The Smart Meter Rip Off System
OK...
I have added 3 similar versions and one variant or offshootof the main theme here as each story has a similar content but different details...
Doing this gives a more granular perspective.
Basically speaking, the NEW and EXTRA smart meter charges are a fucking scam - time to put the Auditor General, Australian Energy Regulator and the power company thieves in gaol, sell their assets,
To explain how the PCA or Power Company Accounting works, they reduce their costs by $100, so they then add $200 to your bill on a recurring basis, for the improvements in efficiency and cost savings, that they refuse to hand on to you, by their spiralling bills that rise at 200 times the Consumer Price Index.
The idea of eliminating the old analog metering system, meant that meter readers (people on foot) could be eliminated = a cost reduction of say $5 or $10 a meter, 4 times a year...
In power company terms, that means they save $100 a year, and add a $200 annual recurring meter fee to your bill, which is a great cost efficiency.
And after ripping you off for power and gold plated power lines (barefaced cost increases on hardware that is totally unnecessary) you decide that eating takes precedence over paying the power bill..
It also gave the shits in the power company the ability to remotely switch your power off - without having to send out a prick with a stick, to unscrew your property fuse at the top of the power pole or at the inlet to your building - which makes that way cheaper to do as well.
A few computer key strokes, for a disconnection and a reconnection is now reduced from $150, to $300 for either event, thus in reducing the cost of disconnection down from $300 to a mere $600 with a security bond of $1000 added to this, is gratefully saving you the consumer, much expense.
And due to cost overruns, meaning you cooled and heated your homes a little bit too much, over the last year, which is not your fault, you now have the ability to send the bill for your electricity bill, to the power company, as it's their fault for the over supply.
OK - how much does a fucking smart meter actually cost - like when you buy them by the millions?
What is in a smart meter?
Well these cheap shit meters cost $25.. Add in a few more functions and components and a bigger case - say $300 tops for a smart meter.
Though my mean and nasty side says $75 or so each, by the million.... as you can cobble together all the components to do the same things for this price - easy.
A variant of a ethernet over mains, an electric switch, wi-fi pulse transmitter, an optical reader / controller interface etc..
Smart meters should have a life span of about 25 years +.
We were made to wear the costs of buying them at the start, plus we are paying recurring annual fees for them, on top of the outrageous service to property charges...
This whole thing is looking like a cunt fest of theft and bogus fees....
How many times can you be billed for the same product?
And how can these thieves, these enemies of the people, make you pay the cost of their fuck ups and theft?
Refuse to pay it.
Take them all to court - I will be doing it.
The principle rules: "You fuck up - you wear it."
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/bill-shock-smart-meter-charges-set-to-cost-most-victorians-more-in-2015/story-fni0fit3-1227154633835
Hundreds of thousands of households will be hit with fees up to 28 per cent higher than this year’s, after some companies blew their budgets.
(on cocaine and prostitutes?)
Other households will get slight discounts on the fees.
The annual fee ruling comes as the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office investigates whether consumers are getting a fair deal under the system.
Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio also promised to look into the decision.
“Labor is seeking advice to see if there is an opportunity to appeal this decision to ensure customers are not being ripped off and paying for the potential mismanagement of the companies,” she said.
Homes in Melbourne’s northwest and eastern suburbs, and Victoria’s northeast and east, face the biggest sting next year.
“It’s another blow to the hip pocket,” said Gavin Dufty, an energy expert from the St Vincent de Paul Society. “We have paid a huge amount for these meters and it’s time we saw some benefits.”
The latest financial fallout from the controversial digital device rollout could add up to $50 million more to the total cost of the project, the Herald Sun understands.
The full smart meter bill for homes and small businesses could exceed $2.4 billion, once inflation and the GST is factored in.
Power company Jemena’s charge for next year is $226.30, up 17 per cent.
AusNet Service’s charge is $205.50, up 28 per cent, and United Energy’s charge is $154.50, or 9 per cent more.
