what does your electricity cost?

[daugen]

Here in the Sunbelt, the smart thing to do is go solar and never look back.
We have a 10.3 system with a mix of older (3 year old) 30 BP panels with 18 newer panel (this spring) with built in inverters.
It has eliminated our electric bill, well we still get one but they owe us.
This is on a 3000 sq ft home. Well insulated plus double pane windows.
TXU settles up monthly now for what we put back in the grid at .750 per kWh.
TXU charges .1290 per kWh plus the extra charges.

With our two CNG powered vehicles, a 2011 Honda. A 2004 F150 crew. I feel like telling big oil & OPEC where to stick it.

Seriously nice going. Impressive accomplishment.

 

[Alien]

I pay 23 cents per KwH. You guys have got it good. Still, because I installed a small solar system, I got a credit of $60.00 the last bill.

 

[daugen]

I pay 23 cents per KwH. You guys have got it good. Still, because I installed a small solar system, I got a credit of $60.00 the last bill.

Wow. That's at least double and maybe triple what some of us pay. Oil fired generation or are we truly spoiled?
At those rates, solar has to pay for itself in a reasonable time. Glad you got a credit. That's a load of diesel for the Kioti!
And you appear to live (sorry, never been to your beautiful country) in the "populated" East, not too far from the coast,
so your transmission costs are likely as low as they'll get in your area.

Kinda like reminding us to stop complaining "here" of gasoline prices.

 

[Alien]

Well, the solar we paid cash for, so we don't look at it as needing to pay itself off, we just don't want any power bills. (or at least small ones) Yes we are about 80 - 90 klm from Brisbane in a rural area and the Government just put a stop to the power companies wanting to up their prices about 30%. Towoomba City is about 25 klm to the west of us. If you are interested you can watch this little video of our district, taken by my radio controlled glider. The little township is Grantham that was virtually wiped out by the flash flooding 2 years ago and you can see where they are rebuilding homes on a hill nearby. I was just trying out my new camera. https://vimeo.com/54428844

 

[Turbys_1700]

Here in NC using Duke Energy they break it down as follows:

Basic Facilities Charge: $9.90

July-Oct: .092898/kWh for the first 350 kWh
.092897/kWh after the first 350 kWh

Nov-June: .092898/kWh for the first 350 kWh
.084192/kWh after the first 350 kWh

I am positive these rates will go up due to their coal fired plants and new EPA regs...

As a point of reference, my utility bill runs around $2200 per year for a 1450 sq. ft. brick rancher built in 1953...
I have a heat pump and electric water heater...
Not relevant to you guys up North...
That heat pump would be pretty worthless in cold climates...
I do have gas logs for back up...

 

[daugen]

Well, the solar we paid cash for, so we don't look at it as needing to pay itself off, we just don't want any power bills. (or at least small ones) Yes we are about 80 - 90 klm from Brisbane in a rural area and the Government just put a stop to the power companies wanting to up their prices about 30%. Towoomba City is about 25 klm to the west of us. If you are interested you can watch this little video of our district, taken by my radio controlled glider. The little township is Grantham that was virtually wiped out by the flash flooding 2 years ago and you can see where they are rebuilding homes on a hill nearby. I was just trying out my new camera. https://vimeo.com/54428844

Marvelous video, what a cool glider, the propeller reminds me of a folding prop on a sailboat.
Nice flying, did you loop the plane toward the end?
DC powered motors?

 

[chad22]

I don't have my bill close by. But if I remember correctly I pay around 11 cents per KWH. That's before taxes and delivery charges.

My bill averages around $80.00 to $90.00 per month.

Chad

 

[clemsonfor]

since it's real important to compare apples to apples, I'm not sure my "rate to compare" is the same
as your "rate to compare", which is unfortunate. But for those of us who just have one rate, it's not a huge swing.
I never switched from PECO, though the free market now has unleashed dozens of companies calling me to see if I want to buy electricity at a substantial
savings, which is rarely substantial, and at most ten percent for a limited time. But no one has called me about solar panels, not that our HOA would allow them anyway.

Those of you with hydroelectric power seemed to have the lowest rates. Many of those plants, which I've been on, are a hundred years old,
and older. And still doing their job. Awesome machinery, lots of historic brass gauges still on them, visit if you can.
No pollution, very little noise, and great fishing nearby. But then I like anything near the water.

Absolutely agree that solar and wind is the way to go in the wipe open spaces where you have a true natural resource in sun and wind.
Not sure anyone other than an engineer could look at a wind generator and think it's attractive, but then solar panels don't exactly come in camo either.
We need stealth tech for both, if you don't see them they won't bother you. Assuming you aren't flying a small plane that is...

update: anyone remember if there was ever a thread on "what's your thermostat set to?". I would find that seriously interesting, but might use up more bandwidth
than it's worth.

Hydro power is not always cheap. There are 3 hydro dams (USACE controlled) that sell to the SEPA, which my electric company will distribute some, also SCEG has huge hydro lakes and small systems, any fishermen everheard of Santee?? Those fAmous catfish lakes known as Santee Cooper, that's my power co. They also have Nuke and coal which I think there burning more gas, but still look at my rates!!!

 

[clemsonfor]

id love solar, but I looked at one magazine and found that I would need something over $100,000 worth of panels, plus install etc. I must have not been doing it right?? I WAS Looking at some green living catalogue and thought that they told you how to figure capacity based on current useage, which Is what I remember doing, but at those prices it would take 30 years to pay off even at my current rate!!

Tell me if Im wrong, I posted my stats above, I used 1400kwh last month. And that's a lot for the winter as I went to wood heat almost exclusively a few years ago. We don't leave lights on have cfl's and save where ever we can!

 

[Welshman]

As a point of reference, my utility bill runs around $2200 per year for a 1450 sq. ft. brick rancher built in 1953...
I have a heat pump and electric water heater...
Not relevant to you guys up North...
That heat pump would be pretty worthless in cold climates...
I do have gas logs for back up...

Actually far from worthless. We're very satisfied with ours. We have a 2800 sq. ft. split-level (open floor plan) house with a 1300 sq. ft. "in-law suite" addition, joined at the garages. They're stick construction with 2x6 exterior walls and R19 insulation (R38 ceilings). Each "side" has it's own heat pump, and electric water heater. Electricity is the only utility we have. Each "side" also has high efficienct woodburning fireplaces, but we only burn in the evenings, and usually only when the temperature drops into the low 30's and below (laziness and procrastination plays a role here ). In 2012, we used 27,456 KWH, at a cost of $2266.85. I had always heard that heat pumps were not very efficient below 40 degrees, but have been surprised at how long they'll go to maintain a temperature before going into "auxillary heat" ($$$) mode.