$700k worth of savings tips from the government

I live in SA and fortunately have solar. The trouble is the power companies only pay 0.098 cent per KW and charge 0.3095 cents, so who's ripping off who. In 10 years power has gone up by more than 137%, and the Government has agree to the industry (read power industry) recommendations. They must make a profit. I wish I had a business with that guarantee. 

Seems that what Beattie and Mackenroth did by taking all the profits from the electricity companies at that time and since then the electricity works need to keep on with their supposed upgrades etc, so up go the bills - I think the blame lies in many years back. 

This is all coming from the Gov. body sector. They lifted the freeze on power increases about 10 yrs back in think and it's been increasingly higher and higher ever since. This is a grab for money without the people knowledge, or so they think. They need to have all items of people money and evidence of Gov. revenue and spending public knowledge. People need to have a say where their money goes and where it comes from. Gov. can't seem to be trusted, so they need to be watched. 

Has solar in place feb.'11. it was in 6 months but they failed to inform retailer so no credit for 6 months. Also installer insisted we would save $200 per quarter based on our use. Did not believe him but figured about $120 a quarter. I was right, he was wrong but what can you do? The value of solar is diminishing as the feed in we have is 60cents a KWH. Now it is much,much less. The utilities of electricity and gas should never have been sold off but what can you do? Use less appliances and wear more or less clothing as weather permits. 

I am getting sick and tired of these greedy power supplers and the greedy state govenments who are the real people behind the price increases in our power and water charges 

I had Solar installed on my roof to offset the rising power prices which is crippling our single income family and now that is in jeopardy, if I increase my panels or upgrade my converter I lose the slight advantage the scheme offered, this is purely the power companies bid to increases their profit margin which took a sever nosedive when large numbers of people took the scheme on. There is no doubt about it, pure and openly blatant price rise for the benefit of the power companies to make the healthy profit they use to enjoy at the expense of the consumer shame on the Bastards for profiteering. There is going to be more fires and deaths from candles being used to save money that is being drained by soring high costs of services = Urban utility's + %200 - electricity %200+ - BCC Rates %150-200 - Gas %100 There is now growing in Australia three class levels of the old English class the upper-class citizens who will not and can not be touched by increases (protected) the Middle-class will pay some fees and charges (Semi-protected) and the third class citizens who pay for the upper and middle class citizens most Australian's fall into bracket why? simple! the poverty grows at a rate of %3-5 each year and more and more family's and people are added monthly and yearly this is the model our Government has deem to be the best system to suet themselves!! you and I are expendable and you have a Qld Premer who is obviously practicing genocide which is the basis of all army training You do the sums and put all the facts together and the powerful conclusion is apparent It is time We the people took back the open check book and prevent further abuse of the powers given in trust before the polies remove US from the equation remember the old saying [Power corrupts but absolute POWER, ABSOLUTELY CORRUPTS] 

I am angry because I was told that we are a model consumer and are using the least amount of power in our neighborhood, Short of turning off the HWS, fans and T.V we cant save any more power. So they have to put the costs up to get back what we used to pay [and some]. So we are saving nothing. Power companies are getting paid more for providing less. 

I think the reason power prices keep going up now is due to the fact that more and more people are turning to alternative energy sources (solar etc) thus causing the power generators with less income to maintain the same aging infrastructure we have relied on forever while they did minimum maintenance on that infrastructure, so, now the age is catching up to where that infrastructure really needs replacing or updating and the companies have to rely on fewer consumers and less income from what used to be basically a monopoly for them. Another reason they are charging more now too is because the state governments want more in return from the power companies because they cannot balance their books without this reliable source of income which seems like a bottomless pit for them to collect a fortune without raising their own taxes and turning voters away from a government. They think we are silly but we are a wake up to their little ploys!!!! 

Of course governments, whilst tut- tutting, do nothing about power costs. They are reaping millions of dollars of income from it and can blame the 'power companies'. The same applies to anything else that is 'privatised' with the government retaining an interest. Blame someone else, pocket the cash. And if the privatised entity manages to LOSE money - like the Brisbane toll road operators - why then we the taxpayers subsidise it. As we do with car manufacturers who manufacture here in Australia. 

This is totally obscene and no government appears to be making any effort to make electricity companies toe the line and stop being greedy. One accepts that costs keep rising for any company but these massive hikes in electricity are a combination of government inefficiency and greedy companies and at times one wonders where the "lucky country" disappeared to.