Comments
I’m interested to know whether the Aurora winter heating subsidy has been extended to those people using natural gas for heating.
Is this yet to be implemented?
All Parties promised this prior to the election last.
Posted by Second Fiddle on 14/11/06 at 04:17 PMOne of the big questions is why such a distortion between tariffs for the same class of customer?
To be blunt, heating water using a continuous (no off-peak) electricity supply is outright madness. It’s no secret that it isn’t overly profitable for Aurora either since it is a significant contribution to peak load.
So why are we still seeing new houses built in Tasmania with continuous hot water heaters when in any other location they would be off-peak night only? Perhaps it’s that great Tassie reluctance to actually install a properly sized water heater in the first place…
The end result is that we’re collectively (about 90% of all homes use continuous electric hot water, 8% off peak, 1.7% gas and the rest solar, wood etc) doing something in an unnecessarily expensive manner.
Merging the hot water rate (but not necessarily the space heating rate) into the residential light and power tariff (that is, doing away with a separate hot water rate) would make a lot of sense economically and technically.
If we’re ever going to get serious about wind energy, or use Basslink in its most profitable manner, then transferring load to off-peak (6 hours / day night only) is the way to go.
And no, you won’t run out of hot water with a properly sized (315 or 400 L) tank and of course it won’t go cold during the day.
It works perfectly well in every other state - off-peak is how most Australian homes get their hot water. So why this obsession with using peak rate power for this purpose in Tasmania? We’re not profiting by doing it.
Posted by Shaun Caris on 14/11/06 at 11:10 PMAll of Aurora’s preferred “products” are available 24/7.
Even PAYG, despite different time-of-day tariffs, gives continuous supply.
I believe Aurora charges so much for Off-Peak: rental on separate meter/timer etc, that it is no real alternative.
Added to this is the installation cost of large cylinder (low pressure system, or copper-flow heat exchange system)
Most importantly, low useage consumers are subsidising those with Hydroheat and PAYG.
I once compared my account with that of someone with 3ph heat-pump. Same metering period:
I paid 23 cents/Kwh (Total to pay/Kwh used)
She paid 11 cents/Kwh.
Her consumption was three times mine.Posted by Second Fiddle on 15/11/06 at 10:52 AMhi, guys,
Ive got a mate who originates from Sweden and he reckons throughout europe that the most used and the cheapest system is the instant type h/w system similar to those in motor homes ,however they are usually gas but you can get electric ones which is what he is about to install, the electrician told him that he uses them , one in the bathroom and one in the kitchen
reckons his power bill has dropped an average of a third of the usual, plus the two units were cheaper to buy and install than the traditional system we use, and from a technical point of view , makes sense to have instant hot water only when required as the alternative is a large container constantly turning on and off to keep the temperature at the required level, whether used or not.
Just as an added item, relatives who have stayed with me from Sydney and Victoria are amazed at what we pay for power , reckon that theirs is cheaper on average by a third ,hard to understand really when our power is generated by the force of running rivers which is more green friendly than most, also the infrastructure is well and truly tried ,true and tested and most likely well and truly paid for with a minimum work force to keep things going.
We should have the cheapest power in the country ,i guess thats the price we pay for joining the national grid.
d.d.Posted by DON DAVEY on 16/11/06 at 08:51 PMHang on, hang on, hang on…this useless government can sign contracts with its mates that tie the people of this state into such tight knots of what can only be described as gross embezzlement, & yet when it comes to signing the Basslink deal it doesn’t bother including any clauses to make sure that, ‘business would continue as usual’ & that the taxpayers of Tasmania would be protected if, or when the company that owns Basslink, decided to sell it off!
Then they have the audacity to say that oh, perhaps ‘WE’ will buy Basslink, (meaning; we politicians will blatantly waste taxpayers’ money that should be spent elsewhere…such as looking after the health & education of the people that they are elected to look after).
When will the majority of people realise that these politicians are not doing the jobs for which they are paid exorbitant salaries & ‘perks’? How much more corruption & damage to Tasmania do these politicians have to do before they are thrown out on their well padded butts? Or doesn’t anybody really care?
Christopher Purcell
MiddletonPosted by Christopher Purcell on 18/11/06 at 05:39 PMTake heart Christopher…things are happening…you’ll see some heavy stuff in February…hang on…most of all make ready..
Posted by Richard Barton on 18/11/06 at 07:40 PM
