Extremely high power bills when only two people reside in the house and we both work everyday so har

Carso81
Switched-on
2 Replies 266 Views

My quarterly power bills average around $1500 and it's only me and my workmate living in the house. We both work during the day and we are home around 8 to 10 hours a day so thought the bills would be approximately half that. One of My neighbours has four people living in there house and one of them works at home using an array of power tools everyday. They also have  a pool and spa running off electricity and there average quarterly is around $1100. 

5 REPLIES 5
Lester
Powerhouse
0 Replies 253 Views

@Carso81 so there's a lot to know that could help work out your issue, and while AGL might be able to assist, it's also very basic common sense as to how / why bills might be getting high.

 

1. What sort of plan are you on ? Fixed (single) tariff, TOU (time of use) tariff, is there any demand tariff attached ?

2. How long has this been an issue ? Recent between last bill and this one, just moved in, other ?

3. Was the bill estimated, rather than actual ?

4. Price increases, though most of the big increases happened at different times for various states.

 

You bill will tell you almost EVERYTHING you want to know though.

Get out an older reasonable bill and the latest bill . . .

 

1. Check reading type on current bill, actual or estimate, this will depend if you are on fixed or TOU tariff, with analogue or digital metering respectively. If you have an analogue meter, check your reading to compare to the bill. If analogue meter and bill is estimated, it could be massively inflated, or it might have been read wrong.

2. Check power usage amounts to last bills.

3. Check price amounts for both bills.

 

How does usage and cost per kwh compare to other previous bills ?

 

If you have a digital meter on TOU, with you and your housemates work hours, you will be paying the highest power rates in the hours before you go to work, and especially in the time mid afternoon to midnight when you consume probably the most power . . . and this is where households with all people working during the day are caught out badly with TOU.

You can only work through the various time interval costs by downloading the data from the usage page on your account, then looking at all the 30 minute blocks and how much power is consumed in those times.

It's somewhat complex.

 

There are ways to beat this somewhat (for now), but not cheap !

Eg, you can get solar, preferably with a battery now with low FITs and the need to self consume, cost upwards of $20k for a good system and battery.

This can easily make your bills nil, but a big upfront, and a lot of extra things to get through with solar / battery install, and ensuring it's all functioning properly.

 

Or, a lot of homes might be better off to get a battery only, fill that from the grid in cheapest times of day, and use in peak periods.

This is still going to cost up to $10k - $13k, but you don't have solar to worry about.

Many retailers now offer various cheaper time to use power, which varies from state to state.

Some have solar soak rates of very low cost, others same 1000 - 1500 rates that are about half to three quarters normal peak rate.

 

It's a minefield now with power and costs, and often too hard for people to really sort through it all and work out what's best for them and their home usage, and what their state plans / current costs are.

 

Eg, here in SA solar and battery is really worth it, as the FIT is pathetic, and the peak rate highest in Australia.

Caban
Super Nova
1 Reply 245 Views

@Carso81 

 

I agree with what @Lester  has already posted.

 

There are a few ways to get better value.

  1. As already suggested a Solar System and/or Battery can make a big difference. This does involve the up front costs plus it's not practical if you are renting.
  2. Check out various power plans and select one which suits your usage pattern best. You can also make some changes to when you consume power and see if you can shift this into a lower tariff time. eg. Running high energy appliances after 10pm or on weekends.
  3. Work out which items in your household are consuming the power. To assist here a Power Meter could assist, they are available for about $20 and will measure how much energy is being consumed. The "hungry" items are usually things which Heat or Cool. Look at Fridges, Freezers, Heaters, Clothes Dryers, Hot Water Services Etc. In my house the fridge and freezer takes a fair bit from my battery each night. I spend extra to buy energy efficient models, the cheaper models will cost more to run. How is your water heated?Is it efficient? Do you use a clothes dryer or a clothesline?

I have done all the items above and my bill is normally about $50 a quarter credit.

Carso81
Switched-on
2 Replies 235 Views
We don't use no dryer or heaters or aircons. The hot water system is brand
new. I just had a look at in the meter box and noticed that both of the
meters are dated at 1980 they were installed. I'm not sure if a faulty
meter could have any influence on the size of the bills. The house I live
in has by far the worst electrical issues. If there are more than a few
appliances plugged in at any one time the power shorts out. When you turn
the light switches on more often than not you can hear buzzing and
crackling noise coming from behind the switch whilst the light globe is
flickering. The wall heat up in certain spots if you use two power points
that are close to each other. This is a house I pay $700 a week for through
a real estate. Shifty agents or what!
Caban
Super Nova
0 Replies 230 Views

@Carso81 

 

Firstly, that does not sound safe. If "The wall heat up in certain spots if you use two power points
that are close to each other" then that is a lot of dangerous power usage.

If the meters are that old then you are on a flat rate.

Please get your place inspected by a qualified electrician. The bills are not the main worry here.

Deepesh_AGL
AGL Moderator
0 Replies 175 Views

Hi Carso81, It sounds like you may have a basic meter. I would recommend performing an isolation test to understand how much your appliances are costing to run. You can find more information on unexpected high bill here. I will send you a private message shortly to provide more information and discuss further. Cheers, Deepesh