Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Apr 28, 2009 9:43 am Hi everyone, I have just recieved a letter from Energy Australia for our new house re Powersmart. I had not heard about this previously. We will have a new meter installed that will measure our electricity usage every halve hour and we will be charged differing rates depending on the hour of the day used- eg on a weekday- 7am-2pm= 9.9 cents/KWh SHOULDER 2pm- 8pm= 27.5 cents/KWh PEAK 8pm- 10pm= 9.9 cents/KWh SHOULDER all other times= 5.5 cents/KWh OFF PEAK weekend- 7am-10pm= 9.9 cents/KWh SHOULDER 10pm-7am = 5.5 cents/KWh OFF PEAK and of course- plus GST and service availability charges looking at our current bill we are paying between 12.7- 18.95 cents/KWh. I think it will be a good thing and I could possibly decrease my bills by using OFF PEAK periods for washing machine running, dishwasher etc. BUT has anyone had experience with this type of tariffing and did it decrease , increase or stay about the same. Regards Dekarna Re: Powersmart Home 2Apr 28, 2009 6:21 pm I heard about it from a friend in Sydney last week. It has some merit - for instance if you have appliances with time delay start functions, such as washer/dryer/dishwasher, you could set them to start after 10:00pm - assuming they're not noisy - and you can take advantage of the lower rates. The loading up the rate between 2:00pm and 8:00pm is a bit rich though - when else are you supposed to cook your dinner? Salads, anyone? If the aim is to reduce energy usage, then it's a good thing. I'm a bit cynical though, I suspect it's mainly profit-driven. Re: Powersmart Home 4Apr 28, 2009 9:39 pm They have a savings calculator on their website to work out how much you will have saved (if any). So I guess I wont know until we move in and recieve our first bill, what the result is. I guess it will just make us more aware of what we use and when. If you want to your washing or drying or air con or run your pool pump during Peak periods you will have to pay an extra 17.6 cents Per kwh for it compared to the shoulder periods. I guess roasts will be for sunday lunch. BBQ or the gas cooktop for weekday dinners. or maybe I can wake the kids up at 4am instead of them waking at 6am, then send them to bed at 6pm instead of 8pm.Then sit in the dark with a booklight reading til its time for bed! It even might work in winter If shift work isn't bad enough..... so much for my body clock. Kek, I think I read somewhere that only 4% of people have seen an increase in their bills. What I would like to know is how many changes did they have to make for their bills to be reduced. It might not be directly profit-driven but save them money on costly upgrades to the system needed to supply the volume of electricity used at peak times? When I buy my new fridge (that of course needs to run contantly) I will be looking closely at the running costs. The same with other appliances and lights for the new house. Electrity costs are just going to rise in the future. Re: Powersmart Home 6Apr 28, 2009 10:11 pm dekarna I think it will be a good thing and I could possibly decrease my bills by using OFF PEAK periods for washing machine running, dishwasher etc. yes, that's it exactly! I work for EnergyAustralia, and I can confidently tell you that the vast majority of customers are better off on the new meter, As the bulk of the timing coincides with the times most people are at home (shoulder) you are already paying a lower rate for your electricty than that on the older style meter. Most people save without really having to change anything - cooking the dinner, watching Tv, turning on the lights contribute such minimal amounts of energy consumption to your bill, that it doesn't matter that these things may fall within the peak period. But if you can conciously shift the dryer,dishwasher, washing machine into the off-peak - even better. And also try to avoid aircon and pool pumps in the peak period. really ,the only people who find their bills increasing are those who continue to run the aircon for 10-12hrs a day, run the pool pump for excessive timeframes and even insist on turning on the underfloor heating every evening, even in summer. majority of customers find that approx 60-70% of their bill is in the shoulder period. Most people freak out when they see the Peak per kwh rate, but that is just 6 hrs a day, and as I said the things you do during that time aren't great energy sappers. I'm sure you'll be happy with your savings at the end of the year ! Built a Clarendon 'Balmain' 2008 Re: Powersmart Home 7Apr 28, 2009 10:57 pm dekarna Casa2 We'll have to follow the European trend of eating well after 8:00 pm. thats ok if you don't have young kids! - and want to stay sane Bah, give them baked beans on toast ... oops make that baked beans on bread (unless you want to toast the bread before 2 pm and then serve it in the evening) Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 We already paid for somfy motors for the blinds. The quote above was purely for “pre-wiring” so the blinds company can install the motors and blinds. That’s why we… 5 16268 From what I know about water tanks (I've been working with a client on them for a few years now) is this - The concrete can last a lifetime if they don't crack for some… 2 10629 go upvc window frames ensure insulation under colorbond. not just sarking, lighter color roof also not sure if you have seen this viewtopic.php?t=5823 last couple of pages… 4 110564 |