I mean fair enough. They provide a valuable service that keeps the lights on. But I wouldn’t blame you for feeling as though you are being conned by the energy conglomerates that have such a stranglehold over electricity costs. During peak times they raise the price and then in off-peak times they lower the price.
Like most other commodities, energy is traded. Merchants buy and sell energy on the open market. But what is different, the end user (YOU) can’t trade your energy use. When demand on the grid is high, you, the consumer, pay the price.
If the grid is overloaded, energy wholesales benefit. Wholesalers can purchase energy and simply wait for peak times to sell their electricity, guaranteeing they get the best return on their investment.
When the grid is stressed, the energy conglomerates pass on that stress to the consumer. Such things as coal plant maintenance, coal plant outages, plant decommissioning and energy retailers costs and expenses, are added to your bill. This isn’t to say that power costs will constantly rise; rather, it emphasises the volatility of electricity pricing.
Savvy entrepreneurs are building solar farms around the country, to help ease higher power bills in the future and cash in on the high price Australian homeowners and businesses are paying to power their premises.
These entrepreneurs are betting that in the future energy costs will keep rising, making a nice profit and doing good for the environment.
You too, can bet on the future and go green with solar. Not only will you save a small fortune over the next 25-30 years during the life of the solar system, you’ll reduce your carbon footprint and stick up your middle finger to these large conglomerates, and that’s worth it! Don’t you think?
