New Electricity bill has 19% vat on EU fine

[wilky]

Just got my 4 page EAC bill one page has the units etc the other three pages explain the 19% vat on the EU fine for using oil seriously.

[Kili01]

It's bad enough expecting consumers to pay for the EAC's inability to stop burning the heavy fuel oil in its generators, but it adds insult to injury to expect us to pay full VAT on top of that.
Yet perhaps surprisingly, no one appears to complain, so I expect consumers will continue to have to shoulder this iniquitous extra cost...

Dee

[Kili01]

As expected everyone keeps silent, so this will go on...

Dee

[Dominic]

Actually, quite a lot of us took action, rather than moan. Solar panels mean that the effects of electricity price hikes make our investment even more worthwhile.

Another thing people can do is use Green Points, to lower the fines imposed by excess landfill. We regularly use the Green Points, and have the film to prove it!

Or you could just moan at your computer and carry on as before. It is all personal choice.

[cyprusmax47]

Actually, quite a lot of us took action, rather than moan. Solar panels mean that the effects of electricity price hikes make our investment even more worthwhile.

It is exactly what we need. Just yesterday I visited one client of Green Air who asked me to find water at his property in Tremithousa. He looks forward to install a solar submersible water pump in order to water his trees and maintain his pool. He already ordered a 10 kWp photovoltaic system to run it with net-metering as well as a solar pool pump to avoid paying for 20.000 kWh he had last year. Also he is going to change his central heating away from gas and towards a electric air to water heat pump as nobody knows what happens in the near future with gas supply and its costs.

So, not moaning but acting..... at least with this guy it goes in the right direction.

Max

[WHL]

As expected everyone keeps silent, so this will go on...

Dee

And what are you doing about it?
will you stage a protest outside the Electricity office,
have you Emailed any MPs?
have you Emailed any newspapers?
or none of the above?

[wantoosoon]

Of course not everybody in Cyprus has the opportunity to install “Photo Electric” systems, it was hard enough installing a single panel on the roof of our apartment block for hot water…I honestly cannot believe that the Government are applying VAT onto EU fines, that is at best immoral.

And for those of us who rent, it's impossible. We either ration our usage or pay up. There's no incentive for landlords/landladies to install PV panels or to insulate properties.

[sunspot]

So summing up , off grid and recycling is the direction to go. Exactly what I want to do !

How do you go off grid without the space to install banks of batteries?

[cactus]

I feel there must be a bit of middle ground when it comes to electricity usage. I have spoken to several people this week who have received massive bills and are very worried - but then they tell me that they only had the central heating on for four months, and now that it's too hot (!) they are limiting use of their air conditioning. We managed to get through a long and chilly winter with a box of blankets, a gas fire and two big dogs. In the twenty years I've been here I have never felt the need for air conditioning either. Blackout blinds and ruddy great fans seem to do the job just as well. I do think we must accept that winter is cold and summer is warm and not try to alter nature. It's a costly procedure and not great for the planet either.

[WHL]

I feel there must be a bit of middle ground when it comes to electricity usage. I have spoken to several people this week who have received massive bills and are very worried - but then they tell me that they only had the central heating on for four months, and now that it's too hot (!) they are limiting use of their air conditioning. We managed to get through a long and chilly winter with a box of blankets, a gas fire and two big dogs. In the twenty years I've been here I have never felt the need for air conditioning either. Blackout blinds and ruddy great fans seem to do the job just as well. I do think we must accept that winter is cold and summer is warm and not try to alter nature. It's a costly procedure and not great for the planet either.

Just wondering, where the two Big dogs come into the equation?

[jeba]

We managed to get through a long and chilly winter with a box of blankets, a gas fire and two big dogs.

Unfortunately, not everybody has the luxury of two big dogs they can cover themselves with. I prefer a PV-system and heating. My total payments to EAC in 2021 amounted to less than € 150.-.

