The soaring of electricity bills in Australia hurts. In New South Wales alone, the state of Sydney, stipulation is to soar by up to a total of 64 percent over the next three years. The blame has been laid out on the federal government’s proposed carbon pollution reduction scheme (CPRS) planned in 2011/12, and the rising network infrastructure costs.

If the CPRS pulls through, it’s inevitable that other Australian states and territories could be affected similarly. True, there are many reasons why our energy bill may be higher than expected. Not only seasonal changes but an increase in the number of people living in the home or a new appliance can all affect energy bills. But this exhorbitant  increase is just crippling!

Ordinary families feel the financial pinch as power companies send huge bills with no explanation whatsoever. To add insult to injury top energy bosses have been awarded huge payouts, reported by Australia’s Daily Telegraph. Even more distressing updates have been reported in Yahoo! 7News’s Today Tonight on weeknights, 6.30.  A “Power Fight Back” campaign has been recently launched.

Some local councils have urged residents to make the transition to a more economically and environmentally sustainable option to household hot water and electricity needs. They have suggested from a select range of quality and sustainable products that could help reduce family expenses as well as decrease household’s carbon footprint.

A solution is to install an energy efficient system such as a solar or heat pump hot water system. It is suppose to save a family off electricity bills annually, between $300 and $700, based on the current electricity prices.  Alternatives including solar photovoltaic (PV) systems mounted on roofs that can transform the sun’s radiation into electricity are deemed clever to avoid the expected electricity price hikes.

Nowadays, we come upon numerous energy debates and Green news. With all information on green living and sustainability tips, reduction of emissions, conservation of energy, recycling, both on national and local levels, we need to ensure that at least we know the basics of living a sustainable one.

Going back to the issue of electricity price rise, the simplest tips we can reduce our home’s energy consumption are the tried and tested switching off lights and unplugging appliances. How about we also put our computers to sleep when not in use?