Electricity Price Increases

[ultrarunner]

Very true… a lot of folks can’t get a fire going… some use as an incinerator and others throw in so green it sizzles and steams.

I like going to the farm during Christmas season when the family is out all day to 9pm with Christmas Tree sales.

I head to the farmhouse just as the sun goes down and get a fire going in the small family room wood stove… always make sure the glass is sparkling and when my sister-in-law comes in the warm family room is the place to thaw out…

More than once she said she is happy they didn’t get rid of it like she had planned…

There electricity is AG rate… no tier pricing so not punished as if it were going over residential baseline… the tree lot is nicely lit mid November to Christmas Eve…

 

[jyoutz]

Just got bill in NH for 381 KWH was $107.00 of which $65 is delivery and $42 cost of electricity - which is interesting - we used 3X you did Jstpssng, and paid about the same. ($35x3=$105.)

How do you use so little power? We have gas stove, electric dryer, oil boiler HW, and 1.5 HP well pump then lights etc in 3K SF house and 2 of us,

I have a deep well with a 2hp pump. It uses a sizable portion of my monthly power usage. I’ll bet that your 1.5hp pump also adds a lot to your usage.

 

[WinterDeere]

Their electricity is AG rate… no tier pricing so not punished as if it were going over residential baseline…

Whoa... that's terrifying. Are you saying some utilities have taken to punishing high users with inflated rates?!? I use a crap-ton of electric, like more than a village, running my business computers and due to it just being a relatively large house. If our rates ever go from flat to graduated, I'm going to bleed!

With two kids talking about getting EV's, that's only likely to increase.

What ever happened to getting a quantity discount?!?

 

[rontaki]

I’d move, but that’s just me

I did. I'll never go back. There are many reasons.

 

[rontaki]

Whoa... that's terrifying. Are you saying some utilities have taken to punishing high users with inflated rates?!? I use a crap-ton of electric, like more than a village, running my business computers and due to it just being a relatively large house. If our rates ever go from flat to graduated, I'm going to bleed!

With two kids talking about getting EV's, that's only likely to increase.

What ever happened to getting a quantity discount?!?

Shouldn't the kids be paying for their own fuel, gas or electric?

 

[WinterDeere]

Shouldn't the kids be paying for their own fuel, gas or electric?

I used to think that, having grown up paying my own way in a cash-poor family. I've always had a job since age 11, more often than not two jobs when I was younger, but I'll have to admit it kept me from doing as well in school as I might have. In college, it actually caused me to have to go part time, while working to pay my tuition, and then to eventually drop out for several years. I eventually finished, but many years later than I would have liked.

My wife had the opposite experience, wealthy parents who paid for everything, her sole job was excelling in school. And she did, she was the valedictorian of her high school and later top of her class in college, and that was reflected in some of the high-profile jobs she was able to land right out of school, whereas my career launch was definitely more delayed and incremental.

My kids seem to be following her course, my son is ranked 2nd or 3rd in his class, and my daughter is 1st in her class. They both have numerous extra-curricular activities, which will help them when applying to top-ranked colleges, should they decide to go that route.

I'm not pretending I know what the hell I'm doing here, we're all just winging it, parenting doesn't come with a manual. But if they continue to excel at what they're doing, I'm happy to carry the financial end of things.

 

[Carl_NH]

I have a deep well with a 2hp pump. It uses a sizable portion of my monthly power usage. I’ll bet that your 1.5hp pump also adds a lot to your usage.

Yes - it probably does, as it pulls 22 amps at start up then 13 amps running, We have two tanks so about 22 gal drawdown means the pump runs maybe 10-12 times a day, depends on if we are watering outside,

We used to run the irrigation all summer, and that added $50-60/month to the bill, but we stopped the irrigation as the grass still browned out with irrigation, then came back in the fall, so why bother and wear out the pump faster too,

 

[jyoutz]

Yes - it probably does, as it pulls 22 amps at start up then 13 amps running, We have two tanks so about 22 gal drawdown means the pump runs maybe 10-12 times a day, depends on if we are watering outside,

We used to run the irrigation all summer, and that added $50-60/month to the bill, but we stopped the irrigation as the grass still browned out with irrigation, then came back in the fall, so why bother and wear out the pump faster too,

I have no storage tanks and do irrigate the lawn and garden in the summer. I do have 4 check valves in the pipe, so startup doesn’t have to pull from the bottom of the well. Also a variable speed controller. The last pump went over 15 years, and was replaced last November with the current pump.

 

[Carl_NH]

Our well is 420' and pump is set at 370' and the static level varies from 90-150' and one check valve at the pump and one at the tank, so it's technically lifting from the static level.

Our Goulds pump was installed in 2007 so 18 years old - I have a replacement ready JIC.

 

[WinterDeere]

I have no storage tanks and do irrigate the lawn and garden in the summer. I do have 4 check valves in the pipe, so startup doesn’t have to pull from the bottom of the well. Also a variable speed controller. The last pump went over 15 years, and was replaced last November with the current pump.

Any issue with a big "bang" on startup? One issue with check valves both upper and lower, is that if any lower valve leaks more than the one above it, pressure in the section of tubing in-between drops. Then when pump kicks on and starts charging that evactuated section of pipe, you get a big bang when it finally trips past the pressure of the section above + spring force of the upper check valve.

I had this problem in my prior house, and despite being a pretty competent plumber myself, I had to call one out with more experience with wells to help me solve the issue. His recommendation was to just remove the upper check valve, since my well wasn't terribly deep, and that did solve the problem.