Electricity Price Increases

[WinterDeere]

This is short term contracts that by law need a notification of end.

Yeah, I can see that being a problem. I've noticed that very recently, even when viewing online, some pages giving an "introductory rate" for various contracts fail to disclose the long-term rate to which your account will default after the introductory period ends. It's not ideal.

But this always forces me to either dig further or walk away, never sign up blindly, ignorant of what they might be charging me after the first 3 months promotional rate ends. It's hard to take anyone seriously, when they claim they had no idea the rate would go up after the promotional period.

 

[kenmbz]

The choice is 11-14c for dist or keep moving contracts for 7c.
So its a huge savings.
If they can offer 6mths or a year at a lower rate, why they can't just let me know new rate and make it a bump instead of doubling it, it's just a scam.
None of the dist companies give a real rate and give any concern about presenting a new realistic rate at end of contract.
They all just double the current rate to see if they can get it.

 

[WinterDeere]

The choice is 11-14c for dist or keep moving contracts for 7c.
So its a huge savings.
If they can offer 6mths or a year at a lower rate, why they can't just let me know new rate and make it a bump instead of doubling it, it's just a scam.
None of the dist companies give a real rate and give any concern about presenting a new realistic rate at end of contract.
They all just double the current rate to see if they can get it.

You're definitely more well-versed in this than me. Last time I went shopping for electric, when I moved almost 15 years ago, we could only shop for generation. Distribution was fixed by territory, either PECO or PPL.

 

[kenmbz]

You're definitely more well-versed in this than me. Last time I went shopping for electric, when I moved almost 15 years ago, we could only shop for generation. Distribution was fixed by territory, either PECO or PPL.

you are correct, I am with PECO for distribution and it is generation I shop for.
The difference in price for generation can be 2 to 3 times the cheapest price, and I never knew there were so many generation companies from NRG to ones that might just be two hamsters in a cage
Contracts from Monthly, 3 months, 6 months, yearly, 18 months etc.

 

[WinterDeere]

I never knew there were so many generation companies from NRG to ones that might just be two hamsters in a cage

And the thing so many non-tech folks fail to realize is that they're not buying power directly from company XXX, but rather controlling what fraction of your utility's total load comes from that company.

If 20% of the utility's customers buy their power generation from company XXX, then the utility buys 20% of their generation capacity from that company. But the electrons knocked free by your favorite hamster have relatively small odds of actually finding their way to your particular wall socket.

 

[Oaktree]

The difference in price for generation can be 2 to 3 times the cheapest price, and I never knew there were so many generation companies from NRG to ones that might just be two hamsters in a cage

Last time I checked here, the difference between suppliers was negligible...a couple cents a kwh one way or another. With the relatively small amount of power we use any savings would be minimal. As it is, distribution costs are double the actual energy cost, and wouldn't change since it's based on usage.

 

[ultrarunner]

California Assembly Bill 1890 signed into law September 1996 and implemented March 1998 separated generation and delivery.

 

[Shiendon]

I switched to Octopus a while back and noticed my bills got a bit more predictable, even with the recent spikes. They've got different tariffs depending on when you use power, so I shifted some heavy-use stuff to cheaper times. If anyone's curious, I used this to get started: https://octopus-referral-code.co.uk

 

[Torvy]

We have a co-op, though some neighbors have SWEPCO as their lines run nearby.

I don't have the increase notice handy, but I remember it was less than 11 cents per Kwh. Plus, as a co-op, we get capital credit annually that reduces the cost a wee bit.

Our monthly runs from 90-170 depending on season. The increase wasn't huge, so I'm expecting $5-10 a month more.

 

[walhondingMF]

We have a co-op, though some neighbors have SWEPCO as their lines run nearby.

I don't have the increase notice handy, but I remember it was less than 11 cents per Kwh. Plus, as a co-op, we get capital credit annually that reduces the cost a wee bit.

Our monthly runs from 90-170 depending on season. The increase wasn't huge, so I'm expecting $5-10 a month more.

Being in a CO-OP has also helped mitigate a big increase for us as well. People just a few miles away on AEP have seen 40-50% increases in just the last year. Everyone thought a new natural gas power plant going in was going to lower electricity prices. Not so much when all that power is being sent to the East coast.

 

[Torvy]

Being in a CO-OP has also helped mitigate a big increase for us as well. People just a few miles away on AEP have seen 40-50% increases in just the last year. Everyone thought a new natural gas power plant going in was going to lower electricity prices. Not so much when all that power is being sent to the East coast.

Good point. The system in the US is too centralized, in one sense. We need a series of small grids that can be manually connected in an emergency, but otherwise operate independently. Power generation needs to happen closer to where it ia used. Cities use most of it, but they use their electoral power to push generation out to rural areas. Some people have no idea how food shows up on their tables.

 

[DarkBlack]

Not so much when all that power is being sent to the East coast.

Where are you at? You don’t have anything under your profile

 

[walhondingMF]

Where are you at? You don’t have anything under your profile

In southeast Ohio. The natural gas boom has led to several power plants being constructed in this part of the state.

 

[MossRoad]

In southeast Ohio. The natural gas boom has led to several power plants being constructed in this part of the state.

Someone built a natural gas plant west of here several years ago and then sold it to two co-ops, neither of which serve our area.

Then Amazon built two data centers right next to it, as well as GM battery plant, so you have to wonder if they're selling to them since they're right across the road from each other.

 

[BravoXray]

Then Amazon built two data centers right next to it, as well as GM battery plant, so you have to wonder if they're selling to them since they're right across the road from each other.

I see the county commissioners vetoed zoning for a third data center. Meeting lasted from 6:00PM until 3:00AM, lots of pissed off neighbors railing against it.

 

[Torvy]

I see the county commissioners vetoed zoning for a third data center. Meeting lasted from 6:00PM until 3:00AM, lots of pissed off neighbors railing against it.

If it's like the city we lived in near FtW, they will let it sit for a month or two and bring it back up when fewer people are there. Rinse and repeat until they get their way.

 

[lman]

If it's like the city we lived in near FtW, they will let it sit for a month or two and bring it back up when fewer people are there. Rinse and repeat until they get their way.

I believe in this case they're good for 6 months.

 

[Torvy]

That's a little better. It should be at least 3 years before they can try again.

 

[walhondingMF]

I think the corporations building the data centers should be responsible for their own power production. They have the money to do it but would rather buy cheap, rural land buy power plants and expect us to subsidize them.

 

[MossRoad]

I see the county commissioners vetoed zoning for a third data center. Meeting lasted from 6:00PM until 3:00AM, lots of pissed off neighbors railing against it.

Yeah. Have you been out to the two data centers and the battery plant lately? WOW! HUGE!!!!!

I guess this third one was supposed to go north of the Chicago Trail nearer to the Hudson Lake neighborhoods.

Wife and I went out there on a Sunday night and drove what's left of the county dirt roads and I've never seen such a large installation other than US steel over in NW Indiana.

So, there's $11B in data and $4B in battery plant already. Data 3 would be another $13B.

I won't go into the arguments for and against it in this thread, as it's highly political here in Indiana.