[cyprusmax47]

Thanks to my PV system and net-metering my 6 bills from EAC in 2021 were even lower: 94.- Euros for that whole year....

Max

[Kili01]

As someone else has said, those who have the space and funds can install PV panels. I had a full compliment of these when I had a larger property at Kamares. I have since downsized to a town house on a development. It has a flat, not pitched roof and there is insufficient space, what with water tanks as well on the roof.
So, before being too smug if you are benifitting from PV, realise that for some of us if may not be practical. Also for those renting..
I did approach GreenAir asking about having a PV system to heat water. I was told someone would ring me back, but no one did.
Dee

[Dominic]

Listen, you accused people of not doing anything. I just pointed out that a lot of us are doing stuff. So don't play the victim or accuse people of being smug. Perhaps if you didn't always put such a negative spin on everything more people would have responded?

[jeba]

that for some of us if may not be practical. Also for those renting..

That´s not correct. I am renting but still bought a PV. I´ll simply take it with me when I move.

[Kili01]

Dominic,
I post as I find and am not being negative!
If I had enough space I would of course look at installing another PV system as I know the benefits.
But if you look at housing developments around the Paphos area, being higher density with smaller housing units, space on roof tops is limited. Also many developments have their own rules about 'keeping the uniformity of properties within it.
Those living in apartments may not have any access to the roof top.

I am surprised that the general population here, mainly Cypriots so far don't seem to haven't complained publicly about their extortionate electricity bills, at least not reported in English news media.
There could be a future for a smaller panel, but still highly efficient PV net metering system..if one was available!
Dee

Dee

[cyprusmax47]

There is plenty of space on the most of the buildings if one looks around. Specially flat roofs could be used with so called bi-facial modules which produce electricity from both sides of the panel. If the roof is painted white (which it should be) it would be even more beneficial. This modules are available with 500 Wp and more, so 4 of them would already made a 2 kWp system.

This image from Konia village shows many roofs with space. Plenty have swimming pools but none has a solar pool pump which needs only 3 modules..





Max

[PhotoLady]

Dee, exactly the same as the Cypriots did during the banking crisis when they closed for several weeks following the Green Monday holiday....

We spoke about it with our neighbours and our landlord - it was the usual shrug of the shoulders and a response of "but what can we do?"

The only person who did anything about it was the guy in Paphos who took his revenge on the ATM with his digger.

Cyprus government will do what it wants...
Just as UK will.

[WHL]

Dee, exactly the same as the Cypriots did during the banking crisis when they closed for several weeks following the Green Monday holiday....

We spoke about it with our neighbours and our landlord - it was the usual shrug of the shoulders and a response of "but what can we do?"

The only person who did anything about it was the guy in Paphos who took his revenge on the ATM with his digger.

Cyprus government will do what it wants...
Just as UK will.

Can you tell us what you did regards the Cyprus Banking crises? to try and change the Governments thinking on this,
and can you tell us what the rest of us could of done to change the governments mind
the easiest thing for all of us is to pontificate at our keyboards. as for the guy ramming the ATM machine, im sure he has had time thinking,if that was a good move, on his part as he spends jail time, or has to pay to put good the damaged he caused

[cyprusmax47]

Thanks to my PV system and net-metering my 6 bills from EAC in 2021 were even lower: 94.- Euros for that whole year....

Max

Any sign yet that the challenge to restricting the size of PV system is making progress.
We are holding off until there is a final decision on what they will allow.

There are talks of several supplier for PV in Cyprus with the Government about this issue, but no final decision yet. However to my knowledge EAC promised to be flexible if people can prove that they spent recently money, changing their heating system away from gas/diesel towards electric, (heat pump) or bought p.e. an electric car and will use through this much more electricity in the near future. Also people building a new house and the drawings show that it is designed to use mainly electric for heating, swimming pool etc etc, EAC will agree to larger PV systems.

Max