Surcharge rise: no drop in demand

@ Paul Barrettt
why not put them on your doorstep instead of in Comino or wherever your have suggested? This is the classical example of a NIMBY.

Franco Farrugia asks which coast to place wind turbines = Answer the whole area between Bahar ic-Caghaq and Salina (Coast Road) covering the N. Side. The South facing side should be covered in solar panels to catch the sun. Link this up with the electricity yet to be made from the engineered landfill and you will have a three way method of producing electricity.
Before anyone screams about the planned use as a park; the area (including the sea) is toxic and will be for many years to come - make use of it now.
Additionally Comino could support a number of wind and solar panels (just keep them clear of the hotel complex/residential area).

Anne Marie Kissaun is living in a fantasy world when she says: The rich oil producers decided not to pump and produce the normal amount of barrels, therefore, creating an unjust situation.

I dont think so Anne, did you know that demand has exceeded supply by about 1.5 million barrels a day and that the worlds elephant oil fields are running on empty? Ever heard of peak Oil? It is the maximum amount of oil we will ever produce and from there on it's down the otherside of the bell curve. Mexico home to one of the biggest oil wells on earth has been declining at 7% a year and the north sea at a similar decline rate. There are new finds coming on stream but not enough to arrest the decline rate around the world.

What I don't understand is why we are discouraged to install SOLAR ENERGY? Why on earth are solar systems taxed, hiking the price unnecessarily. My plumbing is ready to take solar energy; WHEN a governmnet waives the tax we shall incur the initial expense willingly albeit the sacrifice.

it is so puerile to turn every single thing that happens in our country in a political argument.
Some people think that there is such a thing as free electricty and that it comes from alternative energy. Some people fail to realise that to have alternative energy, you must be in a country which prides itself with certain geographical characteristics (lakes, rivers, mountains, plains, wind, ...) For instance, to have a proper windfarm, ideally, it has to be situated within a valley. How prepared are we to start seeing these monstruous turbines in our few fields? I wish to see the facial expressions of some of you who are writing these comments.
And do you realise that the equipment and infrastructure used in this alternative energy is finite, and needs to be replaced? How are we to dispose of photovoltaic cells, once their working life is over? Dump them into the sea?
If we want a windfarm in one of our coasts, which coast is it going to be? The one close to where you live, or the one which is farthest away from you?
Do you get the hint, ladies and gents?????????

How Long can people continue to be pushed by these rate hikes in a service that we can not do without. It is not because of the oil situation that we are having these prices hikes but the greed of the goverments with the high tax rates. The KIng of Saudi told a group of ministers when they asked him to reduced the price of the oil , That it is not us who have raised the prices but you with your taxes on the people so go back and reduce the high taxes that you have imposed on your people. If the goverment has money to keep giving grants to the rich companies here in Malta it should not expect the people to pay for them....

You can recognize a hard line PN supporter when comments such as ' This is a world problem and not there is nothing Malta can do' are written. Yes there is much it can be done and saying that 'alternative energy is not worthed' Austin gatt, is not the way to solve the problems we should have solved a quarter of a century too late.

The way we have built most of our houses it has become impossibl to stay at home without an AC, on the other hand what is the alternative when the sun rays are so harmful, it's not like we can spend our days at the beach.

Thank you very much, Enemalta! What are we expected to do during this intense heat?! Die in order to use less electricity?! Switch off our fans, and fridges? The authorities should have had a heart and a conscience not to lump us with this hefty rise in surcharge during this crucial period of the year! Especiallyt when we now know that thanks to hedging, Government suffered no immediate increase in its bills!!! Thank you very much!!!

I beleive most people had cut down on their electric consumption quite a while ago. What are we expected to do now, use candles & wash the laundry in the bath tub?? Funny how on the other hand anyone who enters Mater Dei will realize that the temperature is kept uncomfortably low.

What a daft comparison to make!!! But then....... Here in Balluta we still have enormous electricity consuming reflectors which were placed while the embellishment was in progress...over 3 years ago!!! We have sufficient street light without them and I have written to Minister Gatt`s customer care and copied to him.....Nobody bothered to reply!!!! We are paying for them too!!!!! Set some example please and spare us the added expenses!!!!

Of course there wasn't any change ... it is ages since people toned down their electricity use to the bare minimum ... especially after the introduction of the present billing system with estimates being worked God knows how!!

People will start economising when they see a 30% rise in their bills , probably.
If we judge by the way people are reacting to the price of car fuel we can easily state that there will be a small drop in consumption after the consumers receive the bills.

As I do agree with all the comments given, unfortunately, this is a worldwide problem and not much can be done. The rich oil producers decided not to pump and produce the normal amount of barrels, therefore, creating an unjust situation. All the government can do is to allieviate the burden for the less fortunate and the rest have to learn how to economise and not be wasteful, of course, together with those who are being subsidised.

Last but not least, may I suggest that the street lights in summer should come on by sunset and switched off by sunrise. Enemalta should be setting an example afterall.

We are already using the minimum whilst still trying to live a reasonable standard.
The crunch comes when we and others cannot pay the bill and the supply is cut off.

The problem is not now but when electricity bills arrive.

The WEEK before with the week after?? What sort of comparison is that???

Well of course, no surprise there! There is no alternative to alleviate the excessive heat of Maltese summers is there?!!!