Aussies to Live in the Dark, Eat Cold Pet Food By James Reed
Rising electric prices are beginning to financially kill many families, added to the perfect storm of skyrocketing inflation and rising interest rates, which orthodox economics says will cure inflation. Yep, so will a nuclear bomb; no inflation then.
But, seriously, even though I am a single decaying circus clown, it is getting pretty hard to survive now. So, I turned off the hot water system, did this at the power box. Then the electric stove. I have a small camp gas cooker, where I buy canisters from the hardware shop at half the price of the supermarkets. And best of all, I no longer shower, but sponge bath in cold water, even in the freezing cold of winter. Well, sometimes I cheat, and get a kettle of hot water boiled on the camp oven. I still have the fridge running, but have nightmares about it doing too many cycles and eating up too much sacred electricity. I am contemplating turning it off, cleaning it, and leaving the door slightly open to prevent mould. Thus, I will have only electricity for light, and to run this laptop, but I will go into my old university three times a week to use their power. The good news is that I have stopped drinking alcohol, and have lost about 30 kgs in weight, so that now I am merely morbidly obese.
Welcome to the Third World! And, I am one of the lucky ones, many families have lost their homes and are living in their cars, or worse. I can really feel for the kids who had to endure a freezing cold wet winter here in Melbourne.
“Cost-of-living pressures are set to worsen for households with power bill prices forecast to soar by 35 per cent next year, energy company bosses have warned.
"Next year, using the current market prices, tariffs are going up a minimum 35 per cent," Alinta Energy chief executive Jeff Dimery told The Australian Financial Review's Energy & Climate Summit.
Tight supply issues and Russia's invasion of Ukraine have put pressure on wholesale prices and international commodity markets, the summit was told.
The early closure of coal-fired power stations is also creating a rocky transition to renewable energy.
Under the predicted 35 per cent rise next year, the average quarterly power bill in South Australia would be $514, in New South Wales $480 and for Victorian consumers $430.
The forecast increase from Alinta Energy was not shared by the bosses of Origin Energy and EnergyAustralia.”
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