Amid an energy crisis that is leading to politicians asking residents to consider not running the dishwasher, some Illawarra residents are breathing a sigh of relief.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Homeowners with solar systems installed, and some with batteries, are able to feed much needed power back into the grid while cutting their energy bills.
For Calderwood resident Glenda Hunter, having a 13.2 kilowatt array of panels on her roof gives her a feeling of security when energy prices start to rise.
"It was just that peace of mind," she said. "I could have the air conditioner and the dryer on, not think about how many hours the kids spent on their Xbox across the weekend, and then not not freaking out when the electricity bill came in every quarter."
vPrior to installing the system on her new home in Calderwood, Ms Hunter's energy bill came in at about $1000 a quarter.
"It was one of our biggest bills and the dread when that bill came in," she said.
Ms Hunter's home has ducted air conditioning and her family installed a spa.
"When we put that in, we instantly saw our electricity bills have a huge increase, and then once we had the solar put in, we saw it go the other way."
The solar system was installed in April 2021 and although it came with a price tag of nearly $20,000, this was defrayed by a government rebate of $6500 and the balance paid off in monthly instalments.
"Our system will be fully paid for probably within three years, and then anything after that is an absolute bonus," Ms Hunter said.
Ms Hunter said she is still cautious of not using large amounts of energy during the evening, as governments and regulators attempt to head off a power shortfall.
The Mercury spoke with Illawarra residents on Thursday and heard a range of views on how the energy crisis is impacting residents.
Brain Quartermaine, of Robertson, a self described "stingy" energy user, said he wasn't too concerned about high electricity bill going up, but that the NSW state government had gotten itself into this predicament by selling off the poles and wires in the mid 2010s.
"What can you do about it? You can't make it any cheaper, [and] it's going to hurt people who can't afford it."
The impact on those who can least afford it also concerned East Corrimal social worker Deanne Dale.
"People in poverty have to face higher bills all around, including energy prices," she said.
"There'll be greater dependence on community organisations for vouchers and whatnot."
On Wednesday, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) took the unprecedented step of shutting down the electricity spot price market in all states except Western Australia.
A price cap was already applied on Monday, but by Wednesday evening the regulator said it had become impossible to operate the market to ensure a secure and reliable supply of electricity as generators removed supply.
Previously, AEMO had asked and then demanded generators increase supply as coal-fired power stations shut down, high global gas prices led to gas-fired power stations becoming uncompetitive and demand increased during an early winter cold snap.
"The situation in recent days has posed challenges to the entire energy industry, and suspending the market would simplify operations during the significant outages across the energy supply chain," AEMO CEO Daniel Westerman said.
Woonona resident Sandra Mercer questioned how governments had let the energy market get to such a state.
"It couldn't have just happened, we must have known about this for a long time," she said.
The widespread disruption to the energy market has also seen one of the first instances of large energy users selling unneeded power back into the grid.
Known as negawatts, BlueScope and other large industrial energy users advocated for the mechanism which was finalised in October 2021.
During periods of extreme demand, such as evenings this week, major energy users can sell the reduction in their demand directly into the market.
According to energy market website WattClarity, on Monday night, 17 megawatts was sold back into the grid by users in NSW and Victoria. While only a small dent in the forecasted 623 MW capacity reserve shortfall, the mechanism is one example of the extraordinary lengths the energy market is going to in order to keep the lights on.
For Ms Hunter, there is a more prosaic way of staying warm in the case of a blackout. A neighbour has a battery connected to their solar system and has offered a standing invitation to come up for a cuppa.
Colin Eshman, of West Wollongong has a more positive spin on the situation.
"Tonight I'm smoking salmon on charcoal," he said. "I've got a couple of candles and a good torch and I'm good to go. It's like camping - great fun!"
If all else fails, Ms Hunter is warmed by the knowledge that she won't get a shock from her energy bill at the end of the June quarter.
"With everything that's going on it is a thought in my head that 'Gee, we we really did the right thing.'"
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Illawarra Mercury website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.
