Winter Energy Bills

[admin]

Yow, some of them hurt don't they. I thought I might post my current situation which is almost funny......almost

I have gas ducted heating. I am on a fortnightly direct debit plan. As of December, there is only my wife and I living here.

I was paying $71 a fortnight and received a letter last month saying that its not enough and I had to pay $90. rang them up, had a chat...ok, fair enough as there was $290.00 outstanding still.
I received my winter gas bill, always the biggest gas bill of the year. $420.00. Along with a letter saying, we have increased your payments from $90 to $151.00 ! Fark, nice jump.

I am not paying $151.00 a fortnight for frigging gas. I could almost pay off a new car with that

So I looked at alternatives. I have a big Daikin 8/9 kw split system unit and I have an 8kw Solar system on the roof. Of course the major issue is that the sun doesn't shine a great deal in winter. But you of course do get some sunlight, so I can operate it at a reduced cost.

My gas bill shows that gas is currently costing me a horrible $7.19 a day. My electricity is with PowerShop (retailer) and as well as their portal where I can look at costs and my usage etc, my wholesaler, United Energy has a similar excellent system called Energy Easy. I can go in there at anytime and check my power consumption up to the latest half hour. As I have a Smart Meter, I am billed on 3 different time periods, Off Peak, Shoulder, and Peak.

11 pm to 7am - Off Peak at $0.1033 kw/h
7am to 3pm - Shoulder at $0.1377 kw/h
3pm to 11am - Peak at $0.2677 kw/h
All Weekend is charged at Off Peak.

I switched off ducted gas and ran the Daikin 24 hours a day for a couple of days to see how much it was going to cost me. Obviously it can vary...yesterday was bloody freezing but it was sunny, the day before was shitty with no sun. it was actually good to have 2 different days.

It showed that it is far cheaper for me to use electric heating. The only benefit with gas ducted is that you can heat the whole house quickly and evenly.

At the worst, (basically no sun outside), my power cost per day including running the Daikin is $4.50, versus gas at $7.19 a day.
Yesterday, when the sun was out, it cost me $4.40 for the day. I also made $3 in feed in credit, so the day cost $1.40.

The above costs are calculated using United Energy (my wholesalers) rates, my retailer PowerShop calculates differently by having a unit price which includes your supply charge.

Either way, they can stick gas up their arse. In news this week, it is expected gas will rise a whopping 30% due to increased demand for our export market. In other words, Asia wants our gas and we give it to them, leaving a domestic shortage which forces prices up.

Battery technology is slowly getting better and solar is now being offered with future capacity for batteries while still being grid connected, the battery is basically enough to keep you going overnight until sun up.

[gordon_s1942]

This is where its so hard to choose a long term system because years ago Oil was the flavour of the day until it became a milch cow and costs rose beyond its worth.
Natural Gas was touted as the 'Fuel of the Future', implying we had ENORMOUS reserves that would make it so cheap to use when compared to other fuels.
Now they can compress it and sell it off to other markets and ignoring the local market in the deal.

Who remembers the advertising (Sydney at least) of 'Living Better ELECTRICALLY' showing everything was powered by electricity until it was priced out of the market ?

Non Natural Gas supplied areas are limited to using Electricity, LPG or solid fuels like wood and Coal but they too have been subjected to price rises apart from Coal is now way out of favour due to its emissions.
Wood is neither cheap and good quality burning wood isnt all that available either which means the cost rises caused by the demand outstripping supply.

[admin]

It all comes down to one fact in my opinion.

You can generate your own electricity to use, you cant do the same with gas (not to the point of it being viable for the average suburban person).

I am going to add some more panels, I am lucky enough to have inverter capacity and a big roof that can take at least another 2 kw of panels facing in the right direction. Now that I am not using gas heating, all I have is gas hot water and gas cooktop. Both will get the chop eventually, though I know they are not keen on letting you go from gas hot water to electric hot water when gas is available.

I would rather have electric boosted solar hot water and get rid of gas altogether.

[LeroyPatrol]

Gas bill is usually around $300/quarter in winter. I reckon that's ok. That's 2 wall furnaces running at least an hour in the morning and from 5pm till bed of an evening during the week. Prob will be a bit higher now that I'm 'retired'

Leroy

[fandtm666]

im the opposite up here on the goldcoast my winter bill
is nothing compared to my summer bill.

