‘Power not with them': Labor set to scrap 'unfair' home energy deals

Laws enforcing ceiling prices on energy bills which could save households hundreds of dollars annually will be introduced to the Victorian Parliament this week.

New laws should lead to cheaper power for many households.

The Andrews government says abolishing so-called standing offers from energy retailers will stop them from ripping off consumers and cut between $200 and $500 a year from household power bills.

Read the story from The Age by Benjamin Preiss - “‘Power not with them': Labor set to scrap 'unfair' home energy deals.”

Queensland hospitals producing clean energy as well as clean linen

Queensland Health laundries will drive down their energy bills by $200,000 thanks to new solar panels.

Group Linen Services is a specialist healthcare laundry and linen hire business owned by Queensland Health with laundries based in Wide Bay, at the Prince Charles Hospital and the Princess Alexandra Hospital.

Minister for Health and Minister for Ambulance Services Steven Miles visited the large-scale laundry in Maryborough today.

“I’m pleased to announce that Planet Ark Power has been awarded the contract and will install solar panels at all GSL laundries – including here in Maryborough,” Mr Miles said.

Read the statement from Queensland’s Minister for Health and Ambulance Services, Steven Miles - “Queensland hospitals producing clean energy as well as clean linen.”

(Story alert provided by the Melbourne-based Climate and Health Alliance)

Energy broker to bargain on behalf of state's poorest households

Thousands of vulnerable Victorian households struggling to keep up with rising energy bills will be given free access to a broker who will collectively bargain for a cheaper deal on their behalf.

The state government is creating a broker to
act on behalf of vulnerable households.

The broker would act in the interests of low-income earners who in many cases spend hundreds of dollars a year more on energy than they would if put on the best available offer.

Read Adam Carey’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - ”Energy broker to bargain on behalf of state's poorest households.”

It costs $3 a year to run a house in Victoria’s most sustainable community

It could cost as little as $3 per year to run Victoria’s first 10-star rated energy-efficient house, the team behind the ultra-sustainable home says.

Developer Brendan Condon, resident Michelle
 Isles and builder David Martin hope big builders
 will take on the practices used at The Cape. 

Developers and builders at The Cape in Cape Paterson –  the state’s most sustainable development – also believe Victoria’s large-scale developers and major-volume builders could adopt the same technologies and design standards to bring every new home within future striking distance of an energy bill of $0.

The average Victorian household spent about $2800 on energy bills in 2015, according to the state government, but that figure is expected to have significantly risen since — particularly since Hazelwood power station closed.

Read the story by Kirsten Robb in today’s Melbourne Age - “It costs $3 a year to run a house in Victoria’s most sustainable community.”

The hidden energy cost of smart homes

Light globes that change colour with the tap of an app, coffee machines you can talk to, and ovens that know exactly how long to cook your food: our homes are getting smart. These devices, just a few examples of what is known as “the internet of things” (or IOT), have been called the “next great disruptor” and “the second digital revolution”.

One of the great hopes of this revolution is that it will help households save energy. Sensors can turn off lights and appliances when not in use, or turn the heating down when people go to bed. Smartphone apps can provide households with more insight into the energy use of their appliances.

While estimates vary widely, industry proponents suggest that emerging connected home technologies could help households reduce their energy bills by 10-25%. Such claims are largely speculative given the absence of robust “before and after” research.

Social research from Australia and the UK is revealing ways in which IOT might also increase energy demand. We have identified three “hidden” energy impacts which are rarely considered in IOT research or energy-saving predictions.

Read The Conversation story - “The hidden energy cost of smart homes.”