Electricity Tariff Reform in South Australia – What does this REALLY mean to 750,000 homeowners already struggling with some of the highest electricity prices in the world?
Well, it’s not all good news, except if you own an electricity company of course. Consumers are going to a pricing structure known as ‘cost reflective pricing’. What this means is that, if it costs the electricity company less during the day for power then they will, of course, have to charge the homeowner less, and vice-versa, when it costs them more, they charge will more. Sounds innocent enough doesn’t it?
So far no alarm bells are ringing but perhaps they should be ringing loudly. That’s because wholesale prices for electricity outside peak demand times are actually quite cheap, very cheap in fact (not a lot of home electricity demand at midnight or in the middle of the day when people are working). Peak demand times are periods where people use the most electricity, this is usually in the late afternoon, evening after work, after school and during morning breakfast times. Electricity prices spike during these times.
So, by moving to the new cost reflective pricing structure, this would essentially have the effect of reducing electricity prices during the day and in the middle of the night, and increase electricity prices at the times you actually use electricity.
How Battery-Storage Solar Power Can Help You Save
In reality, solar panels which work really well during the middle of the day (when the sun is shining most) is now going to save you less money under the proposed new tariff regime. For example, when you get home from work, turn on the TV, air conditioner and cook dinner, you won’t actually be able to use your solar-powered electricity. You will be forced to use electricity at the highest cost – during peak hours.
So why put solar panels on your home which generate most of their electricity during the day, a lot of which you may not actually even use. You would then feed excess electricity back to the grid for next to nothing, then pay top dollar when you need it most for the same electricity from your electricity retailer in the evening when your solar panels have gone to sleep?
The electricity companies must be rubbing their hands together in glee. It’s the perfect storm, your solar panels save you less and you pay more for electricity at times your solar panels don’t actually work.
So what can you do? There is a lot of talk about battery solar storage lately. So can we store the excess electricity our solar panels produce during the day and use it at night when electricity prices increase when we need it most? The answer is yes, of course – makes sense. Battery solar storage is available today at a local Modern retailer. Find out more about Battery solar storage and how it can help you save.
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