HelensvaleHoward Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 We had our electric bill recently $880 for the quarter Pool, lots of aircon running plenty of computers running But we have solar to help Quarter before that was $560 No Gas at all now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patphillips47 Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 Would you mind me asking how you don't have a water bill to pay???? I kinda get here certain bills to what we're used to in the UK don't exist here (TV license, council tax etc) Don't things work out different to a rented and bought property??? Thanks for the replies thou! Some rural property's have only rainwater pumped into the house and maybe bore water for gardens etc hence no water bills Sewerage is by septic tank in these properties South Australia by the way a while ago had the distinction of having the highest electricity bills anywhere so Solar Panels is the way to go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JockinTas Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 Some rural property's have only rainwater pumped into the house and maybe bore water for gardens etc hence no water bills Sewerage is by septic tank in these properties South Australia by the way a while ago had the distinction of having the highest electricity bills anywhere so Solar Panels is the way to go I used to stay with friends on a rural property. Tank water and septic hence no rates. They also had to take all their rubbish to the tip themselves. If they had no rain for a good while then they had to buy in town water delivered in a huge tanker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eera Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 Guessing your house is not built to cyclone standards or you are in a flood area? that or your tin roof is not really tin! Lack of competition; the far north only gets a couple of insurers who are willing to cover it and they charge whatever they like. It's kind of dumb as the amount of claims put through from Brisbane with their complete lack of cyclone rods is way larger than the north. We all get tarred with the same brush; part of my town got flooded, and though I made no claim and had zero chance of being flooded by virtue of elevation my insurance went up x 5 the next year. My last insurer made me make compulsory tsunami insurance payments. Seriously, I'm up a hill. if I need to claim on tsunami we've got waaaay bigger things to worry about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patphillips47 Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 I used to stay with friends on a rural property. Tank water and septic hence no rates. They also had to take all their rubbish to the tip themselves. If they had no rain for a good while then they had to buy in town water delivered in a huge tanker. We're moving onto a rural property with our son when we go back to Adelaide in April The garden is all on drippers etc from a header tank up from the bore We looked at the property in Janaury and it was so green in the SA summer House water is rainwater but tanks are huge so don't think that will be a problem Just wondering about taste as its different ! The property has an acre of Chardonnay grapes ,it's in the McLaren Vale wine region so thinking hubby and I could get a new hobby eh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucharmily Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 Are you renting? Unless things have changed in the last year, landlord pays water rates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucharmily Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 Just to clarify that's the NT, not necesarily the case elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 We're moving onto a rural property with our son when we go back to Adelaide in April The garden is all on drippers etc from a header tank up from the bore We looked at the property in Janaury and it was so green in the SA summer House water is rainwater but tanks are huge so don't think that will be a problem Just wondering about taste as its different ! The property has an acre of Chardonnay grapes ,it's in the McLaren Vale wine region so thinking hubby and I could get a new hobby eh We have rain water and any for drinking is run through a chilled filter machine. Very few people i have met did not like the taste and the majority of my friends find town water yukky to drink. Have fun in your new home, we love being on acreage and semi rural. Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JockinTas Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 We have rain water and any for drinking is run through a chilled filter machine. Very few people i have met did not like the taste and the majority of my friends find town water yukky to drink. Have fun in your new home, we love being on acreage and semi rural. Cal x Yes, tank water tastes much better. No doubt about it. I was always surprised at how cold it was too. My friends had two tanks. One was kind of underground and the other on the south side of the house so always in the shade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 we got our 1st electric bill through. We paid the initial instalment fee of $111 something something 2 weeks after moving in. We moved in ......12th? November and we got our bill today so *counts* 4 months.... $565 Now not having a electric bill yet, it said we're below the average Darwin resident in consumption which is good but if we're below average, does that mean there are higher bills out there!!!??? Being paid by some other poor bugger???!!! That's higher than I paid when I was in Sydney - however, our electricity here in sunny Southampton costs us about the same as yours - and we didn't turn on our radiators until late January, and we only have them on for three hours a night! So it sounds to me like you're doing pretty well. A couple of things you could check to save money - what's your air con set at? In summer, it should be set at 21 to 23 degrees. If you set it any lower than that, it's costing you a sh*t load of extra money without making things any more comfortable. A lot of people set it at 18 or 20 degrees and then wonder why their bill is so high! Many people also imagine that setting it really low will make it cool down faster - it doesn't, it makes difference at all. Also some modern TV's are a big culprit. Just try putting your hand over the top of the TV and see how much heat is coming off it - your air con is having to work harder to get rid of all that extra heat. So don't keep the TV on if you're not watching it, switch on the radio instead. Also switch the TV off completely at night - leaving it on standby is like leaving all the lights in the house on all night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patphillips47 Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 We have rain water and any for drinking is run through a chilled filter machine. Very few people i have met did not like the taste and the majority of my friends find town water yukky to drink. Have fun in your new home, we love being on acreage and semi rural. Cal x Adelaide years ago had terrible water it was said two places ships didn't take on water were Adelaide and Aiden ! My first ever washing whites was a disaster all brown stains from the water Living in the UK now in the North East the water is beaut but we will no doubt get used to a different taste when we get back -or drink wine :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 Yes, tank water tastes much better. No doubt about it. I was always surprised at how cold it was too. My friends had two tanks. One was kind of underground and the other on the south side of the house so always in the shade. I was put off tank water when I lived in Victoria. We were house-sitting in a house that had tank water. While we were there, the tank sprang a leak and had to be drained to fix the hole. They found a rat skeleton at the bottom of the tank!