News

News$700k worth of savings tips from the government
$700k worth of savings tips from the government

$700k worth of savings tips from the government

Tags: Energy Information
Last updated by Someone on

Unless you’ve been living under a rock lately, you would have noticed all the talk about energy prices. If you have been off the grid (pun intended), there’s no hiding from your energy bill, which will find you eventually. 

And so will the Federal Government’s latest $700,000 ad campaign!

Launched this month, the Powering Forward Campaign reportedly cost tax-payers $300,000 for 60 seconds of airtime during the AFL & NRL Grand Finals, and as much as $700,000 in fees to a Melbourne ad agency.

There's some useful information buried in there, but it's hidden behind propaganda pushing the government's energy policy credentials.

What do you think of the campaign?

Our take? The website contains some useful info for people wanting to save on power bills, for example it links to the Energy Made Easy comparison site and the Victorian Switchon site to compare offers.

It also contains energy efficiency tips for households, which can be handy.

But all that useful stuff is buried behind the silly “powering forward” slogan and some bumph about the Government’s Snowy Hydro 2.0 and gas reservation policies.

They’re important, but we’d like to see the moneysaving info up front and centre!

Here’s something else you can do to save.

A couple of months back, the Fiftyup Club started our Power-Up Campaign,  which now boasts a staggering 50,000 registrations nationally That tells us that you do want to do something about energy prices even if it’s just to send a message to power companies that enough is enough.

While Australia may rank second in the world for quality-of-life, we rate first in the world for the highest energy prices. Data from the Carbon + Energy Markets' MarkIntell service says we’re ahead of Germany, Denmark and Italy with 4 Australian states in the top ten (click here to see the list).

This despite Australia having every energy resource available in the world including coal, wind, solar, nuclear and sea-water hydro power.

What can you do? It’s as easy as picking up the phone, calling your energy retailer and asking for a better deal. Don’t take no for an answer. The energy market has never been so competitive and you can get results, with many members reporting savings in the hundreds of dollars.

Click here to see the latest Fiftyup Club energy offers, extended for a limited time only


 

 

Originally posted on .

Join the conversation

FiftyUp Club
Fiftyup Club

Join the Conversation with other members below on the FiftyUp Club Forum. Join an existing conversation, or start your own. 

Conversation is closed.
Read our moderation policy here.
Antonius
Antonius from NSW commented:

Hi Glen I have fitted a huge battery bank under my house and only use around $62.00 of grid power last quarter. Still at around 51 cents a kilowatt hour it is getting way out of hand. 

Russell
Russell from NSW commented:

special offers for us over 50's 

Someone
Someone from NSW commented:

Tried the Coles car insurance out, and it came last of 3 companies I used the same vehicle and driver information in all 3 cases. Some what disappointed. I am hoping that any further group discounts come up to expectations. Steve 

Noelene
Noelene from NSW commented:

which companies do you use they are better than mine 

Glen
Glen from NSW commented:

We have a solar system on our roof. Last quarter it generated 455.595 kwh of power that went into the grid. I was paid 8c per kilowatt for the power. This power was then on sold to other consumers and sold back to me during peak time at .5178 c per kilowatt. I should consider myself lucky as some power companies don't pay anything for the power a solar system generates. Is there a bigger rip off around? 

Finn
Finn from NSW commented:

I feel we need someone with good investigative skills to dig deep and find out why we have to pay such high prices for goods and services. This might give us some extra bargaining power. I still find it hard to believe that IPART awarded huge increases in electricity prices and now we have to negotiate with power suppliers for a discount. Why put it up in the first place? 

Jean
Jean from NSW commented:

I would like to see no increase next year on our prescriptions. They go up every year and my husband and I pay a small fortune out of our pensions. 

Harold
Harold from NSW commented:

I want to know why I get an email about a comment and click to reply I end up at The Big Switch website. I joined fifty up club. If this is how it works I want out. I didn't sign up to be pimped out to another group. 

Jean
Jean from NSW replied to Harold:

I found this very frustrating too Harold. 

Gayle
Gayle from QLD commented:

I have had the dubious pleasure of being driven by an 80 year old who really shouldn't have been driving. She took me to the station in Epping in Sydney one Sunday afternoon. Scarily she appeared mentally alert until she started driving down the middle of the road (totally ignoring line markings). Before the family could arrange to have her licence removed she wrote off her car, as well as the car she hit, all this a mere two days after driving down the centre of the road. She suffered extensive injuries to her ribs and sternum but nobody else got hurt. Age has nothing to do with ability, I'd prefer for all road users to be safe and not cause injury to others. 

Judy
Judy from QLD commented:

Do you fiftyup's realize that these wind turbines that AGL and other companies are erecting are costing the tax payer over $500,000.00 per turbine per year in renewal energy certificates? That is for 1 turbine!! It is the biggest scam of the last 100 years. Get rid of the renewable energy certificates and our power will come down. Wind power is the most expensive of all. get rid of the Rec's and carbon tax and presto cheaper power. SA has the most expensive power owing to the many turbines there. We are farmers and rely on power for pumping water and irrigation and it has just reached ridiculous proportions. Now they want to take our night time tariff from us. 

kelvin
kelvin from QLD commented:

in queensland when I turn 75 I am required to be tested by an optometrist & my gen practitioner for my drivers licence despite the fact non smoker non drinker walk or bikeride (2) daily swim every day attend gym 3 times weekly .I must carry with my licence my doctors approval . I think that is a bit rich.this is to be done annually 

Comment Guidelines