Energy start-up PowerPlay offers smart meter solution to 21% weekend electricity hike
When is the cheapest time to turn on the dishwasher or charge up your phone? A Brisbane renewable energy company has the answers for those who want to avoid some of the 21 per cent price hike that comes into effect on the weekend.
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A Brisbane renewable energy company is calling on the state government to overhaul the electricity rating categories as part of a plan to curb residential power bills, set to rise by 21.5 per cent on the weekend.
Founders of renewable energy start-up company PowerPlay said this weekend’s electricity price hike would penalise Energex’s 1,363,559 customers who used power during the day.
On Saturday, the electricity retailer will increase residential energy bills by 20.5 per cent for those on a “controlled load” tariff, which includes charges for separate appliances such as pool pumps and hot water systems.
A typical household in southeast Queensland, under a “controlled load” tariff, can expect to pay approximately $2363 a year for electricity, or an estimated extra $402.
The Australian Energy Regulator released the startling figures in a document in May.
It also showed those on “without controlled load” tariffs, who do not have separately metered appliances, could expect a 21.5 per cent increase in their annual bill to a total fee of $1969 or an extra $349 a year.
PowerPlay founders Aaron Hilton and Redland’s Phoenix Shaw-Collery said the state’s model of cheap energy in evening peaks punished those who used less-than-the-average amount of electricity during night peak times.
The company devised a “customer loyalty” package for those who want to use power during the day but keep bills low.
Under the package, customers receive an electricity smart meter, which monitors electricity use in the home and indicates the cheapest time of day to use an appliance.
Mr Hilton said Queensland’s current electricity tariff system, on average, cost many families an extra $1000 a year because tariffs did not differentiate the cost of producing electricity at different times of day.
“Shift workers, first responders, and those working evenings in hospitality would be saving hundreds of dollars on their power bills if their bills were reflective of the cost to supply them with energy,” he said.
“These people are paying much more than the cost for their energy use during the day, which is unfair.
“We need to stop looking at all kWh of electricity as costing the same price. Energy in the daytime is much cheaper thanks to renewable energy and power bills should reflect that.
“The wholesale energy cost is often 10 times cheaper during the middle of the day than it is at 7pm, when there is less solar power.
“Renters and people in apartments, who cannot get solar panels, are paying more during the day to use power so that homeowners with solar panels can pay less during the evening.
“That just isn’t fair given the already harsh financial burden placed on renters.”
PowerPlay’s smart meter allows consumers to gauge the best time of day to plug in their electric car or turn on the dishwasher.
“When everyone is making these better choices, it will be better for the planet, better for the poles-and-wire networks and better for people’s budgets,” Mr Hilton said.
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Originally published as Energy start-up PowerPlay offers smart meter solution to 21% weekend electricity hike
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