term..........

My business in Maroochydore and CaLoundra are going gang busters whilst Noosa just plods along. Noosa is great if you are minted and own beach front real estate........three homes have now sold for $15m, $16m and $18m in Sunshine Beach......what a ****ing joke

[gronk]

Fortunately there are still some decision makers that haven't got their heads completely buried in the sand and also consider the future when planning new projects.
I guess it helps when 40% of your constituents are thinking along the same lines and have invested in the future on their own homes...

The nay-sayers can call them unrealiables as much as they like, but $1.7 Million being invested back into my community and not going to power companies can only be a good thing in my books. 

1.7 million back into the community.......BUT......how much did the farm cost (community money ) and how long before the community breaks even ?