NSW residents already burned by higher electricity prices
By Rhys Haynes
The Daily Telegraph
December 01, 2009
THOUSANDS of NSW residents are already battling to pay electricity bills even before the looming threat of significant price rises over the next three years.
Data obtained by The Daily Telegraph from big electricity sellers showed more than 10,000 NSW customers had fallen behind and asked for deferred or reduced payments.
The news followed a The Daily Telegraph report yesterday that the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal would allow power prices to soar a staggering 60 per cent in the next three years, adding more than $400 to the average household power bill.
The state's three major retailers said yesterday they were offering assistance to more than 10,000 customers battling to pay bills, with Integral Energy's hardship customers totalling 5770, EnergyAustralia helping 2882 customers and Country Energy with more than 3000 on hardship programs.
The NSW Consumer Credit Legal Centre said families and pensioners in Sydney's outer suburbs would be most affected.
"We certainly get calls from people who have a long list of unpaid bills including electricity," Centre co-ordinator Karen Cox said. "It is commonly people on very limited incomes, low income families or pensions and they are going to cope very poorly with any further price increases."
NSW Energy and Water Ombudsman Clare Petre said the number of complaints made by members of the public about electricity retailers had surged 21 per cent to 7008 in the 2008/09 financial year.
Energy Minister John Robertson, who fiercely opposed electricity privatisation as Unions NSW boss yesterday admitted some people could struggle with higher costs.
"Those (IPART) figures as estimates are high and obviously . . . we will be going over it with a fine tooth comb so that we can ensure that we can get the balance right between a reliable electricity supply and the cost to consumers," he said.
The IPART report, out on December 15, shows country families and businesses to be hardest hit with rural power bills rising by just over 60 per cent by mid-2013.
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