Hello All. I would like to say that I really do enjoy these kinds of threads.

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Posted by RawMustard, Friday, 20 August 2010 7:31:36 PM
" ... Once they bring in the carbon tax, it will be bye, bye for us, back to candles and a trip to the local creek for a wash! ... "

Aah indeed that makes me chuckle. Here in Indo in the rural areas, a bathroom and scheme water is indeed considered to be a financial loss. All the locals go down to the river, hang on the fast flow grate and have a wash AND not just a wash, but a poo and a wee too! This in turn goes through a number of "bio filters" and then on into the rice field. Some of you may like to consider that before you have your next "Nasi Goreng -> Steamed Rice Fried -> Fried Rice"

Snicker Snicker

It's actually a really nice way to have a clean bum poo AND much preferable to a smeary tissue poo bum.

Snicker Snicker

Hmmm .. I don't know how effective the bio filters are visa vi pathogens are though AND worse still, they also wash their motor bikes direct into the system in the same way. Regrettabley, they won't be told about the potential health hazards of this.

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Re candles, we use a bit of seconds, filtered for the chunky bits, old cooking oil, and a twisted cotton wall ball fed through a nail hole in a beer bottle top/cap in a left over "chinese special" tea light candle base holder which have so much additive in them these particular ones that in addition to burning out in about 15 mins flat, they also catch on fire. My BeLoved likes to use them as bbq fire starters. So long as you don't let the wick burn for lack of fuel, these traditional candles last forever.

I am awaiting my power bill as my last one came just before the price rise. Am not looking forward to it but my average bill has always been 170 - 200 a quater. I am left to wonder where everyone uses their power? We are a family of four and i have no gas, two freezers as i kill my own meat, even my stove is electric. I can only say that the big saver must be the solar hot water.
Over all i thought the way the power companies and state governments used the focus on ETS and carbon price to slip the price up to help pay for the crumbling infrastructure that they have done nothing about for decades was very clever. The blame was thrown at the federal government unjustly as these rises have nothing to do with carbon pollution.
Maybe it's time we all face up to what we are costing the environment and what it costs to maintain these thing that we have taken for granted for so long. As our greed as a society grows we all seem to forget that someone has to pay for it.

As a household of 3 we eat mostly at home, cook mostly on gas and use only one 15kg clean weight bottle of gas costing about $AU8.50 per month or more. We also bbq extensively on 2nds construction site wood which I saw then split to 2 sizes - start up and log.

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Electricity for a standard house of 2 adults and one kid costs about $AU40 and that includes me running a 3/4 horse power a/c pretty much non-stop.

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Electrical elements are hell consumers, and we have disconnected the 1000watt backup system from the solar hot water heater. Keeping the panel clean is v.important for efficiency and after a dust storm definitely will need cleaning. We made big savings after retiring the electrical coffee maker in favor of a morning boil up in the pot and transfer to the thermos and also a defective rice cooker.

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I have individual switch, surge protected power boards so as to NOT leave my devices running in standby mode all of the time, which adds to my savings.

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Indeed, in my understanding, if you are going to regulate one side of the economic equation ie in the form of workers, minimum wages and pensions, then you also need to regulate the necessities, else indeed under a greed inspired so called free market model business's will charge what they believe people can afford to pay, and not a reasonable and generally accepted level of profit on top of their net expenses.

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I note 20+ years ago the CEO of Garuda used to ride his pushie to work with everyone else. Now he needs to have a stretch limo and entourage. Hmmm ..

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In order for people to spend on retail luxuries they need to have savings and in order to have savings when in receipt of pensions and fixed wage rates the necessities need to be regulated, in my opinion.

It comes down to what one considers the Australian standard to be?

What may one reasonably be able to achieve/acquire after a lifetime as a minimum earner?

Yabby:>> My last electricity bill here in WA works out to 3$ a day, for 15 units or KW/H per day. So around 20c/kw/h. How much does
elecricty cost per unit in NSW?<<

Yabby my bill is exactly $1437(there is a hundred or so from the last bill, so this quarter was $1304. That is for 802kWh so the kWh rate is $1-62kWh. Solar water heating is the way to go thanks for the advice.

CJ,

Wood from your own property!...and you claim to be a greenie huh?
Have you any idea how much damage you may be doing to habitats?

Go stand in the naughty corner.

Me I just put on another jumper and complain a bit more. Like here no body listens any way.

Glad you decided to come back.
PS your lot will be the big winner tonight
pity our local green candidate was virtually invisible during the campaign.

http://www.integral.com.au/wps/wcm/connect/ba917780405ac16db1fdb9dccb7f5ab5/2010+IE+Energy+Price+Guide_v3.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

Sonofgloin, something seems fishy to me, about your bill.

I just googled NSW electricty charges and the above from
Integral are claimed to be around 21c per kw/h, plus 50c
a day access charge.