Are Smart meters a Scam ?????

[spacesailor]

I Payed others ,  ( realestate . lawyers . brokers . accountants ) .

they should earn their money .

spacesailor

[spacesailor]

Reply .

The car gets lots of , payed  , items within that twelve months .

On this subject , we should not be forced to go out of quarantine during " covic " to have the 

car " compulsory " checked for it's roadworthy test .

And should not have to register your aircraft annually! . ( just money grabbing ) .

spacesailor

 

[octave]

I just went to this site https://compare.energy.vic.gov.au/ to check out if there were any better deals. All you need is the NMI number from your electricity bill and it downloads your data and gives you a list of deals.    As it happens I am happy with my present deal but it is not rocket science to make comparisons.

[spacesailor]

And the KWPH price .

So easy with a basic price .

spacesailor

[octave]

4 minutes ago, spacesailor said:

And the KWPH price .

So easy with a basic price .

spacesailor

 

Here is the first one it recommended  It seems pretty straightforward.

 

[onetrack]

I've paid a grand total of just over $122 for electricity in the last 12 mths. But we got handouts (power credits) from the State and Federal Govts, so without them, our total power bill would have been much higher.

I just looked up my power supply account, and we've still got $300 in credit with our power provider, Synergy.

We don't spare anything by way of power use, we've got 3 reverse cycle air-cons (1 x 3HP and 2 x 1HP) and we use electricity for heating in winter (a column oil heater and the R/C A/C's on heat) - but we do have a 6.6kW solar system feeding into the grid, and we turn on the washing machine and dishwasher during the day.

[facthunter]

Some suppliers do have a trick where if you go into a period of high demand you get rated at the high cost figure for ALL of that time. Suppliers pay a lot for top up power. but it's a bit shonky  and skewed In their favour. There are quite a few suppliers I wouldn't touch unless they are the only ones around. Avoid THEM if you're even 1/2 smart..  Nev

[onetrack]

You East Coasters should be thankful you've actually got power suppliers to choose from. Here on the Left Coast, we have only one power provider, it's either suck up to them, or go totally off-grid. And a few people are doing the latter.

I've just bought a 3 phase genset for my block in the wheatbelt, because I've got no power to the block. I already have a little 6KVA Kubota diesel, single phase genset.

 

A major 3 phase power line is only 50M away at the nearby T-junction to my block, but it could cost $10,000 or $20,000 to get the power supplied to my property.

I have to lodge an application to just get a supply cost quote, I have to pay nearly $2000 to start the application, it will take multiple weeks to get a quote, and if the quote comes back at a sum that makes me buckle at the knees, and I choose not to proceed, I lose $550 out of the application fees, just for not proceeding with the connection. If I do decide to proceed, it appears it will take 12 to 14 mths to get the power to the property. What a joke.

 

The genset I bought is 50 years old (1974 build) and it's done about 100 hrs work in total, because it was a standby set in a big workshop under a house in the city.

Developers bought the multi-million dollar property, and they were going to send this genset to the tip!!  😢  Talk about corporate greed and waste! Luckily the original landowner stepped in and grabbed it.

 

It's powered by an air-cooled twin-cylinder Italian VM-Motori engine, a good little engine, very similar to a 2 cyl Lister. They're exceptionally reliable, but "old tech". Incredibly, VM-Motori still manufacture this engine, it's now called the VM-Motori SUN engine.

The VM-Motori company has been a corporate football, it's had half a dozen owners in the last 30 years, although they originally commenced business in 1947. They were bought by General Motors in 1995 via their Detroit Diesel Corporation division. Then DDC was bought up by Daimler-Chrysler, who put VM-Motori under the Daimler Trucks of North America division.

Then Penske Corp bought 50% of VM-Motori off DDC in 2003, and then bought the other 50% in 2007, making Penske Corp 100% owners of VM-Motori.

 

In a staggering bit of corporate manoeuvring, Penske then sold 50% of VM-Motori to General Motors! In 2011, Fiat Powertrain Technologies (FPT) bought Penske's 50% shareholding in VM-Motori, and in 2013, FPT bought the remaining 50% of VM-Motori off GM, and FPT now fully own VM-Motori.

VM-Motori are a large engine manufacturer, they make tens of thousands of water-cooled diesel car engines, and supply them to dozens of manufacturers. They even have factories in China.

 

The generator is a Japanese-built Taiyo, these are the "Caterpillar" of generators, built like a Mack truck, and superb quality. The generator alone weighs 230kgs! 

I've picked this little 19KVA rig up for $3,700, and all I need to do, is install a power board with plug outlets on it, so it can be fully portable. It was originally hardwired into the power system.

Fortunately, I just happen to have a new 20KVA powerboard on hand, it comes complete with generator gauges, amp, volt and frequency meters, as well as 3 phase plugs.

 

This little genset uses about 2-2.5L/hr of diesel, and it costs me nothing when it's not running! Overall, it's a vastly cheaper option for 3 phase power for my big compressor and tyre changer and bandsaw, than a Western Power connection, where I would still have to pay a monthly power supply charge (which is around $25 month), even when I'm not using any power!

