Utilities

Will our cost of living pressure be eased if the federal government does more about gas, as promised?

Traffic was gridlocked, trains stopped working, people were stuck in lifts and nuclear power stations were automatically shut down as a blackout hit tens of millions of people across Spain and Portugal.

Gas has been making lots of headlines throughout this election campaign. As we enter the final week, there are a few things to know about gas, how much of it we use, and what role it plays in our power bills.

Our energy system is evolving at breakneck speed. Here we look at how our power grid works, what more renewables mean for energy prices, how nuclear fits into the picture, and how we might build a grid fit for the future.    

A large battery project in South Australia sells for nearly $500 million as investment in renewable energy surges.

Residents near one of the Coalition's proposed nuclear plants are divided by the need for work, and the environment.

The price of energy is a focus of the election campaign. We've asked the experts what they think are some of the solutions to help households with their bills now.

The Victorian government announces plans to subsidise the installation of home ceiling insulation, in a move it claims will help drive down power prices.

They were billed as the intelligent key to some sort of energy utopia, but smart meters are breeding confusion and broken trust, a watchdog finds.

A top energy expert says governments must ensure households that can't access subsidies for batteries still get a benefit, and must not be penalised. 

If you already have solar or are considering getting a new solar-and-battery system, we've answered some questions you might have on batteries and how they could work for your household.

Independent Allegra Spender is pitching a scheme to help "permanently" cut the power bills of owners and renters through zero-interest loans for home batteries and other appliances, saying the major parties are only offering temporary relief that will expire within months.

The federal government is promising another power bill rebate. But questions remain about the long-term solutions to Australia's energy price pains. 

The federal government will extend its energy bill subsidies until the end of 2025 as it frames its re-election pitch to voters around the cost of living.

Once, governments stumbled over themselves to shower money on rooftop solar owners. No longer — payments have tanked up to 99.93 per cent for exports.

Power prices are set to rise yet again, with the energy market regulator lifting the benchmarks for how much retailers can charge for electricity. 

Almost 2 megalitres of water flooded streets in a small western Victorian town on Wednesday after the town's drinking water storage tank had a "catastrophic failure" according to the local water authority.

The 36-year-old woman was taken to Millicent hospital with non-life-threatening injuries during a severe thunderstorm, which also sparked close to 100 fires and left thousands without power.

More than 120,000 properties remain without power across south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales on Tuesday as residents deal with the aftermath of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred. 

With hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses across southern Queensland and northern New South Wales without power, questions are inevitably turning to the strength of the electricity system.