So they are installing the new meters which offer off peak billing at reduced rates. Anyone taken advantage of that yet? Did it save you anything?
Any CHELCO clients taking advantage of off peak rates
- Thread starter wrobert
- Start date
-
Trouble logging in? Send us a message with your username and/or email address for help.
I call myself reading my mail and trying to keep up, but somehow I missed this. So I went to Chelco's website and here's the page about it:
Alternative Rates - Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative, Inc. (CHELCO)
There's a brochure you can download. Wonder if anyone's done the math to see if it saves you $$, since there's a monthly charge to do this ($24 or $36)? So. You have to pay extra for conserving energy and saving the co-op from needing to generate more power? And you have to initiate it, and it only works with certain meters.... Could they make it any easier for their customers to help them out on reducing peak power consumption?
Wouldn't it make all kinds of sense if this were just automatically how they billed everyone (as well as a fair price in customers' net metered sales of power back to Chelco)? I am told that in other parts of the country this is just the way it's done, and people quickly figure out how to schedule certain activities and uses, how to set timers on water heaters and lights, delay wash and dry cycles, etc., to get lower power bills and reduce carbon emissions too.
Lots of very interesting idaes about this sort of thing in a book I just finished -- Hot, Flat and Crowded.
Alternative Rates - Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative, Inc. (CHELCO)
There's a brochure you can download. Wonder if anyone's done the math to see if it saves you $$, since there's a monthly charge to do this ($24 or $36)? So. You have to pay extra for conserving energy and saving the co-op from needing to generate more power? And you have to initiate it, and it only works with certain meters.... Could they make it any easier for their customers to help them out on reducing peak power consumption?
Wouldn't it make all kinds of sense if this were just automatically how they billed everyone (as well as a fair price in customers' net metered sales of power back to Chelco)? I am told that in other parts of the country this is just the way it's done, and people quickly figure out how to schedule certain activities and uses, how to set timers on water heaters and lights, delay wash and dry cycles, etc., to get lower power bills and reduce carbon emissions too.
Lots of very interesting idaes about this sort of thing in a book I just finished -- Hot, Flat and Crowded.
I missed it too. I used to hear ideas that washing clothes, running dishwasher, etc was less expensive if done late at night, but I've never lived anywhere the power company charged more for peak times, and less for off-peak times. It makes sense to me, regarding the demand, especially in California where they have critical black-outs. It would also make sense for the power companies to charge less for this service, yet they are charging MORE!
Susan Horn, if you like the book, to to Charlie Rose's website and look for the archived interviews with Thomas Friedman, they are very good, better than reading the book, with a summary of the book's ideas. Charlie has interviewed Friedman several times.
Susan Horn, if you like the book, to to Charlie Rose's website and look for the archived interviews with Thomas Friedman, they are very good, better than reading the book, with a summary of the book's ideas. Charlie has interviewed Friedman several times.
So, Susan and SJ, let me see if I understand this correctly:
if one wants to be charged the lower rate for using electricity during off peak times, then one needs to sign up, have a different meter installed, and pay an additional monthly fee?
That doesn't make any sense to me. Won't the additional cost offset any savings realized by using power at peak time?
and, if customers are using off peak power, they are still charged for peak power unless they have done the above?
Why not just charge the lower rate when the cost is lower (at low peak)?
I'm confused.
It's kinda like the grocery store charging more for the "organic" products: they don't have all the added perservatives, did not use the chemcial fertilizers and pesticides, so to have less, we pay more....
what is wrong with this picture? or I am I seeing it wrong?
if one wants to be charged the lower rate for using electricity during off peak times, then one needs to sign up, have a different meter installed, and pay an additional monthly fee?
That doesn't make any sense to me. Won't the additional cost offset any savings realized by using power at peak time?
and, if customers are using off peak power, they are still charged for peak power unless they have done the above?
Why not just charge the lower rate when the cost is lower (at low peak)?
I'm confused.
It's kinda like the grocery store charging more for the "organic" products: they don't have all the added perservatives, did not use the chemcial fertilizers and pesticides, so to have less, we pay more....
what is wrong with this picture? or I am I seeing it wrong?
Many municipalities already do peak/non-peak during summer months, but they don't do a special meter, they just shut the power off if you use too much! :rofl:
In Minnesota I am on a program during the summer called "Saver's switch" The utility company limits access to power during peak demand hours, which limits how low the AC can go. Being part of the program saves me quite a bit of money, but there's no monthly charge for the privilege. And yes, believe it or not, it gets really hot in Minnesota--lots of times it is hotter there than here.
Either your meter has already been replaced or it will be soon. All of them north of the bay are already done.
Zackly what I was saying. That's what it looks like to me. Crazeeeeee.
I hope to find time to look at those Charlie Rose Thomas Friedman interviewes real soon.
Gulf Power has done the peak/off peak metering and billing for years. There is an additional program they offer for certain situations that allows them to shut off your power remotely during peak times. It's supposed to be good for 2nd homes, people who travel a lot, etc. Guess what they generally do it on the hottest days of the year. :roll:
I know that Gulf Power also has flat billing for people watching their money. Basically they average your year and charge the same amount every month. It's then adjusted annually. It's really good for folks on a fixed income and saves them from huge bills in the summer and cold snaps.
I know that Gulf Power also has flat billing for people watching their money. Basically they average your year and charge the same amount every month. It's then adjusted annually. It's really good for folks on a fixed income and saves them from huge bills in the summer and cold snaps.
Here in Pville we had "that :angry: meter" on our house. We were given a credit on our bill each month when we used it but we could not use max power during certain times of the day. (the hottest):roll:
When the upstairs of our house got so hot b/c the air conditioner was getting turned off b/c of the blasted thing we called the elec company and told them to take it off, and they did. Our power bill did go up in price but it was worth it.
When the upstairs of our house got so hot b/c the air conditioner was getting turned off b/c of the blasted thing we called the elec company and told them to take it off, and they did. Our power bill did go up in price but it was worth it.