According to these chaps, who no doubt don't need to worry about the price of electricity on their six-figure salaries, solar households aren't paying their fair share.
The chief executive of Northpower, Mark Gatland, was reported as saying: "People with solar still use generation and networks as much as people without solar.
"We still have to build that hydro or geothermal station and still have to build the network to supply these people. Until you go completely off-grid, you're still using as much but paying an awful lot less."
The chief executive of the Electricity Networks Association, Alan Jenkins, agreed there could be an imbalance.
"If, over time, demand in a network drops because of widespread solar use, then the costs of the network will still need to be recovered, presumably from its remaining connected consumers. "
Well, to both men, in the spirit of the British longbowmen at Crecy and Agincourt, I give you the two-finger salute they so cheerily waved at the about-to-be-slaughtered French Army.
It is no wonder so many people are fleeing the grasping hands of power companies and finding economic solace in solar power.
When I build, I'm going that way - possibly even to the extent of going completely off grid - because I am heartily sick of paying out outrageous amounts of money every month to run a basic household.
When I arrived here from Melbourne, I was appalled at my first electricity bill. It was a monthly account, but much more than than the three-monthly one I was used to.
I met someone from Sydney recently and somehow we got on to the cost of power and she was horrified - again the electricity costs to people here are at least three times more than in Australia.
In my view, we are being ripped off.
The price seems to go up if there isn't enough water, if there is too much water, hell, if the sun comes up and, then again, when it goes down.
All in the name of profits for investors in companies who are using the power stations originally provided for them by the taxpayer.
My monthly electricity bill is about $360 - much of it courtesy of working from home.
That is several hundred bucks a month that goes to my power company rather than being spent and circulated through the shops in Papamoa Beach.
Multiply that by tens of thousands of users and you can see the economic drain power companies have on this city.
Now if you think it is just me who's moaning ... read on.
Electricity industry commentator Geoff Bertram said lines companies made large profits and scoffed at the idea power prices had to increase to offset the effect of solar panels.
"Lines companies will whinge and moan saying how terrible it is but you can tell them 'have a nice day'. These guys are creaming it."
Couldn't have put it better myself.
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There was a delightful epistle from a woman in Whangarei who wrote to her local paper asking "what age is considered elderly when reporting incidents/accidents?"
It is an interesting point and newsrooms around the world have discussions on age brackets and how to describe people.
Diane was unhappy about the description of her contemporaries and said: "I am sure that many of us in the 65 to 80 age bracket do not consider ourselves 'elderly'. Older will do."
Well Diane, no matter what you think, if you are between 65 and 75 you're definitely are elderly. Over that and you are old - even if you don't feel your age. And, quite frankly, you should be happy to be so as you have lived a longer life than most.
richard@richardmoore.com
• Richard Moore is an award-winning Western Bay journalist and photographer
