Sydney’s electricity bill shock after record summer
Daily Telegraph readers are taking to social media to vent about soaring power bills after a summer of record temperatures with some Sydneysiders seeing costs double to four-figure sums.
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Sydneysiders are opening their electricity bills to news they’ve been dreading after a summer of record temperatures: four-figure power bills.
Taking to social media to vent about soaring costs and express anxiety about impending bills, some Daily Telegraph readers are claiming their invoices doubled compared to this time last year.
The hot summer spell saw the mercury rise 10 degrees above average over the Christmas and New Year period before western Sydney sweltered through 40C days in January.
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It prompted the Bureau of Meteorology to issue a special climate statement in the following days, declaring the extended heatwave “unusual” as thousands of people reached for their airconditioners and jumped in their backyard pools in an effort to cool down.
“Our last bill was the highest we’ve ever had,” one Daily Telegraph reader wrote.
“Not looking forward to this one,” another said.
One man from Sydney’s south-west shared a photo of their latest bill and said it was double the price of the invoice he received this time last year, jumping to $1023.99 after running airconditioning for a five-person family in a home with a pool.
Others saw costs soar from $580 to $850 revealing they too had “fans and aircons going” while one unlucky Sydney resident copped a mammoth $2500 sting.
Ausgrid spokeswoman Michelle Stone said customer usage was seven per cent higher in January than the previous year, “principally due to recent hot and humid weather” while usage over the last three months was up 1.5 per cent.
“Customers’ electricity use is typically highest in winter (Jun-Aug) when people use electrical appliances to heat homes and businesses,” Ms Stone said.
“However, the recent hot days have led to higher than average electricity use in January this year that exceeded usage last winter.”
Ausgrid provides a set of guidelines to help customers keep energy costs down during summer and knowing how to use an airconditioner correctly is a standout tip.
The “optimum” range, according to the company’s online guide, is between 23 to 26 degrees as each extra degree below that range can “add up to 10% to your running costs”.
The energy company says swapping the aircon for a ceiling fan can save the average three-person household hundreds of dollars with a fan costing around two cents an hour compared to 30-40 cents an hour for running airconditioning.
THE POSITIVES FOR SOLAR USERS
It’s not all bad news with some canny solar power users turning the heatwave into cash by selling unused energy back to the electricity grid.
Households can earn money through their solar feed-in tariff, which can range from 6c to 60c.
“I got solar 12 months ago and my provider paid ME to sit in airconditioning,” Daily Telegraph reader Lisa Brincat said.
The Wollongong resident said she put enough into the grid in the past three months that she actually received a credit of $181.10 from her electricity provider, Origin.
Ms Brincat is paid 22c a kilowatt which she says “outweighs” her electricity usage at night when solar power isn’t being generated.
“I’m currently 32 days into my next bill and am $43 in credit, so Origin have paid me $43 to use power for the last month,” she said.
“It’s a no brainer.”
TIPS ON GETTING A GOOD POWER DEAL
— Use comparison websites including the Energy Made Easy website to compare offers.
— Talk to your retailer and ask them to explain your deal.
— Ask them to break down the supply and usage charges.
— Phone up rival retailers and see what they can offer you.
— Check billing and payment arrangements.
— See if you can get further discounts.
Originally published as Sydney’s electricity bill shock after record summer
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