BACKGROUND: ELECTRICITY

n , most people live in ‘all-electric’ homes, Tasmania’s hydro dams generate nearly all the electricity Iand rely on electricity to cover all of their household used by households, businesses and large industries in energy requirements. The State Government owns the State. Windfarms, the Tamar Valley Power Station, the businesses that collectively provide electricity which uses gas, and roof-top solar panels contribute to Tasmanian households: Hydro Tas, TasNetworks, a small amount of electricity to the grid. At present, and Aurora Energy. Before 1998, the Hydro Electric windfarms deliver about 7% of Tasmania’s electricity, Corporation delivered all electricity services in and more capacity is under development. Each year, Tasmania—generation, transmission, distribution about 10% of the State’s electricity is imported via and retail. In 1998, the business became three the undersea Interconnector. The State separate entities, with responsible for Government policy, in line with the recommendations generation, Transend responsible for transmission, and of the Tasmanian Energy Security Taskforce Report Aurora Energy responsible for distribution and retail aims at achieving sufficient on-island generation to services. This arrangement was restructured in 2014. meet all Tasmania’s energy needs. Development of The transmission and distribution services merged to additional resources, such as pumped Hydro, is under become TasNetworks, leaving Aurora responsible only consideration alongside the additional wind generation for retail services. Because in Tasmania, electricity has capacity. The development of pumped Hydro would likely always been delivered by a publicly owned utility or make available greater amounts of energy for sale into system of utilities, many of us, including young people, the NEM, with potential implications for investing in a still refer to the ‘Hydro bill’.¹ second interconnector to the mainland.

Tasmania’s electricity businesses are publicly owned The Basslink Interconnector transfers electricity between monopolies, and as such are subject to economic Tasmania and Victoria, and connects the state physically regulation. The Office of the Tasmanian Economic to the National Energy Market (NEM). This can benefit Regulator (OTTER) is responsible for regulating Hydro Tas Tasmania because we can import energy from the NEM, and Aurora. TasNetworks, like all networks in the National for example, when the dams are at low levels and we are Energy Market, is subject to regulation by the Australian waiting for rainfall to replenish them, and export energy Energy Regulator. when on-island resources are plentiful and mainland prices are high. Consideration of a second interconnector is underway, pending feasibility studies of increased generation opportunities.

¹ This description does not apply to energy supply arrangements on Bass Strait Islands. The Bass Strait Islands are not connected to the NEM or the Tasmanian grid. While we did not target residents of the Bass Strait Islands for this report, one online survey respondent self-identifies as a King Island resident.

4 TASCOSS: OUR VOICES ENERGY: THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF TASMANIAN CONSUMERS At present, windfarms deliver about 7% of Tasmania’s electricity, and more capacity is under development.

4 TASCOSS: OUR VOICES ENERGY: THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF TASMANIAN CONSUMERS TASCOSS: OUR VOICES ENERGY: THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF TASMANIAN CONSUMERS 5 BACKGROUND: ELECTRICITY

The public ownership and main source of electricity Approximately 230,000 households are connected to in Tasmania (hydro generation) have been reasonably electricity, as customers of Aurora Energy. In 2015-16, stable over many years. However, the energy there were 209 762 retail residential customers on a environment is facing significant disruption at an standard tariff, and 26 670 customers on the Aurora unprecedented rate of change. New opportunities and Pay As You Go (APAYG) tariff.⁴ Concession customers challenges are already in play with respect to generation. are 38.7% of the total, 91 410 households.⁵ Concession People have choices that go well beyond simply paying customers are over represented on the APAYG tariff, a ‘Hydro bill’. As in other jurisdictions, technologies such slightly over half the customers on this tariff receive as battery storage and distributed generation will play concessions. an increasing role in Tasmania’s energy mix. Energy costs as a proportion of household expenditure The retail environment is also changing. The door to increased substantially in the ten years from 2006 to traditional retail competition has been open since 2014, 2016. For the average Tasmanian household, annual but to date no new retailer has joined the Tasmanian expenditure on energy grew from $1 317 (2006) to residential market. The small business sector has $2 181 (2016).⁶ Tasmanians also tend to use more attracted a second retailer, which has only a small energy per household than in other states, due to the market share. Both residential and business consumers need for heating homes during cold winters.⁷ People on can now engage with many more providers of energy the lowest incomes tend to live in the oldest, coldest services and equipment. and least energy efficient homes, and these are the most difficult and expensive to keep warm. The burden of Tasmania has a small population of about 537,000, and expensive heating costs in winter is a constant refrain resulting diseconomies of scale. Tasmania is the poorest throughout our consultations. state of Australia: 31.3% of Tasmania’s population are in the most disadvantaged socioeconomic status In 2015-16, a low income Tasmanian household with no quintile (one-fifth) of Australia’s population, a higher concession on the standing offer price was paying 8.5% proportion than for any other State or Territory.² The of its disposable income on electricity. If receiving an median household weekly income in Tasmania is $1,100 energy concession, the household was spending 6.4% of compared to the Australian figure of $1,438, and 26.3% its disposable income.⁸ of households had a weekly household income of less than $650.³

² Eslake, S. Education, Productivity and Economic Performance: Tasmania Then, Now and Tomorrow Address to the Launceston Historical Society, 16 March 2017, p 9.

