Not just Electricity. Here in Australia council rates, water rates, sewage charges etc. keep rising at between 2.5 and 3 times the CPI (about 15 years and counting!). The explanation seems to be on the capital side: 19th and 20th century infrastructure needs not just maintenance but replacement. Perhaps this is the infrastructure boom that will drag us out of the current nauseous GDP growth trend? Though I, for one, would prefer a 'nil growth - enhance quality' objective, for the sake of our living environment.

David Fuller's view

Thanks for your interesting comments, and I trust Australians are receiving value for these council rate increases.  I also think many of us will agree with your concluding sentence.