CitiPower’s $115.90 fee is down 60c, and Powercor’s $109.40 charge is 5 per cent lower.
The regulator gave the green light to a combined $111.4 million in excess expenditure claims for distribution companies AusNet Services, United Energy and Jemena after they blew last year’s budgets.
However, the regulator rejected a further $38.1 million cash grab as “inefficient”.
Smart meters are read remotely rather than manually, and allow consumers to opt to be charged different rates for use at different times of day.
Retailers have said they could allow some customers to slash annual power bills by hundreds of dollars.
The Auditor-General’s Office plans to table an updated report on the smart meter project next June.
“As the … rollout is effectively complete, it is timely to undertake the audit to assess the extent to which deficiencies in the AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) program have been addressed, and whether benefits for consumers are being realised,” it said.
The overspending companies blamed stalled installations caused by the former Liberal government’s project review, public resistance to the meters’ introduction, shortages of installers forcing up wages, and the delayed introduction of time-of-use electricity tariffs.
While Jemena and United overspent last year, their expenditure in earlier years was lower than expected.
The rollout, ordered by Labor and continued by the Coalition, has been plagued by cost overruns and safety and privacy concerns. Victorians have been paying annual smart meter fees since 2010.
AusNet Services (eastern suburbs, northeast and eastern Victoria): $205.50 up $45.30
United Energy (south-eastern suburbs and Mornington Peninsula) $154.50 up $12.80
CitiPower (CBD, inner suburbs): $115.90 down 60c
Powercor (western suburbs, western and northwest Victoria): $109.40 down $5.90
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/energy-companies-charging-power-users-millions-to-discover-how-to-charge-more/story-e6frg6n6-1227155309582
And the costs of the exercise are passed back to households and businesses through their bills.
Energex CEO Terry Effeney this week referred to the expert advice in defending its proposal for a higher rate of return on investment than the AER guidelines advised.
“I hope you are now convinced that ultimately it is the AER who sets the decisions here,” Mr Effeney said in a response to a question from The Sunday Mail at a forum.
The power businesses have proposed network price rises of just less than inflation over the next five years in their latest revenue bids to the AER.
While they claim it will offer price relief to households, consumer advocates argue it will “lock in” exorbitant price rises at a time when bills should be dropping.
Ergon’s revenue bid has cost $6 million to prepare. Energex did not reveal the cost of its revenue bid, but industry experts estimated it would have cost at least $8 million.
The Major Energy Users lobby group has argued for a change to the process, arguing the AER is at a disadvantage in trying to disprove the arguments put forward by the power corporations.
“The companies have every incentive to overstate their needs and attempt to ‘game’ the regulator,” the group argues in a submission to a Senate inquiry into electricity pricing.
“They have much more information available to them than the AER can access in the time available to complete the revenue review,” it continues.
AER chairwoman Paula Conboy assured it would be “looking under the covers and kicking the tyres” of the revenue bids. The AER has taken a scalpel to revenue bids in NSW.
NEW ENERGY BOSS: Paula Conboy to head Australian Energy Regulator
The Queensland revenue bids could soon be countered by a new alliance of power users being put together by lobbyist SAS Group, which has applied for grants for the move. If successful, the grants would ultimately be funded by the power industry.
“We wouldn’t be giving them an easy time,” SAS consultant Jonathan Pavetto said.
Originally published as Double sting in power charge
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/new-data-from-australian-energy-regulator-show-power-bill-complaints-have-doubled-in-past-year/story-fni6uo1m-1227153082978
Expert says power prices should be slashed — not raised
Ross Womersley from the South Australian Council of Social Service (SACOSS) said the rise in complaints was “alarming”.
“It’s just too many people having trouble one way or another with their retailers,” he said.
“I think these figures just point to the fact that all retailers need to be taking complaints processes very seriously.
“Energy bills are now closely monitored by many households because of the price increases over recent times.”
