We know we have to cut back on electricity use on really hot days, but how do we do it without disadvantaging low-income households?
Karl-Ludwig G. Poggemann
Australia’s electricity prices are rising and not everyone is finding it easy to keep up. Fingers have been pointed at peak demand; the times, like very hot summer afternoons, when we use large amounts…
The Australian Energy Market Operator’s latest report lays out what it will cost to switch on to renewable power.
To avoid 2 degrees of climate change, global carbon emissions will need to be reduced by at least 50% by 2050. For developed countries such as Australia with higher carbon emissions this will mean cuts…
Putting panels on your roof reduces your power bill, but it also reduces the risk of price rises for everyone on the network.
murphyz/Flickr
How much would you pay to avoid another $250 a year hike in your electricity bill? Does $15 a year sound like too much to reduce that risk?
We’ve heard a lot lately about rising electricity prices. That…
Governments need to step in and make sure consumers are considered in electricity pricing.
earl what i saw 2.0/Flickr
If there’s logic behind the way Australian energy markets work, at first glance it’s hard to fathom. Increases in power bills have previously been justified by our increasing demand. But as energy demand…
Wind power now contributes 3.8% to the electricity market.
Flickr/Bush Philosopher - Dave Clarke
Let’s be honest: the relationship between renewable energy and the electricity market is complex. So what does the latest report from Australian energy research firm RepuTex tell us?
Well, for a start…
Blackouts remind us what life was like before cheap, readily available electricity – but it’s time to think about the true price of our power.
Candle in the dark image from www.shutterstock.com/Ronen
No lights, no power, no internet – and no easy solutions.
Fumbling around in a middle of a blackout, hoping to find a torch or some spare batteries, I was struck by just how utterly dependent most of…
When comparing power sources, we have to take the costs of system effects into account.
Flick/a_whisper_of_unremitting_demand
A recent Bloomberg press release got wide coverage with its claim that wind power is now cheaper than coal. But a new report from the OECD shows that when you cover the full cost to the grid, variable…
Giving electricity providers something to aim for could reduce prices.
Ville Miettinen
Better managing peak demand, the primary culprit behind recent rapid price rises across Australia, is a key challenge facing Eastern Australia’s National Electricity Market (NEM).
To deal with peak demand…
In the short term, reducing demand could be bad for the environment, but the long-term view is brighter.
Gustavo Durán
The past year has seen several processes to reduce the price of electricity to consumers. Each has highlighted the importance of “demand management” – consumers reducing use at peak times to reduce the…
For low-income households, energy saving usually means switching off. Will COAG’s reforms give them more options?
James Mooney
There is only so much that individuals can do. As energy prices keep climbing, in many households you will find a parent patrolling to check lights and appliances are turned off. Some poorer households…
Electricity prices have been rising rapidly during the past decade.
Sir Bennikins/Flickr
A few days ago, the Prime Minister Julia Gillard foreshadowed a “plan to make sure that families pay $250 less per year for electricity” to be discussed at this Friday’s meeting of the Council of Australian…
A smart meter alone isn’t enough. Customers also need in home displays or web portals.
Tom Raferty
Smart meters are in the news again with much discussion about what Prime Minister Julia Gillard is expected to propose to the COAG meeting on Friday.
Smart meters can perform various functions, from remote…
Prime minister Julia Gillard takes an electricity pricing reform package to COAG this week – but could the answer be in addressing congestion pricing for the network?
AAP
Electricity network pricing has been a hot topic in the last six months. The key issues have been regulation and demand side management. On regulation, Prime Minister Julia Gillard is taking a package…
Things go wrong when prices are out of whack.
Kevin Baird
Contrary to expectations, demand for electricity in Australia has been falling for several years. Reasons for this include large price rises (of which the carbon price is a relatively small component…
History suggests privatisation of the electricity industry is not such a bright idea.
Image from www.shutterstock.com
Surging power prices are having savage consequences for household discretionary incomes. Some would blame the government’s carbon tax, but the real culprit is price gouging. Judging from the pronouncements…
The power we need twice a year is making us pay year-round.
Andrew J Cosgriff
This is the year of electricity prices. Everyone, from the Prime Minister to your favourite barista, is talking about the recent rapid escalation in electricity prices.
These increases are a complex story…
The National Electricity Market is in chronic failure mode.
Sveter Sveter
The Senate Select Committee on Electricity Pricing tabled its report in Parliament on November 1. The inquiry found substantial evidence of failures in the rules and operation of the electricity market…
Unnecessarily over-funded electricity networks leave WA consumers to foot the bill.
visualdensity
It should have led to lower electricity prices; that was the theory at least. But the 2006 disaggregation of Western Australia’s vertically-integrated electricity utility, Western Power Corporation, into…
The energy sector has been making its own rules for too long.
John Koetsier
The Senate Select Committee on Electricity Prices inquiry may finally bring the electricity sector to account. After five public hearings around Australia, a clear story is emerging.
The key contributors…
Australian household energy use increased by more than 30% in the past two decades.
ctandjung/Flickr
Electricity prices are a hot topic. Prices have skyrocketed in recent years and politicians have finally realised that people are struggling to pay energy bills.
Power of Choice, an Australian Energy…
The government should have been addressing electricity arrangements for the last four years.
Laurent LaSalle
The Prime Minister gave a speech on August 7 entitled Electricity prices: the facts. She explained, correctly, that the costs of transmission and distribution (network costs, otherwise referred to as…
Economic modelling shows Australia’s GDP will be modestly affected by the carbon tax in the long term: but the equitable redistribution of tax revenue will be critical.
AAP
Cutting greenhouse gas emissions is like buying an insurance policy: we incur a cost to reduce a risk. Every year Australians spend millions on insuring homes, cars and their health, not because they know…
