The illusion of choice with energy retailers

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Originally Posted by rover-56

Was with Energy Australia for quite a while, they seemed stable and the price per kW didn't hurt too much.
Then I started getting letters from them saying " we overcharged you in your last bill. We will adjust for the amount in your next bill".
Ok, meter is manually read. Next bill comes with said adjustment.
Next bill seemed normal. Then I get another letter saying " We undercharged you in your last bill and we will adjust the amount in your next bill. Oh and your pay on time discount may be partly affected because of the underpayment"
Hmm. I am thinking their accounting is incompetent or dodgy, it is now impossible to work out what rate I am actually paying.
Call centre is useless, seem to have a list of standard answers.
Time to change I am thinking...
Red Energy " Sir we are an Australian company and when you ring us you will speak to an Australian in Australia, and our accounts are easy to read and simple" Sounds good.
Sign up with Red, price per kW and daily charge is about the same as EA.
All good for a couple of bill cycles.
Then I installed grid connect solar. Price per kW immediately went up 10c.
Why is this I ask? Cost to you to supply power is the same?
"Oh that is what we charge to all solar customers" We can not change the rate. (take it or leave it)
So I have another look at Vic Energy Compare. Tango seems cheap and popular. Not Australian, oh well.
Sign up with Tango. 2 months wait (3month billing cycle with Red)
Just before the changeover I get a phone call from someone at Red.
" Can I ask why you are leaving?"
Yes your rate went up when I installed solar.
" We'd like to keep you if possible, we can offer a $50 bonus and reduce your tariff by 8c per kWh"
me "I was told you couldn't reduce the tariff"
"Well I can offer you a special deal to keep you with Red. So now do you still want to leave?"
me. "Well would you have told me about the new tariff if I wasn't leaving?"
" No, why would we do that?"
me. "Well perhaps to offer your customers the best possible tariff?"
Red "Well I have removed the one reason you said you were leaving, so why would you go?"
me. "Well you have just given me another reason to leave."
The conversation then descended into insults and the rep hung up.
Now with Tango, we'll see how we go.
They promised 1 month billing cycle (good, easier for me to change)
Ended up with 3 months. "That's what Ausnet give us"
me "Well I can download usage from your web portal with 30 minute increments, so why can't you do 1 month billing cycle"
"We don't know how that can happen."
I give up.
Terry

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Without delving into other reasons, personally I'd ditch them for wanting to deduct your part discount for a stuff up THEY made. End of.

Is Ned Kelly on their payroll? Sounds pretty bloody Dodgy Bros to me

Yes they did seem dodgy. The other two I dealt with seemed keen to dodge the promises they made too.
Terry

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Originally Posted by rover-56

Yes they did seem dodgy. The other two I dealt with seemed keen to dodge the promises they made too.
Terry

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I think they are all tarred with the same brush & probably on a Commission as well.

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Originally Posted by Slunnie

Graeme, did Origin retain the 21c FIT for you?

My contract lapses on the Jan3 and I've noticed that Origin have upped their FIT again but only to 16c now... which is still lower than the 21c I'm currently on.

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Yes, although re-instated rather than retained as the FIT had dropped to 12c for the 3 weeks since the agreement expired and the end of the quarter, which was when they needed to hand over the site to the other retailer.

I noted that Origin's website was urging me to contact them by phone in the last couple of days before the expiry date to change to a new plan but that suggestion disappeared on the final day. Perhaps they might have extended the existing FIT but certainly weren't offering it on the 1st day after the end.

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Originally Posted by Graeme

Yes, although re-instated rather than retained as the FIT had dropped to 12c for the 3 weeks since the agreement expired and the end of the quarter, which was when they needed to hand over the site to the other retailer.

I noted that Origin's website was urging me to contact them by phone in the last couple of days before the expiry date to change to a new plan but that suggestion disappeared on the final day. Perhaps they might have extended the existing FIT but certainly weren't offering it on the 1st day after the end.

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I just renewed today also. AGL over Origin again looked the best option, but I gave Origin a call and they upped the FIT from their advertised 16c to 17c for me, while retaining the normal charges. Not as good as 21c FIT, but better than AGL now, so I think thats as good as I am going to get these days.

Be grateful you do not live in WA.
This will also come to the Eastern states as the "Duck Curve" takes hold ie more electricity than demand during the day.
I would plan on this basis if I were in the position to fit solar panels.

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Feed-In Tariff For New Solar Slashed In Western Australia — Only 3 Cents Before 3 PM!

September 1, 2020 by Ronald Brakels 35 Comments

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https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/...20/09/debs.jpg
From yesterday (31 August 2020), new residential solar power systems installed in Western Australia will no longer receive the REBS or ‘Renewable Energy Buyback Scheme’ solar feed-in tariff of 7.135 cents per kilowatt-hour. Instead, it will receive the DEBS or ‘Distributed Energy Buyback Scheme’ that will instead pay:

• 3 cents for each kilowatt-hour of solar electricity fed into the grid for most of the day, and…
• 10 cents for each kilowatt-hour exported from 3:00 pm in the afternoon until 9:00 in the evening.

Because rooftop solar produces most of its energy in the middle of the day, that works out to an average of 3.8 cents for north-facing solar panels and approximately 4.4 cents for west-facing solar on a roof with a typical pitch of 22.5 degrees.
Systems currently on REBS that are upgraded will be shifted to DEBS.
While all new solar systems installed from yesterday will be required to receive the DEBS feed-in tariff, the new tariff won’t start until the 6th of November. Until then new solar installations will receive the old feed-in tariff of 7.135 cents per kilowatt-hour.

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You may be interested in the duck curve

What is the Duck Curve? - YouTube
Regards PhilipA

No choice of supplier in Perth. Fit is pitiful ~7c. Too much solar and maybe not enough competition.

Talking to our daughter in Texas (Houston) a while ago. They have choice of supplier there. They choose one that charges zero for electricity between the hours of 8pm - 6am, too much wind. Bought an electric car, charges o/night for free.

Don't know what the daytime rate is, maybe makes up the free stuff at night.

Interesting though, we need to maximise usage during the day. They need to maximise usage during the night.

I'm guessing that in WA then there is far more incentive to have batteries connected to the system if I solar system is viable at all???

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Originally Posted by Slunnie

I'm guessing that in WA then there is far more incentive to have batteries connected to the system if I solar system is viable at all???

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Yes and No. I think it is still the case if you install batteries and wish to remain connected to the grid then Fit is reduced to zero and there are max limits on the amount of solar capacity (and therefore storage) you can install which reduces the economic incentives around it all.

However the electricity supplier (Synergy) and the electricity distributor (Western Power) have been experimenting with community based batteries. The exact business model these community batteries will run with is still being determined. Trials of different models are in a fairly advanced state now so something publicly should happening with them fairly soon.

If they get the business model right it should tip the economic incentive towards using community based batteries rather than installing home based batteries.

There is a blurb on it all here.

Don't know if this sort of thing is being considered outside WA. On an electricity supply and distribution front WA is very different to the other states.

Been having an ongoing battle with our supplier Lumo, we used to get a single combined bill and it was always very similar month to month then they went to separate billing for gas and elec which is where the **** storm started.
Last year our bills were thru the roof 3 adults and 1 teen ( 17 and 13) stuck at home thru winter, bills were nearly double which hurt a bit.
Then the ongoing battle of the estimated versus read meter reading, 1 month gas was $40 next month it was $180 [bigsad].
Constantly incorrectly estimated our usage and when i send them a photo of the meter they just about argue and take weeks to amend it, then the ****ers send me a higher bill.
I will be changing providers but they seem pretty much all the same.