HOUSEHOLDS in Wyndham are feeling the pinch of rising electricity costs more than anywhere else in Melbourne, new figures reveal.
Prices climbed 12.7 per cent within the Powercor distribution area – stretching from Melbourne’s outer west to the South Australian border – with bills typically rising $158 in the six months to September, according to the Essential Services Commission.
Average bills in the region have reached $1406. There was a lower increase of 11 per cent within the Jemena distribution zone, covering Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong, Moonee Valley and the inner north, where prices rose $148, from $1242 to $1390.
The CitiPower area, which covers the city and inner-eastern suburbs, had the smallest increase with bills up an average $130.
Essential Service Commission spokesman Gavin Clancy said network costs were higher for Melbourne’s outer west due to larger distribution areas and population growth in newer, greenfield areas. “If you’re in Point Cook, it would be different to the Jemena area, which covers Williamstown and Altona,” he said.
“The distributor in Werribee goes all the way to Mildura, Portland and Bendigo, and those areas have much more land to cover, including less-settled areas, as opposed to inner-city distributors that often cover built-up areas and high-density populations.
“Population growth in places like Point Cook and Wyndham Vale has an impact on prices because businesses need to spend more money to set up the holes and wires in new areas.”
Wyndham City Salvation Army’s Sue Brookshaw said power bills posed an ongoing problem for people on lower incomes in the area. “This is all made worse by the fact people’s rents are going up as well, giving them less flexibility to put money towards these bills,” she said.
Ms Brookshaw urged people who struggled to meet rising power costs to contact their supplier about payment plans.