 

[facthunter]

The connection would increase  the value of your property. $20K for 50 miles is CHEAP.   Nev

[Grumpy Old Nasho]

Any supply would be better than the one I have ... it's a normal 240V connection, but close to 300 outages since 2013. Each outage, whether long or very brief, requires electronic devices to be switched back on or re-set. Only about 20 of that 300 were notified outages for wire and pole maintenance, usually 8 hr duration. Many times I've lost my typed text on the computer, and had to start all over again. I keep a list of all outages to shove in a politicians face one day.

[maxhr54]

Thanks everyone, i have chosen to 'opt out' of the meter 'upgrade'.

too many horror stories on my local community facebook page.

in addition, a close friend has had to go to the energy ombudsman in NSW over smart meter billing issues.

(he won both times btw)

 

I don't have solar panels, i don't have batteries, my bill is around $300 per quarter, pretty much the same every quarter.

So adopting the phrase, " If it ain't broke, don't fix it' , i opted out.

 

AGL will probably try to pluck me over with something else, so i'm sure this will be an ongoing neverending story......

[onetrack]

Nev, the mains power is 50 METRES away from my block, not 50 miles!! My corner boundary is behind the small tree in the orange circle. The neighbour has power to his shed, he had it connected many years ago, possibly the late 1970's, and I'll wager it only cost him a minimal figure, back in the days before the CORPORATES invaded the W.A. State Electricity Commission, and the charges for everything went ballistic.

 

 

[spacesailor]

Tap your neighbour,  for an " emergency "  lead . 

To a shed you will construct .

spacesailor.

[onetrack]

I have owned my block for 5 years, and I've only seen the owner of the shed and block next door, just once in that time, about 3 weeks ago. And the only reason I saw him (and spoke to him) was because he's cleaning the block up to sell it.

The bloke was so ignorant, that he didn't even bother introducing himself, even though I did. So I still don't even know his name.

The shed belonged to his father, who died around 10-12 years ago and the place has virtually been abandoned since the owner died. I have zero chance of acquiring any power from his property.

[rgmwa]

What's his block worth?

[onetrack]

Good point. A local truckie came to me asking if I thought it was suitable for operating his road trains out of - because he liked it and wanted to buy it. I had to advise him he'd have to get the zoning changed, and get council approval, as it is currently zoned only for "light commercial" use, and not "transport" use. As it's right in town with houses to the left of the above photo, I couldn't see him getting rezoning approval.

 

However, the truckie apparently found the owner and came back with a gloomy face, saying he told him would probably be looking for around $70,000 for it. I think the truckie thought he was going to get it pretty cheap.

As the truckie has just bought a house in town, he might be a bit cash-strapped. When I spoke to the shed owner, he indicated he was going to put the block and shed up for offers, and I wouldn't be in the least surprised to see some real estate agent tell him he can get $100,000 for it.

[facthunter]

Then UP go YOUR rates.  Nev

[onetrack]

I can't complain if they do go up, this council is the 4th cheapest Shire in W.A. They don't spend money like water on councillors dreams, and they have low debt.

When I first bought the block 5 yrs ago, the rates were $538 annually, now it's gone up, I paid a whopping $790 this year! The block is 2047 sq m., and it's zoned light industrial.

[facthunter]

Depends on what you GET for the money.. Nev

[onetrack]

I don't need much supplied by the council to meet my needs. They've got satisfactory roads, I don't pay for rubbish removal, and don't need it (I take a ute load of rubbish up to the local tip whenever it builds up, every 2 or 3 mths), and that's free to dump. I don't need a huge town swimming pool, or other major public facility that ends up under-utilised and a drain on taxpayers. I don't need to pay for councillors expensive junkets, and they keep them to a bare minimum.

I have to pay an emergency services levy, but every landowner in the State does that, it's not a huge burden, and I like having the SES, and Firies, and other State Govt services on hand, when needed.

The council keep their plant and equipment in good order and regularly replace it, and the Federal Govt gives them lots of grants to do that, and to upgrade major roads. All in all, I'm pretty happy with the way the local council performs.

[Grumpy Old Nasho]

Lucky you ... my local council charges me for sewage, and I don't even have sewage. I complained about it and they told me to get lost.

[onetrack]

Sewerage runs past my block, and it's not connected, and I don't need it. I can install my own septic system if I wish, provided it uses less than 500 litres a day. Over 500 l/day, I am obliged to connect to the sewerage system.

[nomadpete]

1 hour ago, onetrack said:

. I can install my own septic system if I wish, provided it uses less than 500 litres a day. Over 500 l/day, I am obliged to connect to the sewerage system.

About a hundred number 2 flushes per day. Now that's a lotta shit!

[spacesailor]

How about those " dry toilets " ,

When full you take it for ' garden compost ' , the smell goes up high by a ' solar ' powered extraction fan .

The competition opposite of the " hole in the ground " . Just half a dozen steps up to the throne. 

North Richmond area have " spray on the lawn " toilets . Great untill the " power outage " . Then the sxxit smells awful  .

spacesailor