Ever increasing electricity and water bills

[hp8]

I consider electricity and water to be essential services that we the people have a right to expect to be there for us. Governments have privatised these services and now private enterprise is making us pay ever increasing fees for service.
My point is; when is enough enough

Families are doing it tough all over the country, not only from economic instability but devastating climatic conditions which have ravaged towns and cities, yet we soldier on with our "mud army" and rebuild and start all over again......until next time......

What will you do when you can't afford your next power or water bill?

[Sir Stinkalot]

Governments have privatised these services and now private enterprise is making us pay ever increasing fees for service.

Not all governments have privatised all the services ...... but the prices still continue to rise and just go into the government coffers instead

[_fly_]

What about if we stop using main water and fling our waste in the streets.
I'll go down to dandy creek to wash my clothes on a rock.
I'll stop having showers and just wash wibbly wobbly bits.
Then I'll go sit in council foyer, smelly in badly washed clothes, see what they say.
I can sit there with current project and sit sanding it, putting sawdust all over their floor.
Will be nice and warm there, no need to put a heater on.
Go to their toilet to fill bottles of water to drink.
Tell them its either the council rates or the water but not both.
Start burning my rubbish in the gutter like we used to and give the bins back to the council, get a reduction on rates.

[chambezio]

We live 18 miles from town on an acre. It is a rural subdivision with a weekly rubbish removal. No town water or sewerage. We have to collect our water from the roof into tanks that supply the house. We have a bore for yard water.
Any water we use goes through a pressure system to give us "mains pressure". Meaning we need electricity to use it.
Our summer/winter cycle usage of power varies slightly. Our billt hough is increasing with every meter reading. Our usage has not gone up but the unit price for power has. Our bill is now close to $800 per quarter. I pay fortnightly into the account because being on a pension $800 can't be found in a hurry.
I got a phone call from a call centre telling me I could get 13% PA immediately off our bill if I signed up.
I rang Country Energy, our suppler, and asked if they could match the discount. No because Origin Energy was taking over Country Energy soon but if I rang them they would do it. So after waiting many minutes, on the phone, I get this operator who sounded like he really did not want to be at work.
Any way straight up 13% PA off just like that.
How do you find out about these discounts? Why isn't there more news about it? How can they give 13%PA off just like that? Why not sell it cheaper in the first place?
I don't know how long these discounts have been about but I don't think they are new.
Today on the news Darwinites are paying $1.62 per litre for fuel. Moonbi-ites are paying $1.629 per bloody litre!!! Why are we paying more than Darwin????
I have no alternative method to get to town, other than school buses, than to use my own vehicles.
Yes its my choice to live here and I am sure paying for it!!!!

[_fly_]

We live 18 miles from town on an acre. It is a rural subdivision with a weekly rubbish removal. No town water or sewerage. Any way straight up 13% PA off just like that.

Some companies will give you 20%, but you need to sign with them for 2 years AND maybe direct debit pay AND its only off the usage not the other stuff AND AND AND.

I'm not on a contract with ANYBODY for ANYTHING and I pay for that as well (22 years with same company and not one cent off).

Now you need to remember when your contact runs out, because after that it goes up again. You then have to sign for another 2 years.
Its not you have to stay for 2 years and then we continue at that discount.
They are all thieves, Hey its works with the phone mobs these contacts, lets do it with electricity and gas and water...
We can bleed them dry......

[damian]

My plan is to go off grid and one of the musts is no mains water. You can opt out of electricity anywhere but if the main runs past your door you HAVE to pay supply even if you don't use it.

Government used to subsidize electricity and water, now they are running it for profit softening us up for privatisation. Most people have woken up that privatised utilities don't result in price drops and are opposing it, but for much of australia it's too late.

They have messed up electricity a treat, water is next. You think it's bad now just wait a few years.

I believe it has reached a point that with a well thought out off grid system, careful use of electricity and water, the payback on setup isn't that long anymore. No doubt I'll be proven right or wrong when I finally do it

[Wongo]

How much are you paying now?