State’s Premier Provider of Electricity Silently Slugs its Green Energy Customers with Further Price Hikes

31 July 2009

Jacinta Goerke
Journalist

A DECISION by Synergy to significantly increase the cost of renewable energy as from tomorrow (1 August 2009) has outraged environmental groups, scientists and the general public.

Director of Wise Earth Pty Ltd and Order of Australia recipient Mr Garry Baverstock said the unsubstantiated and unpublicised price hike is sending shock waves through the renewable energy sector and supporters of green energy initiatives.

“While Synergy customers are still coming to terms with the recent 25 per cent price rise that took place on 1 April and 1 July respectively, people buying green energy are soon to be slugged with up to a further 20 per cent price hike,” said Mr Baverstock.

“This means if you are buying green energy from Synergy you can now expect to pay close to double what you were paying six months ago,” he said.

Mr Baverstock said Synergy offered three main green options to residential consumers: EasyGreen where one could pay for ‘blocks’ of green power; NaturalPower where one pays a few extra cents for every kilowatt-hour (kWh) and Earth Friendly which is a carbon offset choice.

“Yet each green option has new charges,” he said. “If you previously bought blocks of green power valued at $30 on an EasyGreen plan you were given 682kWh, yet as of tomorrow you will only receive 492kWh which is significantly less green energy for your money.

“If you are on a NaturalPower plan you are currently paying an extra 4.4 cents per kilowatt-hour and as tomorrow you will be paying 6.1 cents per kilowatt-hour,” he said.

Mr Baverstock said this decision by Synergy to specifically target green energy supporters did not add up and he queried whether its calculations were a true reflection of cost increases at wind farms connected to the electricity grid.

He said the government entity promoted itself as being committed to the environment, to the community and to its customers, yet he wondered how many people believed this statement.

“If anything, there should be no difference in whether a person wants to buy renewable or non-renewable power,” said Mr Baverstock.

Mr Gary Warden, a NaturalPower consumer and Al Gore Ambassador said the Synergy price hike will reinforce Western Australia’s position as the worst in the country in regard to adapting to green power.

“Unlike other Australian states and territories, Western Australia is in an unenviable position as being the least supportive of green energy consumption in this country.

“According to the Federal Government’s GreenPower program and ABS data less than one per cent of Western Australians purchase green energy compared to 16 per cent in Victoria; between 12 and 13 per cent in Queensland and South Australia; and between eight and nine per cent in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory,” said Mr Warden.

“If anything, we Western Australians and our representative government enterprises need to take a long hard look at ourselves to see what we can do to catch up with the rest of Australia,” he said.

Tornado and Fierce Storms Reignite Interest in How We Build Structures and Prepare for Disasters

29 June 2009

Jacinta Goerke
Journalist

WESTERN Australia’s leading environmental architect Mr Garry Baverstock said rapid change was required in the way we build and renovate our properties and prepare for disasters.

Mr Baverstock who is the director of Wise Earth Pty Ltd and Order of Australia recipient said the increase in reported damage as a result of tornados and severe storms in recent years has reinforced the need for people to rethink the way they build structures and prepare for catastrophes.

“Most houses and buildings in and around Perth and the southwest will not withstand ongoing cyclones, severe storms and tornados,” said Mr Baverstock.

Mr Baverstock referred to the tornado that rampaged through Bunbury Friday last and cited coastal towns and suburbs, including Mandurah and Rockingham, as new hot spots for disasters.

He said many new homes did not comply with sustainable principles and people should feel short-changed if problems started to occur in their homes within ten years.

“A significant shift in building practices is necessary if homes and buildings are to sustain severe storms,” he said.

“The tie-down on roofing needs to be more solid, windows need to be stronger and houses should be designed to complement the surrounding environment,” he said.

Mr Baverstock said houses in Germany and Switzerland were built to ‘last the distance’ and Australian builders needed to construct sturdier structures.

He said investing extra money up front to construct a durable home will be cheaper to maintain in the long run and won’t fly away in a storm.

Mr Baverstock said people keen to live in solid homes should tell their architects, builders and local councils to adopt sustainable building policies and designs.

“If enough people place pressure on builders and local councils then building codes will change.

“The knowledge, technology and courses for built environment professionals are available, yet the take-up rate is low which explains why many architects and builders are unfamiliar with sustainable principles.

He said Murdoch University ran courses in sustainable design.

Mr Baverstock said the Bunbury tornado highlighted the urgent need for the state government to create a comprehensive disaster prevention and recovery policy.

He referred to the Auditor General’s ‘Coming Ready of Not: Preparing for Large Scale Emergencies’ report issued last month in which it was found state and local governments were unprepared for large scale emergencies, including storms and bushfires. (Ref: http://www.governmentnews.com.au/news/article/UWJQOZFULV.html)

“It is critical we act now in the creation of strategies that ensure Western Australians will know what to do before, during and after future disasters.

He said the City of Bunbury did not have a cyclone warning and planning policy and suggested it review those in place in other councils, such as at the Shire of Roebourne.

If it had a comprehensive cyclone and tornado policy then people on affected streets would have known what to do to prepare for and minimise damage that occurred.

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