The ACCC has recently looked into price rises of electricity and released its preliminary report. It is staggering to think that electricity has increased substantially above the rate of inflation, causing a real hit to the hip-pocket. This gave me an idea.
I have looked at a few of my own bills and calculated if electricity is alone in having significant average annual price rises. Here are some of ours:
Local government rates (and water combined): -change from $295.95 in 1998 to $652.47 in 2017 (noting water use is slightly less). This corresponds to an average annual increase of 4.2%
Gas - change from $27.15 in 2007 to $119.91 in 2017 (gas usage similar). This corresponds to an average 15.2% annual increase.
Registration and 3rd party - $446 in 1998 to $775.50 in 2017 (4cyl car). This corresponds to an average annualised 3.0% increase.
What has surprised me is those bills from organisations in government ownership (eithe directly or through a GOC) have gone up around the rate of inflation (rego) or just above (rates and water). Those in private ownership (gas and like electricity) have increased substantially more than inflation since they have become privatised.
You are welcome to add you own bills for comparison or discussion purposes. If you want to calculate the average annual interest rate and donāt know how to do it, you can enter the details in a website like this one. Use the amount invested as the first bill and the amount returned as your second bill. Change the dates to the dates shown on the bill.
Very interesting comparison Phil . Iām old enough to remember when when we had 2 postal deliveries a day . I think from memory it was 6 pence a stamp . Could stand to be corrected on that though . The stamp price that is .
Couldnāt agree more draughtrider ā¦ I canāt believe that more people arenāt simply taking matters into their own hands and disconnecting from the grid, hence avoiding the problem EVER again!! We foresaw all of this happening a long time ago and went stand alone solar 12 years ago ā¦ weāve never had a bill or a blackout since!! Technology now way better than it was then ā¦ and around 1/5 the price!!
Listening to our elected representatives-both federal and state- everything is fine. Inflation is under control and salaries though stagnating- are more than adequate for us. These are people who are completely cut off from reality.
LMAO - threepence halfpenny, if youāre old enough. And no doubt cheaper, before that - after all, it was originally āinventedā as the āpenny postā.
Iām planning on going solar, with a battery backup and an emergency generator. And an electric car. Electric heating, instead of the present gas heating. And a cleaner carbon footprint.
Whenever I mention this, I am immediately set upon by people spruking for big oil, conventional auto makers, or similar luddites - people who seem to enjoy the prospect of climate change, or simply want to ignore its impact on their activities. I have had so many half truths and downright lies flung in my face by such people, Iām beginning to wonder if the powerful lobbies in the car industry, big oil and dirty coal have engaged the services of the same lobbyists and ad agencies that big tobacco and the large chemical companies use to push their products.
I agree.We have upgraded to a 5kw system with a tesla battery attached as well and as far as I can tell in the 2 months we have had this set up, we havent used anything from the grid yet. I am waiting with baited breath to see the new bill.
Wow, electricity bills are still a thing? I havenāt seen one of them since 1991! Solar (and a little bit of wind) power save me the hassle of dealing with profit hungry dinosaur power companies.
Yeah they are. I went 6 years without paying a cent (no cells, no battery, no power bills) - but that was a special case - a couple of years ago that changed and I got a rude shock The 5kw I just installed cost less than the kw in $ and the rebate here is 1:1 so itās 2 years and change payback. Iām hoping Iāll be in constant credit - we can use that to pay water as well ā¦ of course things can change ā¦
Iām loving my 30kwh per day from the sun !!
I havenāt seen one of them since 1991! Solar (and a little bit of wind) power save me the hassle of dealing with profit hungry dinosaur power companies.