From www.malcolmtalbot.wordpress.com
With excerts from the www.news.com.au article ‘Electricity bills to soar 20 per cent’

Rising Prices Force Consumers to Consider Alternatives.

NSW homeowners can expect to pay up to 20 per cent more for electricity after the pricing regulator gave retailers the go-ahead to raise supply costs and therefore prices to end-users.

The price rise is due to a large increase in the cost of supplying electricity and the need to ensure the state’s future capacity can be funded, the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) said.

While supporting the need for much higher prices, it warned the move could significantly impact on homeowners.

“IPART has determined that wholesale purchase costs have increased substantially and that the allowance for electricity purchase costs should increase to reflect this,” IPART chairman Michael Keating said in a statement on Wednesday.

End users faced a price increase to cover escalating purchase and network costs, it said.

IPART found a typical residential customer of EnergyAustralia, Integral Energy and Country Energy on regulated tariffs can expect to pay around $3.53, $3.89 and $3.92 more per week respectively from July 1, 2009.

This represents an increase of about 21.7 per cent, 21.1 per cent and 17.9 per cent.

The opposition endorsed IPART’s assistance recommendations, but blamed the price price rises on government mismanagement of the electricity sector.

Sydney’s CBD and surrounds have been faced with blackouts in recent months – the most severe cutting power to 70,000 homes and businesses and causing peak hour chaos on March 30.

NSW Greens MP John Kaye said the rise was just the start of an escalation in electricity prices, with the state government planning to privatise energy retailers.

“Private owners will treat homeowners as cash cows,” Dr Kaye said in a statement.

“Bills will soar as corporate retailers do nothing to help their customers reduce demand in the face of rising prices.”

With the rise in prices, in is timely for householders to consider energy efficiency measures and renewable energy, such as solar PV.

Solar Energy becomes less expensive, relatively, as the cost of standard coal derived power goes up (and silicon comes down)
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