When Danielle (Danielle Melnyczenko) found herself paying more than $1200 a quarter for energy, she realized the only way to lower her bill was to move.
"I think moving may seem radical, but it's the best thing for us, because we have to control the bill." She told (ABC).
Danielle, who lives in Sydney's Hawkesbury district, spent more than six months finding the perfect rental, helping her keep energy costs relatively low.
"We have temperatures, so we have to practically heat and cool our house," she said.
She picked a naturally lit house to help reduce dependence on heating and lights. She also gradually abandoned a large number of electronic products to further reduce power consumption.
Danielle, who moved two years ago and has seen energy prices soar, believes she would now pay more if she hadn't moved home.
"moving has a lot of upfront costs, but it's really much better. If you continue to live in the previous place, energy costs will easily reach around 1600 yuan a quarter."
More families turn to charities for help
But as electricity costs rise, the Daniels are not the only ones that cannot afford to pay their bills.
Rachel (Rachel Grimshaw), a resident of West Sydney, said: "when you receive the electricity bill and open it for $800, you can't help but wonder, 'where did this come from?'"
Recently, when her rheumatoid arthritis became uncontrollable, the three-year-old's mother was forced to quit her job. She estimated that her family income had fallen by 60,000 yuan, which meant she couldn't pay for the last two bills of electricity and gas.
"I was hurt when I saw the bill because I knew I couldn't afford it." She told Australia and Guangzhou.
She tried to cut all unnecessary energy consumption, but still found it impossible to pay the bill. "I have refrigerators, lights, washing machines," she said. "I only use these appliances. I only hang clothes on a rope now, and it's raining."
She almost stopped gas twice and was forced to turn to charity Anglicare to help pay her $2000 debt.
Anglicare's Penrith office also helped Rachel negotiate better discounts with energy retailers and set up a payment plan for her future bills.
Charities have found that more and more people need help to avoid power outages.
"the current electricity bill is calculated quarterly, reaching the 1000 yuan mark, or even exceeding it, and it's just one family," said Kaarina (Karina Honyi), a case worker at Anglicare. "our desks are always here, and when people weep, I feel bad, and it's all about electricity. I hope it doesn't have much impact on people, but it does. "
Pressure on politicians and energy retailers
Although energy prices have not risen 20 percent this year, they are still one of the biggest bills faced by many households.
The government itself is under pressure to consider setting up a royal commission of inquiry.
Although the Prime Minister rejected the request, the Australian Competition and Consumer Council, (ACCC), has announced that it will release an important report on electricity tariffs this week.
"this is a very comprehensive report," he said. "it will be considered and discussed. This will be a very enlightening report. "