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Electricity in SE Queensland

Demand for electricity in the SE corner of Queensland is more than for all of South Australia, and with a million people set to move here over the next two decades, and a network of aging infrastructure costing $3mill a day to upgrade, it's not hard to see why prices for delivering electricity via the grid will rise.  The average Qld household of 2.5 people uses 21kWh of electricity per day, with the SEQ corner average being around 30kWh - among the highest 'users' in the country (see Bills101_Electricity pdf). 

While the energy company ads might be warm and fuzzy, the reality of this long overdue industry overhaul is that the way we use and pay for electricity in this country is about to change radically over the next few years.  Qld is trialling smart metering (sometimes called Time Of Use or TOU metering) that is already underway in NSW and Victoria - whereby households can manage when they use electricity via one meter that takes readings at regular intervals during a 24 hr period. Other methods of controlling the big energy users (pools, electric water heaters, air conditioners etc) are being trialled in suburbs across Australia - such as remote 'cycling' of airconditioners (switched off by the power co every so often during peak times in summer)

Pdf files below-right,  for people who love their research!

Whichever scenario is finally adopted by Qld to reduce peak demand for old coal electricity, we're moving towards a 'user pays' era, which will make consumers individually responsible for whether they are ultimately rewarded or penalised for how they choose to use resources. Underpinning this is the need to make electricity more expensive during the peak times to reduce 'peak load' and stress on the grid (from about 4 - 8 pm). The Energex graph below shows how Queensland's energy usage has changed in the last few years - mainly because of the increase in air-conditioning of houses in summer, pool pumps and our entertainment 'toys'.

To understand how our existing household arrangement will need to adjust to have the best chance of being future-proofed against price hikes and penalties, the first thing we need to do is understand our current bills and the meters (tariffs) we are using.

OK, you get your electricity bills every quarter, pay them begrudgingly and wonder how they arrive at the figures they do? Well, click the 'Bills101_Electric' file right and have a look at one of my AGL bills I've pulled apart to show exactly how it's calculated.  It's actually quite easy, and is absolutely the first step you need to take before deciding to go solar, or even to simply be ready for future changes.

Note: the calculation is to demonstrate the principle of how bills are arrived at. Obviously appliances like fridges will use varying amounts of power during a 24 hour cycle and only an energy meter plugged in for 24 hours will determine what they are really using on average.  Contact me if  you would like to arrange this.


Qld residents have a choice of several companies to buy their electricity from and all offer different tariff prices, packages and terms so it pays to know your rights and do your research - and always be very cautious about quick 'sign-ups' at the front door or over the phone. Go Switch is a quick way to compare cost savings between retailers at a glance (and, if you are thinking about buying Green Power, check out the Green Power watchdog site (map of Australia above-right) before making your final decision, as the options for buying your electricity from green, renewable sources, are many and varied).

Tariff Myth: Doing  a load of washing at night is cheaper because it's "off peak". Wrong. While it might be an 'off peak' time, you can't just pick and choose like that in Queensland. There are three common tariff types (or prices for electricity) available to homes, but in order to access a cheaper tariff price we a) need to have that particular meter installed and b) have certain appliances physically hard-wired to those meters by an electrician (usually only hot water systems, pool pumps etc) Tariffs are called various names by each electricity company, but are generally:

Peak @ approx .18c / kWh is our most common 24 hr tariff that  almost all household items are wired to (we pay more for the luxury of being able to use something at any time day or night) 

Off Peak @ approx .11c /kWh (for use of power for 18 hrs a day - at night and other 'non peak' hours during the day

Night or economy  @ approx .7c / kWh (super cheap tariff for things that can only be used between 10pm and 7am, such as a the hot water system)

Find out more about your tariffs at: 
AGL    Origin    Energy Australia    Integral    Qld Electricity   Other Companies



Step 2. Do a House 'Stocktake'
Having a FREE Home Sustainability Assessment courtesy of the Federal Government, is like doing a big stock take on your house (and the things you have in it) and is a great way to find out exactly what items are costing you the most to run and what you can do to save money and prepare for future changes in the electricity market, and be ready to act on future rebates and opportunities.

Queensland residents can also book a $50 Climate Smart Home Service and have a wireless energy monitor connected that will show in $/c or power units, exactly how much electricity is being used at any one time in the home. Turn the kettle on and watch it soar! Great for testing the power consumption of old fridges etc.

So, to recap - you know how to read your bills and how you rate compared to other Queensland homes and you've made sure the electricity provider you're with is the right one for your needs.  The next step is to look at how to reduce your daily usage (kWh) because that is obviously a more sustainable path than whacking on  a big PV system to offset continued heavy usage of power.

As well as the easy ways to save energy, there are some other obvious 'big-users' to target (see below). Having a free home assessment can help you work through this process and work out your priorities.