I do have reverse cycle aircon but have never needed
to switch to heat, but in summer no matter if i
have all windows and doors open it gets to the point
where i have to turn aircon on even more so at night
so we can actually get to sleep.

[LeroyPatrol]

I've been thinking of a wood heater lol. We can use a swampy down here because we don't get the humidity that you guys get.

Leroy

[lsemmens]

I have a swampy, my heating is done by wood, which I collect, and cut, myself, I even have a small Solar system, yet my electricery bill is still pushing $1k a quarter, tell me, how do you lot get off so lightly?

[gordon_s1942]

I have a swampy, my heating is done by wood, which I collect, and cut, myself, I even have a small Solar system, yet my electricery bill is still pushing $1k a quarter, tell me, how do you lot get off so lightly?

I think you really need to chase down what is using near $1K for electricity which I would guess is a HWS and if it is then both it and those using it need to seriously think on how to reduce its running costs.

[lsemmens]

Possibly HWS but that is on J-tarriff. I shall have to invest in a meter to test current draw one day, though I suspect it might be to do with two fridges, a freezer, two TVs, 4 computers and a million other things that are plugged in and turned on 18 hours, or more, a day.

[fandtm666]

I have a swampy, my heating is done by wood, which I collect, and cut, myself, I even have a small Solar system, yet my electricery bill is still pushing $1k a quarter, tell me, how do you lot get off so lightly?

mine is around the 1k per quarter aswell , though i do have a pool
that uses quite a bit of power.

[LeroyPatrol]

That's crazy! 1k$/quarter!! You guys must have huge houses with kids that leave things on all the time.

Leroy

[WhiteOx]

My last bill for the June quarter was $157.41

[hoe]

Mines rarely above $300.
Industrial yard with 3 friges, 1 freezer all heating/hot water/security lighting . Only me living there.

Sent from my SM-G925I using Tapatalk

[lsemmens]

I Wish! There's just the two of us, though SWMBO, not being the healthiest person on the planet, does spent most of her time in bed. Often with an electric blanket on, too.

[gordon_s1942]

We really cant compare costs against use as there are so many different rates and tariffs applying along with differant appliances and how many you have.
The only real way is to do as Isemmens says measure how much each appliance draws.
Years ago I had a small 15 Gallon (60 litre) LANGCO brand thermostatically controlled HWS and when I replaced it with a coal fired donkey, my electricity bill was literally cut in half.
Today I am using a LPG fired so called Instantaneous/Tankless HWS which only runs when in use.
I like this as I buy the gas first so no gas, no use rather than running up a bill to pay later.

[fred121]

Two of us retirees at home and we have no winter bill or any bills for that matter. Live in northern tassie and it gets cold in winter. Two wood heaters one in living area and an old Everhot wood stove in kitchen cooks the food and heats the water in winter. Solar tubes heat the water in summer. 4 kW of grid feed panels and 4 kW of battery charging panels takes care of the electricity. House is fully insulated walls and ceiling and double glazing on windows and doors. Don't worry too much about power usage and still run a plasma TV and have only replaced Incandescent light bulbs as they blow. Taken a number of years to gradually swap all the costly stuff over but worth it now as saves a heap of money.

[SpankedHam]

Who remembers the advertising (Sydney at least) of 'Living Better ELECTRICALLY' showing everything was powered by electricity until it was priced out of the market ?

The electricity board here had a slogan in the 70s and 80s - electricity makes life easier. Mains gas ceased some time in the 70s, can't quite remember when.

[allover]

I don't know how relevant this add is if gas prices continue to go up

[gordon_s1942]

I was agreeably surprised to see the exchange price of LPG in 8kg bottles (Caravan type) had dropped at my local Coles Petrol outlet from $38 to $25.
Bunnings, who are also owned by WestFarmers have been selling LPG between $22 and $24 a bottle for the last 2 years which makes you wonder just what the prices really for all products when you see that margin.

I dont have Natural Gas unless I eat Brussel Sprouts but the way its fast becoming a Luxury item after getting everyone to convert because it was touted to be so cheap and would stay so, makes me glad now I dont.

[allover]

This post has got my interest. Admin in your case would a heat pump (as attached) be a viable option with your existing solar system excess capacity?, Can an electric heating box replace a Brivis gas central heater economically?