Please direct feedback on the website to Webmaster.
Need to contact us directly? We'll respond to email originating from within Waterloo region, Ontario, Canada if you send an identifying note to CREW General Inquiry.
| Home > Forum Listings > Power $aving | |
| Time of Day Electricity - What a Money Grab! | |
| Previous topic | Next topic |
| Posts |
|
Posted: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at 08:25 AM
by praetzel
[report this post as inappropriate] I agree - the average person who flies blind and doesn't think about their energy use (except to complain about bills at the end of the month) can reduce their use and save. My experience is that trying to get people to change (diet, energy use, cars, furnace upgrades, not put black shingles up ..) doesn't work. They have to want to change- they have to want the information - before they're receptive to the message. Perhaps by jacking electrical bills up 20% they'll accomplish this? I didn't find the Hydro pamplets very useful. They need to tell people about energy audits - not about putting very expensive timers on an electric water heater... I just remembered that when TOU pricing was announced I went thru the numbers and figured out that we could save enough (by only heating water at night) to offset the cost of the new meter.
Yep - I'd forgotten about that!! They're going to slam us with yet another monthly charge for the new meter. They no longer have to go to the house to read the meter - so that means that we have to pay extra for that functionality! It reminds me of how, here at work, there was a desire to go from monthly to every two week pay and our wonderful employer wanted to dig us for the interest that they would loose on not holding OUR pay for the extra 2 weeks! I've not been able to find the monthly charge for the TOU (Time of Use) meters - but there is one. Currently the monthly customer charge is already 1/4 of our total hydro bill - this will jack our fixed charges upto 1/3? 1/2? of our total bill? We're with Bullfrog and that insane Ontario Benefit that they nail anyone who has opted for green energy with is already 20% of our total bill! I predict it'll be as insane as our gas bill - where 1/2 of the bill is pretty well the monthly administration fee! It's enough to make one want to go off grid and off the gas pipe!! Do a bit of Googling from 2007 and you'll find Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro said to the OEB that the typical customer would experience a 0.3% DECREASE in their bill! http://www.rds.oeb.gov.on.ca/webdrawer/webdrawer.dll/webdrawer/rec/2935/view/ How about this: http://www.rds.oeb.gov.on.ca/webdrawer/webdrawer.dll/webdrawer/rec/2935/view/
Smart meters will save you money by jacking your price thru the roof and if you're willing to do home heating, cooking, entertainment between 9pm and 7am then you can save money. Kind of like having the electricity utility stab you monthly and then send you pamplets on how to staunch wounds and eat better so you'll heal more quickly. My family is already getting hit with minimum billing on our water use - not exactly a great incentive to reduce water use!
It's tempting to see if I can just rig up a bank of batteries to buy electricity at night and then use it to power the home during the daytime. Except that it'll increase energy use (losses) and create nasty waste products (batteries). |
|
Posted: Monday, January 18, 2010 at 08:12 PM
by glenmar
[report this post as inappropriate] The CREW Power $aving Network (tP$N) currently has a pilot project doing electricity audits and educating tenants in lower income housing in the region including seniors on fixed income, metered and non-metered. This is partly in anticipation of the smart metering, time of day usage charges that will definitely hit the most vulnerable the hardest - as per your comments. The CREW P$N electricity self-audit kits are available for borrowing at all library main branches across the Region of Waterloo or they can be sent to a branch near you on request. Average identified potential savings per household has consistently been 25% or higher without major changes to one's lifestyle, and with little or no cost to initiate. Much more can be achieved with varying degrees of investment by adding timer powerbars, more efficient light bulbs and appliances, and of course, eventually, time of day usage adjustments within limits. Please check out the details on CREW Power $aving by going to the Power $aving tab on the CREW website. Check out the Be Inspired and Get Started sections and download the available information, instructions and calculation tools if so inspired. Everything but the actual meters and electricity monitor is available from the website. Please note the up-coming CREW Public event happening March 4, 7:00 p.m. at the Kitchener Public Library - which is designed to introduce the CREW P$N self-audit kit and help the homeowner/tenant get the most out of doing their own electricity audit. Go to www.crewzone.ca and click on View All Events for the details. |
|
Posted: Monday, January 18, 2010 at 06:39 AM
by praetzel
[report this post as inappropriate] I made a mistake by not factoring in Sat and Sun being at the lowest tier price. current elec cost 5.8c/kWh avg Time of Day 6.21c/kWh (7% increase) This is how much it'll cost operate a fridge, freezer, clocks and all things on 24x7 avg Time of Day daytime and evening (heating, cooking, lighting, entertainment...) to 7.45 c/kWh or 29% increase in the cost of operating appliances used during waking hours |
|
Posted: Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 10:58 AM
by praetzel
[report this post as inappropriate] It looks like we've all got a project. The new time of day electricity pricing will hit those worst off and hopefully we can find some way to help them. If one has an appliance that is on round the clock (fridge, freezer, clocks, smoke detector, vampires ...) then they'll basically get hit with an aprox 15% increase in operating costs (electricity). That's because we're currently paying 5.8c/kWh but the daily average will jump to 6.8c. Worse still - anything that is done in the daytime and evening - home heating, cooking, washing, lighting, water heating will get nailed with a 60% increase! This seems to be a total money grab. I've now put our 19 gallon elec water heater on a timer to see how well we can tolerate having it only on beween 5 and 7am. As far as I can see my family will get hit with an aprox 25% increase in the electricity bill (we'll already with BullFrog) due to time of day pricing. The cost of electricity is a very minor fraction of the cost of owning a home (it's handily swamped by taxes, maintaince, etc) but for those who have electric heating or are trying to make ends meet - this will be a big jump for them. About the only thing that a family could do is shift clothes drying to after 10pm. One can't easily shift cooking and lighting and appliances can't exactly be turned off - with the exception of an air conditioner. I expect to rejig our furnace thermostat so that it ramps the house up from 15C before peak rates hit. It'll be more energy inefficient - but should save some money as our high-eff furnace is a signif. fraction of our total winter electricity use (very roughly 20%). Many people would be better off changing appliances for more efficient ones and changing their lifestyle to reduce their electricity consumption. The goal of time of day was to reduce our peaks - but how exactly is this going to happen? Only people with an A/C can really shift / recuce their energy use. All else will likely adapt to raising the price - but this wasn't about raising prices - but it seems that's exactly what is involved. I'm not against a doubling, or more, of electrical prices (if a certain minimum monthly amount remains affordable) but I don't like it when it's snuck thru like this! They should have done this by targeting the low hanging fruit - people whoes energy consutmpion is 3x or more what's reasonable - the ones leaving their A/C running day and night keeping the house like a meat locker. |
| Posts |
| Previous topic | Next topic |
