Prior to that my power bills averaged below 100 bucks per quarter.
Problem is that there's no way the industry is viable if everyone gets a bill that low. Simply keeping you connected costs at least that much, assuming zero actual consumption. So it works for one household to do it, but it falls in a heap rather spectacularly if everyone does it.
Heating is the real killer in Tas of course, but then the state as a whole is actually more energy efficient than the national average despite also having a very high per capita level of heavy industrial energy use. So it's not a case of inefficient usage, at least not relative to the rest of Australia. It's just that residential space heating is a big energy use, and it is those with the lowest incomes who tend to have the highest usage due to being at home more and (typically) living in less efficient housing. It's all well and good if you own your home and can afford to invest in efficiency, but for those stuck renting or who don't have the capital to invest it's a real problem.
Victoria will face the same situation once gas-fired generation increases, Bass Strait reserves are depleted and the gas price shoots up. That's going to cause a whole lot of pain - Victorian households being amongst the highest consumers of gas in the world and with this level of usage largely "built in" and requiring a small fortune to change (and what are they going to change to?).
At least Tasmanians have the realistic alternative of burning wood which is still fairly cheap ($100 per tonne if you buy in Summer, typical household usage would be 6 tonnes a year), but it's going to be an environmental disaster if/when the residents of Melbourne end up trying the same approach to keep warm. I suspect it's something that the average Victorian hasn't given much thought to (no offence to anyone...) but Victoria's reliance on gas to heat houses, provide hot water and cook dinner is as entrenched as Tasmania's reliance on electricity. Some may be able to change quickly (to what...) but most have no option other than to pay the bills.
Looking specifically at Tasmania, general Light & Power rates are up about 275% since the mid-1990's, with space heating, hot water and off-peak rates up about 175% over that time. Much of that increase has been over the past few years, and it's a huge financial issue for many. With a very limited mains gas network (and the reality that those under financial stress couldn't afford to connect to it anyway) plus the reality that prices for heating oil and LPG went silly years ago, there's not much alternative other than to either pay up, shiver or deal with all the hassle that goes with using wood for heat.
Why the huge increase in power charges in Tas? Well let's just say that it has everything to do with no longer being self sufficient with hydro-electricity, being part of the National Electricity Market and the fact that expensive gas-fired generation is what sets the price these days (markets are made at the margin...). Those in the other states had better get used to this as gas takes over from coal...
My real point though is that in a developed country with such vast energy resources this situation just shouldn't exist in the first place. Those shivering in the dark are doing so for one reason only - politics.