³ ABS 2016 Census Quickstats Tasmania available at http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/6?opendocument

⁴ Aurora also offers a time of use (TOU) tariff, which has very low numbers of users.

⁵ Office of the Tasmanian Economic Regulator Energy in Tasmania 2015-16 available at http://www.economicregulator.tas.gov.au/Documents/2015-16-Energy-in-Tasmania-Report---final-web-pdf.PDF

⁶ Phillips, B. (2017) Research Note: Household Energy Costs in Australia 2006 to 2016. http://rsss.anu.edu.au/sites/default/files/Household%20Expenditure%20on%20Electricity%20Trends.pdf

⁷ Heating takes more energy than cooling, so Tasmania’s winter costs are not fully off-set by the higher summer costs in warmer states.

⁸ AER Annual Report on the Performance of the Retail Energy Market 2015-16.

6 TASCOSS: OUR VOICES ENERGY: THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF TASMANIAN CONSUMERS Expenditure on energy in Tasmania and other states as a percentage of disposable household income⁹

0% 3% 6% 9%

TAS

SA

QLD

NSW Low income Low income concession Medium income High income

VIC

Note: As the above is based upon the median offer, the proportion on income will vary depending on whether a ACT customer is on a median or higher priced option including the standing offer.

Source: ACCC/AER analysis, ABS Survey of Income and Housing (catalogue 6553.0), ABS Consumer Price Index (catalogue 6401), ABS Wage Price Index (catalogue 6345).

⁹ Rod Simms ACCC Chair, 20th September 2017. https://www.accc.gov.au/speech/shining-a-light-australia%E2%80%99s-gas-and-electricity-affordability-problem

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Hydro Tas supplies nearly all the electricity used in Tasmania. Consequently, in exceptional circumstances, the State Government as the business owner can instruct Hydro Tas to adjust its charges for the energy it Table 7.1 provides to Tasmanians. To achieve this, the Government Customers (electricity) also needs to amend legislation applying to the 2011-12 to 2015-16 Economic Regulator, who is responsible for setting the price according to specific regulations. In 2017, wholesale electricity prices in the NEM were rising sharply, while the cost of generating electricity within Tasmania remained relatively stable. In response, the capped price increases for Tasmanian electricity users at around 2% for households for the 2017-18 financial year.¹⁰

While Tasmania lacks the extensive range of providers, tariffs and offers that exist in other jurisdictions, energy bills and tariffs remain complex and many people find them hard to understand. Most people are on the standing offer and receive a bill with two tariffs, each with a different supply charge and cost per KwH. Bills for homes with roof-top solar have additional complexity. The Aurora Pay As You Go (APAYG) system has a complicated time of use structure, with seasonal as well as daily variations.¹¹

¹⁰ http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/bills/Bills2017/26_of_2017.htm

¹¹ https://www.auroraenergy.com.au/your-home/aurora-pay-as-you-go/aurora- pay-as-you-go-rates-and-charges

8 TASCOSS: OUR VOICES ENERGY: THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF TASMANIAN CONSUMERS OTTER Table of Standing Offer and PAYG customers:¹²

2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16

Standing Offer

Residential customers 190,494 194,901 199,487 204,936 209,762

Residential customers with a concession 72,030 74,177 76,325 77,581 (excluding APAYG customers)

Small business customers 33,467 32,813 32,315 32,885 30,579

2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16

Market Offer

Residential Customers (APAYG) 35,561 33,158 30,640 29,612 26,670

APAYG customers with a concession 15,751 14,253 14,701 13,829

Small business customers 3,497 3,550 3,671 2,996 5,479

Large business customers 1,723 1,816 2,036 1,761 1,753

¹² Electricity Customers in Tasmania 2011-12 – 2015-16, Energy in Tasmania Report 2015-16 Office of the Tasmanian Economic Regulator http://www.economicregulator.tas.gov.au/Documents/2015-16-Energy-in-Tasmania-Report---final-web-pdf.PDF

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