Erin Pearson
By Erin Pearson
Geelong household power bills have jumped around $200 in six months with another hike on the way, a national charity has warned.
St Vincent de Paulâs Gavin Dufty urged families in the region to âprepare themselvesâ for even bigger bills in February and March after a tariff increase in January.
Mr Dufty said a St Vincent de Paul investigation had found that bills for all-electric Geelong homes had risen $205, or 18 per cent, since July based on average consumption of 7000kWh.
âItâs a huge increase,â he said.
âSix months ago energy bills were $200 cheaper. Now people have to find extra cash.â
Mr Dufty said bills for dual-energy homes running on gas and electricity in Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula and Werribee had risen $170.
The price hike in Powercorâs distribution zone was the second worst in the state behind Jemenaâs area north-west of Melbourne where bills rose $215.
Households in CitiPowerâs metropolitan Melbourne distribution zone had the smallest hike of around $35.
Mr Dufty warned Geelong households to steer clear of âstrings and trapsâ luring consumers into paying more on their electricity contracts.
âThis is about kilowatts and megajoules, not freebies like free magazine prescriptions,â he said.
âIf you canât afford the lighting you canât read the magazine.â
Diversitat financial counsellor Jocelyn McMillan was âquite concernedâ about the energy price hikes.
âWeâve seen an increase in people seeking help over the past six months,â she said.
âWe find that the first things to go out of household budgets are insurances such as car insurance and health insurance.â
The Independent sought an explanation for the electricity price hike from Powercor, which responded with a written statement that electricity bills comprised âseveral different componentsâ.
âFrom January 2011 Powercorâs distribution prices will increase in real terms by .1 per cent while metering charges will drop by 4.6 per cent in real terms,â the statement said.
âAny other changes to customer rates would be as a result of retailerâs charges.â