AER board member, Jim Cox, said the rise in complaints reflected the level of dissatisfaction with power providers in the community.
“All the complaints are an expression of dissatisfaction, mainly issues of billing, some are issues of customer service and how people are dealt with when they do contact the retailer,” he said.
“People still feel they’re not getting value for money.”
Origin Energy recorded a massive rise in complaints of 828 per cent in the quarter, with 8930 up from 962 a year ago.
The company argued that they are simply recording more information about interactions with customers.
“As part of a customer centricity program, we capture more information about interactions with our customers to give us better insights and further improve the customer experience,” an Origin spokesman said.
“This has resulted in greater reporting of complaints to the AER.”
More complaints are being resolved by energy retailers however — the SA Energy and Water Ombudsman recently reported a reduction in complaints being escalated to the ombudsman last financial year.
Ombudsman Sandy Canale said a rise in retailer complaints is actually positive because it indicates consumers are “diligent”.
“From my perspective I think it’s actually encouraging that we’re seeing a downward trend in issues coming to us at a higher level,” he said.
“It’s also promising that more customers are seemingly able to resolve their complaints at that first point of contact with their energy company.”
AGL quarterly complaints in South Australia rose from 6242 to 10,852 a year ago, Alinta’s from 74 to 413, and Powerdirect’s from 83 to 810.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-13/victorian-electricity-users-to-pay-new-fee-for-smart-meter-cost/5965144
Victorian households will be forced to pay increased fees of up to $200 on their electricity bills next year, after the Australian Energy Regulator approved power company requests.
Three out of five of the state's major energy distributors submitted requests to increase the fees as a result of budget overruns related to the rollout of smart meters.
The technology was designed to give people more control over their electricity usage and eliminate the need for a manual meter reading.
The Australian Energy Regulator approved a new charge of $226 from power company Jemena - an increase of 17 per cent on its current fee.
The charge for AusNet customers will increase to $205, up 28 per cent, while United Energy's fee increases by 9 per cent.
CitiPower and PowerCor will reduce their fees marginally.
Jemena, AusNet and United Energy argued that changes to the rollout program made by the Victorian Government resulted in delays.
"Catching up on the rollout delays in 2013 resulted in 2013 budget overspends," the report said.
The regulator said it approved excess spending where it was determined to be "prudent".
"We know families are making choices about putting food on the table or being able to pay their energy bills," she said.
"Now that we're hitting summer, families will chose not to use their air conditioners in heatwaves because they're going to want to put food on the table."
She said frontline services that provided assistance to families in need were already struggling to meet demand.
"We know this is going to put pressure on frontline services and make harder than it already is," she said.
Minister for Energy and Resources, Lily D'Ambrosio, said she is seeking advice from her department about whether or not there had been any "potential mismanagement" by some of the energy companies in their rollout programs.
"Labor will be seeking advice from the department to see if there is an opportunity to appeal this decision to ensure consumers aren't being ripped off, she said.
Ms D'Ambrosio said the energy distribution companies have approached the rollout program differently.
"Some of the businesses have sought excess expenditure recovery. Others have not," she said.
"What's important is that energy businesses are made to account for their decisions.
"Consumers need to feel that the rollout program and the costs associated with that present value for money."
I have added 3 similar versions and one variant or offshootof the main theme here as each story has a similar content but different details...
Doing this gives a more granular perspective.
Basically speaking, the NEW and EXTRA smart meter charges are a fucking scam - time to put the Auditor General, Australian Energy Regulator and the power company thieves in gaol, sell their assets,
To explain how the PCA or Power Company Accounting works, they reduce their costs by $100, so they then add $200 to your bill on a recurring basis, for the improvements in efficiency and cost savings, that they refuse to hand on to you, by their spiralling bills that rise at 200 times the Consumer Price Index.
The idea of eliminating the old analog metering system, meant that meter readers (people on foot) could be eliminated = a cost reduction of say $5 or $10 a meter, 4 times a year...