3.1  Water Heating
Old resistance electric storage heaters make up around 25 - 40% of a home's daily energy use and are slowly being phased out across Australia. Rebates are offered by the government to encourage people to switch to more efficient methods (see below)

System types, roof suitability, plumbing layout and other useful information 
Fed Govt rebate available for hot water or insulation
Qld Govt rebate for solar hot water & heat pumps

If your electric system is fairly new and/or water heating doesn't make up a huge percentage of your household's electricity use, it mightn't make much sense to replace it when a few changes to the way you use it, can have a similar end result.  

Increase the efficiency of an existing electric hot water system by:
- setting the tank thermostat to 60 degrees to avoid unnecessary heating 
  (Note: wires are LIVE 240V so have an electrician do this for you) 
- insulating pipes to and from the tank
- checking with your electricity provider, that it's hooked into the night/economy    tariff where possible (so it heats at approx 1/3 of the cost) especially if most
   of your hot water use is in the mornings.
- consider switching it off at the mains for weekends or any time you are going
   to be away, or installing a manual booster/timer to only heat when necessary
   (consult the maker of the unit, an electrician or have a home assessment to
   discuss if this is suitable for your situation).

Reduce the amount of hot water you use by: 
- installing low-flow shower heads and taking <4min showers (put a radio in the
  bathroom - most songs are only 3-4 minutes long!)
- wash clothes in cold water only


3.2 Get rid of the beer fridge!
Generally speaking, fridges that were made prior to '94 are about 3x less efficient than models made today. Keeping the old fridge and turning it on for holiday times like Christmas when you need extra space for a week or two is ok, but if you've got an old clunker out in the shed keeping a lonely 6-pack cold,  you might want to turn it off and put the extra money towards....um more beer? Larger households and ones that are part of a food coop or need to store seeds and produce from the garden etc, often decide that the second fridge is a necessary item and work it into their energy budget.  My fridge blog right
Compare energy efficiency of new models  then find the model you are after, second-hand on Gumtree or FREE on Freecycle - often as new,  a fraction of the price, and lots more environmentally friendly!


3.3 Heating and Cooling
Queensland homes (at least ones in our South-East corner) shouldn't require air-conditioning if houses are designed correctly to promote air flow and passive heating and cooling using Mother Nature's freebies. But this isn't the case in the majority of situations, so buying or renovating an existing house usually involves adding some form of mechanical or 'active' heating or cooling.  If windows & doors, eaves, insulation and other 'passive' features have been carefully thought through, ceiling fans should be the only cooling necessary, but more often ducted air conditioning is used to compensate for poor design.  But it comes at a price (see below).

Cost comparison between running a ceiling fan and an air conditioner (calculated using day time tariff of .18c/kWh):

1 x 100w fan 
run for 10 hrs = 1,000w (or 1 kWh)  Cost: approx $0.18c for 10 hrs

1 x 1000w wall-mounted air conditioner
run for 10 hrs = 10,000w (or 10 kWh) Cost: approx $1.80 for 10 hrs

1 x 3500w ducted reverse cycle air con system
run for 10 hrs = 35,000w (or 35 kWh) Cost: $6.30 for 10 hrs

Added to this, many reverse-cycle air conditioners are only switched off with a remote, and as such, use standby power - so you are paying for them even when they are not running!  An electrician can probably advise you on the best option here - but it might involve installing an isolating switch or simply turning off at the box (check with the manufacturer first as there's a reason why they are made to use some power when off) If a unit uses 50w in standby mode, that's the same as leaving 3-4 compact fluoros on 24/7 and adds up to about $60+ /year on your bills.

Your Home chapter on heating and cooling options
Design for SEQ Climate


3.4 Pool Filters and Pumps
Pools generally account for about 10% of the average household's power consumption when the pump runs for about 6 hrs a day.   Interesting article on an ionization technology for pools that decreases pumping hours

3.5 Appliances & Standby Power
Standby power is a sneaky little electricity cost that's come with the development of appliances that have 'memory' (You could see it as us paying our appliances to do our thinking, or in the case of remotes, walking, for us!) The common culprits are office and entertainment equipment, things that have a transformer power supply or an LED light that stays on to read time etc, washing machines, dryers, air conditioners. 

Although manufacturers are working to decrease this hidden cost to consumers, your 'stuff' can be costing you around 4% of your electricity bill just by sitting quietly in a corner somewhere.  So get in the habit of switching things off at the wall or use  power board like this one endorsed by Planet Ark (inexpensive power saving devices available from Bunnings, Aldi and other stores) I bring a little power meter to home assessments, so we can track down some of those hidden money leaks.

