Multiple electric meters and "availability charge"

[C4Ranch]

My electric is provided by Comanche Electric coop and have 2 meters providing electric to a barn that's about 500' away from an occasional use house.
They're hitting me with a $22 fee on each meter ($44/mth) for "availability charge" because of my limited use. I typically only average about $20 in usage across both meters per month but am paying over $500 per yr in for availability.
Anyone else with multiple meters experience this? Is it common practice?

Tia!

J

 

[grsthegreat]

My electric is provided by Comanche Electric coop and have 2 meters providing electric to a barn that's about 500' away from an occasional use house.
They're hitting me with a $22 fee on each meter ($44/mth) for "availability charge" because of my limited use. I typically only average about $20 in usage across both meters per month but am paying over $500 per yr in for availability.
Anyone else with multiple meters experience this? Is it common practice?

Tia!

J

here in idaho theres a minimal use charge on all meters that dont show use. This is a way to get paid for summer homes, etc. Someone has to pay for maintaining the service to these units.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I have separate meter for my shop and my house, each one has a minimum charge for usage. I keep a small 1500 watt heater on in winter and many times use a 110v window ac in summer just to use up my minimum usage fee. Every electric company I have ever had from Louisiana to California, to Canada has a minimum charge as does a water supplier. If your is only $22 consider yourself cheaply supplied as many places are around $35 min.

 

[dodge man]

When I built my garage/shop a few years ago, I know it was much cheaper to run a new electric line of my existing meter than to have a second meter. It sits about 300 feet from my house.

 

[techman]

Best option is feed the barn off one meter, as a subpanel. It may take some wire, perhaps a j-box and a new breaker in the panel. You will save the add'l fees. I did this a couple of years ago for a friend. We actually ran the house off the barn, since it had newer (and larger) service. Buried a 2/0 cable between and fed the house with a 100 amp branch circuit. If you are not comfortable, talk to an electrician, since grounding, etc needs to be done correctly.

paul

 

[grsthegreat]

When I built my garage/shop a few years ago, I know it was much cheaper to run a new electric line of my existing meter than to have a second meter. It sits about 300 feet from my house.

yup..thats exactly the reason i swapped my existing 200 amp service to a 400 amp and ran a new underground wire to the new shop instead of bringing in a new service to the shop. Alot of times i never set foot in the shop for 30 days or more at a time. i didnt want a $35 charge every month forever. it was way cheaper in the long run to simply increase the existing meter feed.

 

[buickanddeere]

My electric is provided by Comanche Electric coop and have 2 meters providing electric to a barn that's about 500' away from an occasional use house.
They're hitting me with a $22 fee on each meter ($44/mth) for "availability charge" because of my limited use. I typically only average about $20 in usage across both meters per month but am paying over $500 per yr in for availability.
Anyone else with multiple meters experience this? Is it common practice?

Tia!

J

Time to bury a cable up to the house.

 

[TnAndy]

yup..thats exactly the reason i swapped my existing 200 amp service to a 400 amp and ran a new underground wire to the new shop instead of bringing in a new service to the shop. Alot of times i never set foot in the shop for 30 days or more at a time. i didnt want a $35 charge every month forever. it was way cheaper in the long run to simply increase the existing meter feed.

I did the same thing. Not only was there a separate charge for the meter, but they charge commercial rates for anything not on a house. I put a new 400amp service about halfway between the house and shop, and ran 200 in each direction underground.

 

[C4Ranch]

I did the same thing. Not only was there a separate charge for the meter, but they charge commercial rates for anything not on a house. I put a new 400amp service about halfway between the house and shop, and ran 200 in each direction underground.

Now that's an idea! I just drilled a well right about in the middle of the barn and house. I need to get electricity to the well anyway, maybe it's time to take care of it all at the same time.

 

[TnAndy]

Yeah, actually, in addition to killing those two birds with the same stone, I also ran in my new solar power system I was building out next to the new service....so it was a "3 'fer".

The small meter base on the right is the "buy" meter that they pay me for production.