lb-1If you live in Australia, though your last electricity bill was a shocker, the friendly people at IPART – that’s Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal if you feel like writing somebody a letter – seems happy to tell us we ain’t seen nothing yet.

From July 1 this year, electricity prices in New South Wales are set to begin a steady – no, make that steep – climb that won’t end until 2013. By that time, your electricity bill will be 64% heavier on your wallet. Turns out 42% of that is due to NSW Government regulatory demands – thanks very much, guys – and 22% of that comes from The Federal Government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme – thanks, Kevin.

That will likely push up rates to around 36cents per kilowatt – so if you have a 250-watt big-screen TV (and there are plenty that chew through more power than that), you’ll be paying around nine cents an hour in electricity.

If you run the TV an average of five hours a day over the year, that’ll be $164.25 in electricity. Probably doesn’t sound like much but just to run that one device – we’re not talking about PS3s, Xbox 360s, computers, notebooks or anything else. Just one device.

And before those of you in other states start crowing – don’t think you’ll be immune to these rises.

IPART Chairman and chief executive Jim Cox has been quoted in Fairfax papers today as saying he doesn’t welcome the price increases or the effect they’ll have on low-income families.

But it looks like we’re stuck with them all the same.

Thanks, guy.

I reckon you expect sales of smaller TVs to start rising significantly over the next couple of years…

POSTSCRIPT – If you don’t think $165 is much to pay, there are a number of 40-inch LCD TV specials on in Sydney town at the moment, with most selling for around the $798 mark. At $165 a year in electricity, you’ll have paid for the TV twice over within five years…

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