Michael Bluejay's explanation of standby 
Sample list of items & Sample standby costs 
Step-by-step instructions for minimising power consumption of office equipment

3.5 Lighting
One of the most common design flaws of most 'modern' homes is the overkill of general lighting - often leading to fairly uniform looking overly-bright interiors, as well as affecting the temperature control of rooms if fixtures are recessed in ceilings (due to warm air escape in winter). This is particularly noticeable in the use of halogen lights where more are used to create an 'even spread' of light (see articles right)  There are replacements available, and the costs are coming down, but an electrician's advice should be sought if you are planning major work.  Short term options include simply removing certain lamps from fittings where they aren't needed but switched to automatically come on with others, and replacing the few you do use with wider angle globes.

Your Home introduction to lighting types
A good general discussion of lighting types and costs
Technical summary of LED replacements for halogen fittings (incl cost calculator)

My 'Five Watt Wonder Wall' at home (below) uses laserlite to cast shadows and background light between two rooms. A 5w CFL lamp globe from Ikea creates atmosphere at night and I use a similar lamp to watch TV or read in the lounge (not on in photo) By day, natural daylighting creates texture and soft shadows on the other side (what would otherwise be a dark internal room) Running two lamps (bedroom and lounge) and the dining light on an average of 4 hrs, costs me about 2c a night. I will eventually install some basic general lighting in the ceiling of the lounge, but anticipate it won't get much use - it's just too cosy this way!

In an increasingly centralised world, the idea of being able to be autonomous and self-sufficient is appealing to more and more people. Obviously, once you've taken steps to reduce your electricity usage to a baseline of what you actually need on a daily basis, the next step is to weigh up if you want to make your own power or ask your electricity provider to source your power from renewable sources (see Green Power below).  This decision is highly personal and people have strong views on the the merits of both approaches. Hopefully these links will help you make the best decision within your own preferences (click the eco cubby link right to see my recent PV install at home)

With the recent increased competitiveness of the solar industry, a basic 1.5 - 2 kW pv (photo voltaic) system is now an economic reality for many more people. A free home sustainability assessment will help you analyse 'where you sit' in terms of being able to create your own power, but there's some basic areas of research that you should look at first.

Solar Choice blogs are a good place to start for general information on:
consumption v's generation
feed in tariffs - what retailers are offering, state by state 

Very roughly speaking, in SE Queensland, pv panels in optimum conditions (ie True North, 27-ish degree roof angle and not shaded) will produce about 5 kWh for every 1 kW of 'system'. 

If you've gone through the process of sorting out your bills,  you will have an idea of your daily electricity consumption and then taken steps to reduce it wherever possible. 

For example if you've got your daily total down 15 kWh/day you would be pretty close to covering your needs with a 3kW system although a lot of people are choosing to go for a slightly smaller system that will meet most of their needs, and work on reducing their consumption instead, which is obviously a better way to go, environmentally.

Unlike other states, Qld operates under a Nett feed in tariff (FIT) - heavily subsidised by the govt btw - read the fine print, it's not set in stone  What this means, is whenever your system is producing more power than you are using during the day, the nett surplus goes off to the grid and you are paid roughly 52c / kWh (AGL figure) for it.  To record this properly on your bill, Energex will install a new "bi-directional" digital meter in your power box (for free) soon after your panels are hooked up. This records all the power you generate and what you use, and allows the electricity company to bill you or pay you, via your quarterly bill, according to whether or not you generate more than you use. My next blog will be on metering - after mine is installed in May.

So in this nett scenario, it makes sense to use electricity in the house (ie loads of washing etc) outside of the hours when your panels are producing the most (about 10am-3pm) This doesn't reduce your environmental impact, because you still use the same amount of electricity, but you will be better off financially, while govt subsidies exist, by selling electricity at 52c and buying it back at 18c.

Some other things to consider when looking to go solar:
PV paybaack short version  and long version
Rainbow Power Co's FAQ's page on mounting, tracking systems and more
Clean Energy Council list of approved pv modules and inverters
Consumer forum on Chinese v's other panels

When you have several detailed quotes from companies (with panel specifications etc) you can use the SMA program right, to get a feel for how they would perform in your circumstances.

This option should probably not be at the bottom of the page as it's the easiest way to support the growth of large-scale renewable energies in Australia.

As with any industry, Green Power is open to abuses and 'loose terminoligy' so it's important to check that the plan you support (by paying an additional amount on your electricity bills or to a separate company like Climate Friendly) is investing in NEW renewable energies.  Always look for the wording "100 % new accredited Green Power" and take note of how transparent companies are about the 'renewable' projects they invest  your money in. Click map of Australia to search products or read up a bit more here and remember to always look for the 'tick'.

IN THIS SECTION
Electricity in SE Qld
Step 1 
Understand Your Bills
Step 2 
 Do a House 'Stocktake'
Step 3 
Reduce Your Use
3.1 Water Heating 
3.2 Beer Fridges
3.3 Heating & Cooling
3.4 Pool Filters & Pumps 3.5 Appliances & Standby
3.6 Lighting
Step 4 
 Power Yourself - Going Solar 
Step 5 
Offset the Rest - Green Power
Links & resources