In power company terms, that means they save $100 a year, and add a $200 annual recurring meter fee to your bill, which is a great cost efficiency.
And after ripping you off for power and gold plated power lines (barefaced cost increases on hardware that is totally unnecessary) you decide that eating takes precedence over paying the power bill..
It also gave the shits in the power company the ability to remotely switch your power off - without having to send out a prick with a stick, to unscrew your property fuse at the top of the power pole or at the inlet to your building - which makes that way cheaper to do as well.
A few computer key strokes, for a disconnection and a reconnection is now reduced from $150, to $300 for either event, thus in reducing the cost of disconnection down from $300 to a mere $600 with a security bond of $1000 added to this, is gratefully saving you the consumer, much expense.
And due to cost overruns, meaning you cooled and heated your homes a little bit too much, over the last year, which is not your fault, you now have the ability to send the bill for your electricity bill, to the power company, as it's their fault for the over supply.
OK - how much does a fucking smart meter actually cost - like when you buy them by the millions?
What is in a smart meter?
Well these cheap shit meters cost $25.. Add in a few more functions and components and a bigger case - say $300 tops for a smart meter.
A variant of a ethernet over mains, an electric switch, wi-fi pulse transmitter, an optical reader / controller interface etc..
Smart meters should have a life span of about 25 years +.
We were made to wear the costs of buying them at the start, plus we are paying recurring annual fees for them, on top of the outrageous service to property charges...
This whole thing is looking like a cunt fest of theft and bogus fees....
How many times can you be billed for the same product?
And how can these thieves, these enemies of the people, make you pay the cost of their fuck ups and theft?
Refuse to pay it.
Take them all to court - I will be doing it.
The principle rules: "You fuck up - you wear it."
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/bill-shock-smart-meter-charges-set-to-cost-most-victorians-more-in-2015/story-fni0fit3-1227154633835
Bill shock: Smart meter charges set to cost most Victorians more in 2015
- Herald Sun
- December 13, 2014
Victorians will be slugged smart meter fees of up to $226 on their electricity bills next year.
VICTORIANS will be slugged smart meter fees of up to $226 on their electricity bills next year.
The Australian Energy Regulator has approved charges for 2015 of $109.40 to $226.30, plus GST, for the most common type of smart meter, depending on where consumers live.Hundreds of thousands of households will be hit with fees up to 28 per cent higher than this year’s, after some companies blew their budgets.
(on cocaine and prostitutes?)
Other households will get slight discounts on the fees.
The annual fee ruling comes as the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office investigates whether consumers are getting a fair deal under the system.
Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio also promised to look into the decision.
“Labor is seeking advice to see if there is an opportunity to appeal this decision to ensure customers are not being ripped off and paying for the potential mismanagement of the companies,” she said.
Homes in Melbourne’s northwest and eastern suburbs, and Victoria’s northeast and east, face the biggest sting next year.
“It’s another blow to the hip pocket,” said Gavin Dufty, an energy expert from the St Vincent de Paul Society. “We have paid a huge amount for these meters and it’s time we saw some benefits.”
The latest financial fallout from the controversial digital device rollout could add up to $50 million more to the total cost of the project, the Herald Sun understands.
The full smart meter bill for homes and small businesses could exceed $2.4 billion, once inflation and the GST is factored in.
Power company Jemena’s charge for next year is $226.30, up 17 per cent.
AusNet Service’s charge is $205.50, up 28 per cent, and United Energy’s charge is $154.50, or 9 per cent more.
CitiPower’s $115.90 fee is down 60c, and Powercor’s $109.40 charge is 5 per cent lower.
The regulator gave the green light to a combined $111.4 million in excess expenditure claims for distribution companies AusNet Services, United Energy and Jemena after they blew last year’s budgets.
However, the regulator rejected a further $38.1 million cash grab as “inefficient”.
Smart meters are read remotely rather than manually, and allow consumers to opt to be charged different rates for use at different times of day.
