Changed them all

[jht1057]

Hello all,

     I got the schedule for this years rate increases from our local power company (((PP&L) PA Power & Light) Power Pirates & Looters). Anyhow, the rate increase is based on kwh usage per month, those who use more will pay more. This is all part of a 30% rate hike approved by the PUC, because of the alleged higher costs of generation. Yet the per share earnings for 2007 is up $1.16 from the previous year. Higher generation costs my @$$, really burns me up that most people pay their bills blindly, don't question or complain, and look at me like I am nuts for pointing out the stupidity of all.

     So, I have finally finished changing out all of the incandesnt bulbs inside and outside of the house for CFL's. Also looking at updating the few appliances that are not energy star rated to ones that are. And yes, DYI wind, as well as, solar are being added to the equation. Would like to eventually grid tie, to screw the stock holders even more.

     Stupidity should be costly and painful for those who are, the rest of us who are not should be left alone to sit back and enjoy the show.

Jim

[asheets]

Have you complained to your PUC yet about how your utility asked for a rate increase at  a time where their earnings are up?

Also, I'd purchase a couple of shares of your utility on the stock market so I could become vocal opposition at a stockholder's meeting.

[jht1057]

Yes, I have been very vocal about my opposition through phone calls and emails. All I get is a volume of buzz words and the attitude that I should be glad that the power company wants to improve the grid for the benefit of all. What a load of crap!

[spinningmagnets]

A discussion on low-power-consuming TV's, should you decide to replace your current TV soon.

http://www.fieldlines.com/story/2007/12/31/21396/531

[stephent]

*Would like to eventually grid tie, to screw the stock holders even more.*

IF you really believe this ----??

Ever think why everyone isn't already doing it?

Or why 1000 company conglomerates aren't already doing it?

Usually costs at least about 2 times as much to generate your own power as power company costs.

And that would be a bit optimistic at best.

[DanB]

yes, I would say quite optimistic.

Home power magazine in one good article suggests the average cost of RE is about 80 cents/kWh.  I think you can knock that down a good bit if you find good/cheap(surplus) batteries and build lots of components yourself but still...  you wont save money on a grid system with RE unless you have a very good wind resource and a large wind turbine.

[Lumberjack]

PPL, which is also my supplier, has been very restricted on rate hikes for several years now. Those restrictions are about to be lifted and we are being softened up for the time when PPL will be allowed to charge what they want. PPL is also about to build a new reactor locally which is going to cost a bunch as well.

Still after I assesed my actual consumption of power and fuel it is home heating and gasoline that is killing my budget and not PPL...

Electric     1560 per year - 130.00 per month.

Heating oil  2250 per year @ 3.00 per gallon

gasoline     2600 per year @ 3.00 per gallon - 35k miles.

If fuel Hits 4.00 per gallon, electric costs will have to double to have the same impact. This is one of the reasons I am looking more at solar space heating and EV vehicles instead of winding a genny right now. PPL is in fact a very efficent generator of power and I am figuring oil will hit 5.00 in the near future...

BTW half my bill is goverment tax levies and has nothing to do with actual usage...

[stephent]

jht1057.....

There certainly isn't any harm in sticking in CFL's everywhere possible...I did it several years ago.

I also cut down my electric usage (grid) by 1/2 over the last couple of years through conservation. But that was just for my own pocketbook and I wanted to be a bit more "green" in my living. (keeping more "green" in my pocket is important too!)

I do have a bit of solar panels and one 7' wind motor conversion genny (both lived through the 60+ mph breezes we had while I was down around Houston Tx earlier this week) that are/is charging a few 225amp batteries today. But the normal load they used to run has been disconnected and the output for a few weeks now has only been a dump load heating one of the out buildings where the controller and electronics are located.

I also have a small 7 footish size wind axial genny waiting in the wings for some spare time for the blade making....which I sure haven't had much of lately.

But the overall costs of building or making/buying these is much more then I could ever get out of them as "electrical supplies" vs cost of grid power.

They did function for a year or so just fine running the local netowrk "stuff" I had/have for everyday usage. Not the monitors or computers (outside of the firewall that is) just the switches and modems and wireless access, etc, and maybe some dump load heating for the building they are housed in.

They do make a fine small short term "grid out" power source though!

But unless you want to live way off of the grid and them folks want an arm and both legs to run lines into your place....there's not much chance of you meeting their generation costs with "homemade power" over much length of time.

But stick it to them?? Not much chance of that.

Make some of your own power to use....yep..

Have a lot of fun learning how to do it....yep.

Meet lots of nice folks here in the forum...you bet...

Come out ahead of grid power costs? nope.

[CmeBREW]

That is certainly the hard TRUTH. Thanks for the examples. There is no easy answer.

I have known that electric rates were going to go WAY up (30-100 percent) THIS year from several sources, and so I have been waiting for it to happen.  We just got a 'Newsletter' in the mail from our Electric Company and it gave a TON of 'excuses' as to why all the Electric rates will soon 'need' to go way up. I'm sure some are true.

