How three hours of free Solar Sharer power can cost you more
About this episode
Ty Christopher discusses how the design of Solar Sharer could lead to higher costs for some households despite offering free electricity.
Three hours of free electricity sounds like a great deal, but Solar Sharer could leave some households paying more. Energy Futures Network director and electrical engineer, Ty Christopher argues a good policy has been undermined by the way it was designed and regulated. He says higher daily supply charges and higher electricity prices outside the free period mean some households may need to shift hundreds of dollars’ worth of energy use just to break even. Christopher argues the Australian Energy Regulator gave too much weight to “retailer viability” and not enough to the original goal of cutting consumers’ bills. He explains what went wrong, who might still benefit from Solar Sharer, and why consumers need to do the numbers very carefully before signing up.
People in this episode
Guest: Ty Christopher
Topics covered
- solar energy
- electricity pricing
- consumer bills
- energy regulation
- policy design
Keywords
- Solar Sharer
- free electricity
- energy costs
- Australian Energy Regulator
- consumer bills
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Australian Energy Regulator, Solar Sharer
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