Retailers have said they could allow some customers to slash annual power bills by hundreds of dollars.
The Auditor-General’s Office plans to table an updated report on the smart meter project next June.
“As the … rollout is effectively complete, it is timely to undertake the audit to assess the extent to which deficiencies in the AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) program have been addressed, and whether benefits for consumers are being realised,” it said.
The overspending companies blamed stalled installations caused by the former Liberal government’s project review, public resistance to the meters’ introduction, shortages of installers forcing up wages, and the delayed introduction of time-of-use electricity tariffs.
While Jemena and United overspent last year, their expenditure in earlier years was lower than expected.
The rollout, ordered by Labor and continued by the Coalition, has been plagued by cost overruns and safety and privacy concerns. Victorians have been paying annual smart meter fees since 2010.
APPROVED 2015 SMART METER FEES
Jemena (northwest suburbs): $226.30 up $32.50AusNet Services (eastern suburbs, northeast and eastern Victoria): $205.50 up $45.30
United Energy (south-eastern suburbs and Mornington Peninsula) $154.50 up $12.80
CitiPower (CBD, inner suburbs): $115.90 down 60c
Powercor (western suburbs, western and northwest Victoria): $109.40 down $5.90
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/energy-companies-charging-power-users-millions-to-discover-how-to-charge-more/story-e6frg6n6-1227155309582
Energy companies charging power users millions to discover how to charge more
- The Sunday Mail (Qld)
- December 14, 2014
ENERGY companies are slugging struggling Queenslanders millions of dollars to discover how to charge more for their power.
State-owned Energex and Ergon have spent a fortune hiring consultants and experts over the past year or more to compile a persuasive case for the Australian Energy Regulator to raise network charges.And the costs of the exercise are passed back to households and businesses through their bills.
Energex CEO Terry Effeney this week referred to the expert advice in defending its proposal for a higher rate of return on investment than the AER guidelines advised.
“I hope you are now convinced that ultimately it is the AER who sets the decisions here,” Mr Effeney said in a response to a question from The Sunday Mail at a forum.
The power businesses have proposed network price rises of just less than inflation over the next five years in their latest revenue bids to the AER.
While they claim it will offer price relief to households, consumer advocates argue it will “lock in” exorbitant price rises at a time when bills should be dropping.
Ergon’s revenue bid has cost $6 million to prepare. Energex did not reveal the cost of its revenue bid, but industry experts estimated it would have cost at least $8 million.
The Major Energy Users lobby group has argued for a change to the process, arguing the AER is at a disadvantage in trying to disprove the arguments put forward by the power corporations.
“The companies have every incentive to overstate their needs and attempt to ‘game’ the regulator,” the group argues in a submission to a Senate inquiry into electricity pricing.
“They have much more information available to them than the AER can access in the time available to complete the revenue review,” it continues.
AER chairwoman Paula Conboy assured it would be “looking under the covers and kicking the tyres” of the revenue bids. The AER has taken a scalpel to revenue bids in NSW.
NEW ENERGY BOSS: Paula Conboy to head Australian Energy Regulator
The Queensland revenue bids could soon be countered by a new alliance of power users being put together by lobbyist SAS Group, which has applied for grants for the move. If successful, the grants would ultimately be funded by the power industry.
“We wouldn’t be giving them an easy time,” SAS consultant Jonathan Pavetto said.
Originally published as Double sting in power charge
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/new-data-from-australian-energy-regulator-show-power-bill-complaints-have-doubled-in-past-year/story-fni6uo1m-1227153082978
New data from Australian Energy Regulator show power bill complaints have doubled in past year
- The Advertiser
- December 12, 2014
Ross Womersley from the South Australian Council of Social Service says the figures point to the fact “that all retailers need to be taking complaints processes very seriously”.
COMPLAINTS to energy companies have virtually doubled in the last year, new data provided by the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) has revealed.