They also mentioned about charging customers for whats called 'Peak load rates'.  But the way it was worded was not exactly saying they were starting to do this to their customers.  We have NEVER been on the 'peak load rates' at our new house. We have had the simple normal 'mechanical' meter which just measures only KiloWattHOurs and charges only for that.  

So I got curious and walked out to see my meter today and quess what,, They had put in a new Digital PEAK LOAD meter without even telling us! We are now automatically on the MUCH higher rates of the PEAK LOAD. And I do not trust the Digital meters. They can control it any way they want. The old meter was a mechanically turning meter. Like you, It did upset us alot.

I did all the math and it is about 30-40 percent more to the monthly bill!

Evidently the rates will keep going higher according to the newsletter below.  I thought some might like to read a quotation segment from this recent news letter since you will probably be getting one similar:

"FROM THE DIRECTOR:

The electric industry is entering

 a new era of increasing demand and

increasing pressure on electric

rates. Most consumer concern has

been with increasing gas and oil

prices, but the time is coming when

electric rates will be part of this

mix.

Several factors are causing

concern for future rate escalation:

* The electric industry is very

capital intensive, with much of

its system being built fifty to

seventy years ago. It currently

needs a heavy infl ux of funding

to bring it up to date.

* Today's renewable energy

market is adding new pressures

on the electric grid system,

which will only add to costs.

Presently, the renewable energy

alternatives are more expensive

than the fossil fuels. As Capitol

Hill mandates increasing use

of renewables this in turn

increases costs.

* With increasing electric demand

on the system there comes

increasing needs in electric

generation. In today's dollars

this will be the most expensive

generation system ever built.

This becomes particularly

true when taking into account

the costs of compliance with

legislation that curbs carbon

emissions and other pollutants

in energy generation.

* The topic of climate change is

on everybody's mind. It's a

critical issue. With it however,

come even more challenges

to provide reliable energy

at reasonable rates. The

costs of new technology to

ensure cleaner energy will be

enormous.

* China and India's economic

growth has created a huge

demand in energy needs. This

translates into rising prices in

the bidding for available fossil

fuels. This will continue to

put pressure on our country's

energy costs, including

electricity for the unforeseeable

future.

Finally, for the electric cooperatives

our traditional funding received

from the Rural Utility Service

(R.U.S.), is in jeopardy of being

eliminated by Capitol Hill, as

they believe cooperatives are no

longer in need of this discounted

fi nancing. Therefore, cooperatives

will need to fi nd fi nancing

elsewhere which will be more

expensive.

These are just some of the

pressures being felt by both

investor owned utilities and electric

cooperatives throughout the

country. ELECTRICITY RATES WILL BE

GOING UP FOR ALL OF US.

 It's just a question

of how much and how quickly.

What can you do as a cooperative

member? Take action in energy

conservation and efficiencies. What

can we do as your cooperative's

board of directors? Continue to

help management control our

internal costs to help minimize any

future price increases.

Additionally, we will continue to

work with other cooperatives to

take our message to Washington

to ensure rate control is kept in

mind when they work on expensive

climate change and renewable

energy policies." (END QUOTE)

So what to do, what to do?  I quess Conserve, Conserve, and Conserve, or just live like the Amish!.

Like someone else said though, I also am working on making a Solar air/water  heating system for my house and my parents house. Every bit helps.

And I've noticed the Sun is shining WAY more this winter than last winter.

Maybe there is a silver lining to this global warming thing afterall! (he he)

I think It still makes alot of good sense to learn about and install as much Re-newable systems as one can.  

This Newletter also talked alot about the problem of people stealing electricity currently. Just wait till the new much higher rates start.

Things are going to certainly get Most difficult.

[DamonHD]

In Europe (at least in the UK) we already pay more than double the going rates in the US for petrol/gasoline and electricity at least, and it doesn't seem to have killed us yet.

One distinct advantage is that everyone is already forced to think more carefully about energy usage, though clearly there is some way to go.

Rgds

Damon

[BT Humble]

The most power efficient TV is the one you leave switched off!  It's probably better for your mind, too.

(I know I can't watch the TV news without shouting at the telly).

BTH

[jht1057]

   "with much of its system being built fifty to seventy years ago."

   The funny thing is had they been concerned with updating the infrastructure, even once a decade instead of sucking up all the profits to line the pockets of the board and share holders, we would not be getting shafted so hard and suddenly.

     "The costs of new technology to ensure cleaner energy will be enormous."

     The technology already exists, and most of it is owned by the utility companies, they are the ones setting and driving the costs up. We are to blindly believe their spin and nonsense??

     "In today's dollars this will be the most expensive generation system ever built."

     Compared to the dollar fifty or seventy five years ago, I guess it would be more!! So why did they wait so long in the first place??

      I would think that until profits fall into the red, rate increases would not be so easily granted by the governing bodies.

Jim

[DamonHD]

Ah, so it's not just me!

(The TV licensing people simply would not believe that I didn't own a TV because I hate it so much: about 10 minutes of that meretricious emotionally-manipulative claptrap and my blood pressure is high enough to get me into orbit...)

Rgds

Damon