Dieter Hortsmann
Tyagarah
Remember the days when the ‘meter man’ got around reading up our electricity usage? Then he got a camera, just taking a photo of the meter and the computer had to read and calculate. Today I believe the computer does it without the ‘meter man’ getting around.
Two principles are here: we pay for the service providing a max of kilowatt peak-time usage and we pay for the used kilowatt itself. If you reduce the peak-time usage you pay less. The computer man cannot only read my meter, he can restrict my peak significantly. I don’t have to switch on all my electrical appliances at one time with ‘intelligent power points’, I spread the action over the day and night.
If the sun is shining, the washing machine runs on your solar panels. These panels you have invested in make you a ‘power producer’ and when the electricity prices are rising further, you buy batteries for the dark time.
This makes sense to me if you live in isolated areas, but if you go for batteries living in Mullum, something goes wrong.
Here we have a better, cheaper and cleaner energy 24/7. We all don’t have to become ‘energy experts’ to go there understanding the change in technology, finding new ways to be more environmentally friendly and save money in the end.
Competition and politics drives the experts and companies to find the way for us if we are sensitive and express our will to pay value for money.
So when you vote on 8 September for your council, ask the candidates the following questions and judge the answers for yourself.
Can we save money using biogas from landfill for power production? Can we reduce waste with pyrolyse/digester making more biogas? Can we manage that and more as a research and development pilot project in this shire with a benefit to the community? Can we become a leading shire and improve our facilities?
I believe all the answers can be yes; it just needs the right spirit and people.
