[myknowledge]

What a go***** disgrace - A go***** disgrace for the cash-strapped power consumers in New South Wales.

The state gubbermint's power bosses get their paychecks at the expense of everyone else.

George Maltabarow takes home a ~$135k 'performance check' added to his $602k salary.

EnergyAustralia will charge customers up to $100 more per year for electricity next year.

Yeah, whatever. It'll be swindled by the energy bosses.

Lucky that my power is not sourced from EnergyAustralia.

One commenter wrote: There would be no need for the next price rise, alleged to be for the repair of failing infrastructure, if the incompetent and lazy New South Wales Government was to cancel the requirement for such organisation to pay the government an efficient bonus, in additional all such bonuses paid in the past should be returned to the utilities to build new and repair old infrastructure. this is just another excuse by the labor government to impose additional costs on the electorate.

Another commenter said: CEOs of electricty companys are already over paid. The independent pricing tribunal (IPART)are not independent at all. They don't just say its time to review prices they are asked to. The CEOs of electricity providers are not the people who keep the electricity businesses running either.They are the parasites in the business.

A third commenter replied: welcome to the brand new world where lighting and heat will be by way of candles and fire.

[GnuHere]

Whew! That kind of thing would never happen here!
/s

[major-pelham]

What are you talking about ? If you don’t do disconnects then no one will EVER pay. Then the system will be even worse with prepay the only way to keep the utility in fuel supply. You don’t walk out of WalMart without paying for the tube socks do you ?

[Doohickey]

THOUSANDS of struggling families are being disconnected from power at the same time as the State's energy bosses pocket thousands of dollars in performance bonuses.

I'm sorry, I'm not seeing the correlation here. If the "State's energy bosses" declined or did not receive bonuses, would "thousands of struggling families" still have power? Is electrical power some kind of new basic human right, like healthcare, that should be provided regardless of ability to pay?

[LouD]

Why do you link bonuses with curtailment of power for people who refuse to pay?

If I do my job, and achieve certain goals, I get a bonus. If you don’t pay us, you don’t get our products. The two are entirely unrelated.

It’s interesting that you think they are related, however; Do you think that businesses should have to provide products or services for free?

[kittykat77]

Well first, let's sort out the different types of non-payers.

There are pensioners, veterans, and others who live on fixed incomes; perhaps a budget plan can be worked out, especially if the amounts are not huge. Seasonal variations in utility usage can be tough to handle for the poor; sometimes it's better to spread out the average over the course of 12 months.

Then there are commercial businesses that have gone belly up and haven't paid their bills. Some of these settlements will be handled via the courts.

Then there are the scofflaws. All you can do is track them down and ruin their credit scores.

I'm old enough to remember when a public utility was actually a public utility, so these huge bonuses still rattle my brain -- but I'm trying to adjust.

Older people get a double whammy here. They were the generation that really chipped into the pot for electrification programs and water and sewerage treatment plants (in the US) and the establishment of public utilities to run them. Then they were converted to private companies (yippie!), and the rates and CEO pay have gone up. If I were an oldster, I'd be really grumpy. And sitting in the dark.

[caver]

Someone has to pay for this global warming crap, via carbon credits. Sounds like the voters are reaping their rewards.

[SunkenCiv]

FN?

[ASOC]

Nice abou page, love the photos.

Tried to find the cost per KWh delieved to a home in NSW.

Could only find
In Australia most standard energy charges are set according to State Government legislation. Standard electricity and gas prices in Victoria and gas prices in Queensland are deregulated.

I did find 5 different ‘providers: that listed rates. Using a random NSW postal code (Victoria?)

For the first 1020KHw/qtr shows 19.4810 (cents? with all taxes) per KWh
Peak is more, over 1020 is even more, 0.20.88 AUD. and so on. (Currently 1 USD = 1.112 AUD) So, call it $0.20 USD per KWh.

So, I am ASSUMING (correct me plese wrong) that the GOvernment thinks ‘homes’ should only use 11.3 KWh per day (1020/qrtr or 90 days). After that you get to pay out the ying/yang.

Here in Anhcorage Alaska the cost per KWh is $0.1064 USD. Plus - 6.95 /month for the meter, taxes, energy charge (cost of gas) and on and on. We are allowed to average our use over the year, so the bill is ‘around’ $100 a month. WIth just two of us, gas heat and little use - washer/dryer/fridge and lights) we get off pretty cheap.

If we used more, we would get a discount - but we would have to use a tremendous amount to get the discount.

Thanks for the post - now I feel like maybe we are not getting screwed as bad as before. Shared misry and all that.

(a releated thread on US power costs in 2007
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/gogreen/msg0411334418129.html)

[Lurker]

I suppose it’s too much to ask that these deadbeats pay their bills....