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JockinTas Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 I was put off tank water when I lived in Victoria. We were house-sitting in a house that had tank water. While we were there, the tank sprang a leak and had to be drained to fix the hole. They found a rat skeleton at the bottom of the tank!!! :elvis: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huntersmummy Posted March 4, 2016 Author Share Posted March 4, 2016 Huntersmummy, you shouldn't have to pay council rates or water rates if you are renting. Ahhh no no we don't. Well the council part anyways. Excuse me for being thick but is there a difference between water rates and water bills?? Because if not, I'm getting swindled somewhere if i don't have to pay water but i get a bill??!! *confused* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JockinTas Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 Ahhh no no we don't. Well the council part anyways. Excuse me for being thick but is there a difference between water rates and water bills?? Because if not, I'm getting swindled somewhere if i don't have to pay water but i get a bill??!! *confused* The landlord should be paying the water rates but perhaps you are paying the 'excess' water. We paid $15 excess water - probably because we've had a very dry summer so had to water the garden a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huntersmummy Posted March 4, 2016 Author Share Posted March 4, 2016 That's higher than I paid when I was in Sydney - however, our electricity here in sunny Southampton costs us about the same as yours - and we didn't turn on our radiators until late January, and we only have them on for three hours a night! So it sounds to me like you're doing pretty well. A couple of things you could check to save money - what's your air con set at? In summer, it should be set at 21 to 23 degrees. If you set it any lower than that, it's costing you a sh*t load of extra money without making things any more comfortable. A lot of people set it at 18 or 20 degrees and then wonder why their bill is so high! [/Quote] So the air con until needs to be a higher temp? We did go through a stage of having *no joke* 23 fans around the house going to try save NOT using the air con. Christ it was like being in a wind farm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 Ahhh no no we don't. Well the council part anyways. Excuse me for being thick but is there a difference between water rates and water bills?? Because if not, I'm getting swindled somewhere if i don't have to pay water but i get a bill??!! *confused* Maybe the confusion is because it depends on the state. In Sydney, you didn't pay water bills if you rented a flat, but you did if you rented a house. I think it's the same in NT, but not 100% sure. In some states, tenants don't pay water bills at all, and in other states they don't pay the water rates (i.e. the standing charge) but they do have to pay for the water they use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huntersmummy Posted March 4, 2016 Author Share Posted March 4, 2016 The landlord should be paying the water rates but perhaps you are paying the 'excess' water. We paid $15 excess water - probably because we've had a very dry summer so had to water the garden a lot. Ahh you know i think thats the 125,000 KL and if we go over.....ahhhh.....see? A little bit of help and you make an old girl like myself not worry So thank you Taz! xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 Excuse me for being thick but is there a difference between water rates and water bills?? Because if not, I'm getting swindled somewhere if i don't have to pay water but i get a bill??!! *confused* Your water authority levies water rates. The account they send you demanding money for your water is the bill. So we are essentially talking about the same thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 So the air con until needs to be a higher temp? We did go through a stage of having *no joke* 23 fans around the house going to try save NOT using the air con. Christ it was like being in a wind farm. Yes, definitely. Every single extra degree of cooling costs you dollars. In a Darwin summer I would be setting it at 23 degrees. Think about it - if we were on a summer holiday, most of us would be delighted if it was 23 degrees, and we'd be moaning if it was only 18 or 20 degrees. So why on earth would you want your house to be that cold? Unless you're doing aerobics in the lounge, you don't need it that cold. You may say your air conditioning isn't getting the house that cold - but that just means it's not working well. Setting it at a lower temperature won't make it work any better. You could look at cleaning or replacing the filters, but if you're renting it may just be a duff air conditioner. One huge tip - if you've got windows that get morning sun, ALWAYS close the blinds or curtains before you go to bed. You'll be surprised what a difference that makes - the sun blazing in through windows is a major source of heat, that's why office blocks have air conditioning vents that blow across the windows. Unfortunately because Australian houses have rubbish insulation, you may find a lot of your heat is from the sun beating down on your uninsulated roof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bristle Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 Water $75/qtr (usage only as we rent), electricity $230/qtr, no gas. Billed every two months so calculated using last 3 bills. Only two of us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmjg Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 Down here: $200 gas (averaged due to ducted central heating) $200 water $250 electricity (averaged due to 1.5 kW solar) $280 rates. Per Quarter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessica Berry Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 We had a 3kw solar system put in 4.5 years ago, since then we haven't paid an electricity bill or gas bill (we use the remaining credit to pay our gas bill). One year we had enough left over to pay a water bill as well! We love our solar system! Our council rates are also much cheaper here in Adelaide than in the UK. For us, if we ever decided to live back in the UK we feel our standard of living would drop and so would our disposable income! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quinkla Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 We have Electricity - $600 every two months (=$900 a quarter) Gas - $600+ a quarter in winter and $100 a quarter in summer Water - $400 a quarter Rates - $600 a quarter It adds up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sustain Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 So the idea with the cherry being popped is not a sexual one I'm afraid.??? tisk tisk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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