Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Since Sept 27, 1879
Retail $1.50 Home delivered from 95c
THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF MID CANTERBURY
Winter moves on in
www.guardianonline.co.nz
It’s official – winter is here. Temperatures are plummeting and snow is falling and being made on Mt Hutt Skifield. FULL STORY
Police warn landlords P2
PHOTO ADAM PRESTON
Power prices to take a hike BY SUE NEWMAN
SUE.N@THEGUARDIAN.CO.NZ
Healthy recipes P13
P3
Power consumers in the Ashburton District could be hit with a $100 a year power rise if a new charging regime by Transpower is given the nod. The Electricity Authority has released what it sees as a fairer way of lines companies paying for the national grid, and its preferred option puts Ashburton among a handful of areas that will be facing steep power price rises if this option is approved. For years the district’s electricity consumers have had some of the lowest lines charges in New Zealand and that had everything to do with peak demand. While for most of New Zealand, consumption
peaked in the winter, the reverse was true in Ashburton, with the peak driven by summer irrigation, said EA Networks chief executive Gordon Guthrie. Under the current methodology, lines companies were charged according to what was deemed a national winter peak; the new system would be according to peaks in individual areas and that would impact significantly on Ashburton, Mr Guthrie said. “We still need to read this document thoroughly and digest the changes so we understand the full impact but it does show that Ashburton will be negatively affected, around $100 per customer per year,” he said. The new proposal created winners and
losers, but Ashburton would certainly be one of the few areas that would be hardest hit, Mr Guthrie said. Others to take a hit will be Auckland, Northland, Waitaki and the West Coast. The overall average impact is likely to be an increase of $11 per year per household. EA Networks would be making submissions on the proposed changes, Mr Guthrie said. In defending the new charging regime, Electricity Authority chief executive Carl Hansen said the regions seeing an increase were those that had benefited from substantial recent grid upgrades or where transmission prices had been lower than average.
Ph 03 307 7900 to subscribe!
Weather: High 16˚ - Overnight 4˚ Page 22
Puzzles: Page 21
Television: Page 23
Family Notices: Page 22
www.guardianonline.co.nz