Power reprieve for farmers

LOCAL farmers will be able to save money on their power bills by switching at no cost between electricity tariffs.
Agriculture Minister John McVeigh and Energy Minister Mark McArdle last month welcomed the decision by Ergon Energy to waive the fee for changing between the different types of farming and irrigation tariffs from 1 January 2015.
Minister McVeigh said reducing production costs was essential to reaching the Newman LNP Government’s goal of doubling agricultural production by 2040.
“It was made clear to Minister McArdle and me during our tour of Queensland farming communities last month that growers would welcome greater flexibility to move back and forth between ‘time of use’ tariffs (T62 and T65) and the ‘fixed charge’ tariff (T66) as it suited them.”
Under the current arrangement, farmers are permitted to switch between tariffs only once a year at no cost with subsequent changes attracting a fee.
Customers switching to a ‘time of use’ tariff for the first time may need to have a new meter installed.
“The current arrangement does not take into account that seasonal and climatic variations can dramatically alter the timing, duration and amounts of water an irrigator may need to pump,” Minister McVeigh said.
The new arrangement will be reviewed at the end of the 2014/’15 financial year.
Minister McArdle said Ergon Energy had also accepted a request to do away with special meter read fees that accompanied a move between farming and irrigation tariffs during the billing cycle.
“The dropping of the switching and meter reading fees mean more choice, greater flexibility and real savings for farmers, as they can select a tariff that best suits their needs. But there is still work to do,” he said.
The newly formed Agriculture Energy Council will see the government and leading farm groups working together on electricity issues, while the commitment of $2.69 million to the Energy Savers Plus program will help farmers to find savings by adopting better technology and improved management practices.