A total of 25,628 residential complaints were received by energy companies in South Australia in the last quarter last financial year, up from 13,561 for the same quarter a year ago.Expert says power prices should be slashed — not raised
Ross Womersley from the South Australian Council of Social Service (SACOSS) said the rise in complaints was “alarming”.
“It’s just too many people having trouble one way or another with their retailers,” he said.
“I think these figures just point to the fact that all retailers need to be taking complaints processes very seriously.
“Energy bills are now closely monitored by many households because of the price increases over recent times.”
AER board member, Jim Cox, said the rise in complaints reflected the level of dissatisfaction with power providers in the community.
“All the complaints are an expression of dissatisfaction, mainly issues of billing, some are issues of customer service and how people are dealt with when they do contact the retailer,” he said.
“People still feel they’re not getting value for money.”
Origin Energy recorded a massive rise in complaints of 828 per cent in the quarter, with 8930 up from 962 a year ago.
The company argued that they are simply recording more information about interactions with customers.
“As part of a customer centricity program, we capture more information about interactions with our customers to give us better insights and further improve the customer experience,” an Origin spokesman said.
“This has resulted in greater reporting of complaints to the AER.”
More complaints are being resolved by energy retailers however — the SA Energy and Water Ombudsman recently reported a reduction in complaints being escalated to the ombudsman last financial year.
Ombudsman Sandy Canale said a rise in retailer complaints is actually positive because it indicates consumers are “diligent”.
“From my perspective I think it’s actually encouraging that we’re seeing a downward trend in issues coming to us at a higher level,” he said.
“It’s also promising that more customers are seemingly able to resolve their complaints at that first point of contact with their energy company.”
AGL quarterly complaints in South Australia rose from 6242 to 10,852 a year ago, Alinta’s from 74 to 413, and Powerdirect’s from 83 to 810.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-13/victorian-electricity-users-to-pay-new-fee-for-smart-meter-cost/5965144
Victorian electricity users to pay increased charges for smart meter cost blow-out
Updated
Three out of five of the state's major energy distributors submitted requests to increase the fees as a result of budget overruns related to the rollout of smart meters.
New charges for 2015
- Jemena $226.32 (up)
- AusNet Services $205.54 (up)
- United Energy $154.51 (up)
- CitiPower $115.90 (down)
- Powercor $109.40 (down)
The technology was designed to give people more control over their electricity usage and eliminate the need for a manual meter reading.
The Australian Energy Regulator approved a new charge of $226 from power company Jemena - an increase of 17 per cent on its current fee.
The charge for AusNet customers will increase to $205, up 28 per cent, while United Energy's fee increases by 9 per cent.
CitiPower and PowerCor will reduce their fees marginally.
Jemena, AusNet and United Energy argued that changes to the rollout program made by the Victorian Government resulted in delays.
"Catching up on the rollout delays in 2013 resulted in 2013 budget overspends," the report said.
The regulator said it approved excess spending where it was determined to be "prudent".
Price rises devastating for households: VCOSS
Emma King, the chief executive officer of the Victorian Council of Social Service, said the increases would be "devastating" for households."We know families are making choices about putting food on the table or being able to pay their energy bills," she said.
"Now that we're hitting summer, families will chose not to use their air conditioners in heatwaves because they're going to want to put food on the table."
She said frontline services that provided assistance to families in need were already struggling to meet demand.
"We know this is going to put pressure on frontline services and make harder than it already is," she said.
Minister for Energy and Resources, Lily D'Ambrosio, said she is seeking advice from her department about whether or not there had been any "potential mismanagement" by some of the energy companies in their rollout programs.
"Labor will be seeking advice from the department to see if there is an opportunity to appeal this decision to ensure consumers aren't being ripped off, she said.
Ms D'Ambrosio said the energy distribution companies have approached the rollout program differently.
"Some of the businesses have sought excess expenditure recovery. Others have not," she said.
"What's important is that energy businesses are made to account for their decisions.
"Consumers need to feel that the rollout program and the costs associated with that present value for money."
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