It’s time for politicians to put the national interest ahead of energy ideology

Australians are paying a heavy price for a decade of uncertainty on national energy policy.

Australians are paying a heavy price for a decade
 of uncertainty on national energy policy

As some of our older coal-fired power plants have closed, the investment needed to replace their generation capacity has been stifled. As a result we now pay some of the highest power prices in the world despite having an abundance of energy resources at our disposal.

This investment won’t happen without agreement on our national energy policy direction. In the absence of anything else, agreement on the National Energy Guarantee (NEG) is needed.

Right across NSW, small businesses and larger industries like mining and manufacturing are calling on the Parliament to support the NEG as a way to move forward with a degree of clarity.

Read the comment from The Age by Stephen Galilee - “It’s time for politicians to put the national interest ahead of energy ideology.”

(This comment by Stephen Galilee sounds honourable, but despite his rhetoric, the argument is as ideological as that of any other. At base, it’s about letting the market decide what is best and that ideological belief has taken us for far down a rabbit burrow that it will be difficult, if not impossible to extricate ourselves - Robert McLean)

San Francisco Sends Climate Costs to Taxpayers as Liability Suit Idles.

When U.S. District Court Judge William Alsup dismissed San Francisco and Oakland’s climate liability suits against five of the world’s largest oil companies last week, his ruling ignored the central question of the suit: who should be responsible for paying for the impacts of climate change? In his earlier hearing, Alsup seemed to struggle with the idea that cities could even anticipate what those costs are, imagining them to be unpredictable and far in the future.

The cost of climate damage foisted upon the ratepayers.

But climate change adaptation costs are already piling up for the Bay Area cities. And in place of another way to raise money, San Francisco is sending a referendum to voters this November to vote on paying $425 million to repair the Embarcadero seawall, which is only a small part of a projected $5 billion long-term plan to upgrade the seawall to protect the city from sea level rise.

Globally, seas have risen 8 inches since industry started burning fossil fuels and forecasts predict 2 to 4 more feet of sea level rise this century.

Read the Climate Liability News story by Amy Westervelt - “San Francisco Sends Climate Costs to Taxpayers as Liability Suit Idles.”

Gas giant bills threat: price hikes of up to $430 predicted

Australian households could be paying as much as $430 more for electricity by the end of next year unless wholesale gas prices are brought under control, according to a new report that warns the Turnbull government's energy policies are falling short.

Australia is one of the world's largest gas exporters. 

Policy analysts at the McKell Institute have for the first time modelled the impact of wholesale gas prices on household power bills in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland - finding consumers are already paying between $100 and $200 more than what the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission considers reasonable.

Read Adam Gartrell’s story in the Age - “Gas giant bills threat: price hikes of up to $430 predicted.”

Little town versus Big energy prices

You shouldn’t have to choose between turning on your heater or paying your power bill.

For many of the residents of Strathbogie, this was a very real and difficult decision they were making every day. 

Power bills were escalating, with people freezing in their homes in winter and boiling in summer, because they just couldn’t afford to turn on their heaters or air conditioners.

But not local farmer, David Jamieson.

When David built his home ten years ago, he made the decision to go off-grid - and he couldn’t be happier. With solar installed, he reports a 170% on investment.

But the game-changing moment came when the Strathbogie Shire Council, in partnership with Yarra Energy Foundation, recognised the potential of solar, and jumped on it.

Watch this enlightening video  - “Little town versus Big energy prices” - from the Climate Council.

How playing games on your phone or tablet could cut your power bill

Summer has arrived, and with it, soaring energy bills. Australian households are paying more for their power as generators struggle to meet consumer demand.

Money-saving screen time? 

We blast our air conditioners to stay cool, and put on that old fridge for the Christmas drinks, both of which are likely to blow out our electricity bill.

But while we wait for the situation to improve, there is something you can do to help save money in the meantime: play games.

There is growing evidence that “serious” mobile phone games (games designed for purposes other than entertainment) can help households become more energy-efficient.

Read the piece on The Conversation - “How playing games on your phone or tablet could cut your power bill.”

Household expenditure survey. Get real. Electricity isn't that expensive

So you reckon you're paying too much for electricity. What if I told you that at the latest official count you spent no more on it than you would have in 1984?

We've become dramatically sensitised to the price of electricity. 

Back then the expenditure survey showed the average household spent 2.9 per cent of its budget on electricity and gas. Three decades on, in the updated survey released this week, the figure is unchanged: 2.9 per cent.

Electricity and gas amount to just $41 of our total weekly spending of $1425.

So why the anguish? The size of the bill has been climbing (it had fallen as low as 2.6 per cent) and it climbed further in July, after the survey was conducted.

Read Peter Martin’s comment in today’s Melbourne Age - “Household expenditure survey. Get real. Electricity isn't that expensive."

(Not for a second would I question Peter Martin's figures - he's an economics editor and I'm not - but I do know why people are seeing their electricity bill as more than the actual number (the bill) as there is clear uncertainty about the future security of energy supplies in Australia. This is odd as the country is awash with energy, it is just that it has simply been badly managed by successive federal governments. Australia is now ideologically frozen into inaction on energy and, of course, the conversation is conflated and worsened by the need for Australia to do something immediately, or sooner, about its national carbon dioxide emissions - Robert McLean)