Switched my Electric Billing Plan

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FloridaSun

FloridaSun

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My local electric company offers 3 different price plans. They even offer an analyzer based on your use on which plan would have been cheaper for me.. Turns out that the "Shift to Save" price plan would have already saved my $5 per year over my standard rate plan and that was WITHOUT EV charging. The Off Peak (usually night) price for charging with the new plan is only 5 cents per kwh. So, if I charge the car exclusively during off peak hours, I will be charging for 5.006 cents per kwh. That would bring the price of charging the car from 0 to 100% to US$ 3.20. My current rate is 10.58 cents per kwh 24/7 which would mean $6.77 to charge the car from 0 to 100%..
 
We have a reasonable single rate in Manitoba for the moment, 8.5 cent kwh or 10 Canadian cents after tax delivered. For our American folks that would be 6.5 cents or 7.6 cents taxes in, at current exchange. What kills me is our public utility exports a quarter of its production to the US at significantly discounted rates and we effectively subsidize our neighbor's power. This was fine until they recently decided to build more hydroelectric dams and it was decided they need to increase the domestic rate to pay for the dams that again will primarily benefit its export customers, ugh.
 
apu said:
We have a reasonable single rate in Manitoba for the moment, 8.5 cent kwh or 10 Canadian cents after tax delivered. For our American folks that would be 6.5 cents or 7.6 cents taxes in, at current exchange. What kills me is our public utility exports a quarter of its production to the US at significantly discounted rates and we effectively subsidize our neighbor's power. This was fine until they recently decided to build more hydroelectric dams and it was decided they need to increase the domestic rate to pay for the dams that again will primarily benefit its export customers, ugh.
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That doesn't make sense... I wonder why that is...
 
BlueKonaEV said:
Turns out that the "Shift to Save" price plan would have already saved my $5 per year over my standard rate plan and that was WITHOUT EV charging. The Off Peak (usually night) price for charging with the new plan is only 5 cents per kwh. So, if I charge the car exclusively during off peak hours, I will be charging for 5.006 cents per kwh. That would bring the price of charging the car from 0 to 100% to US$ 3.20. My current rate is 10.58 cents per kwh 24/7 which would mean $6.77 to charge the car from 0 to 100%..
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Those are good rates! I've felt for a while that anyone who can move to time-of-use should do so. It seems like an expensive project to shift everyone over to smart meters but once it's done, you can get the benefit of leveling out those usage peaks and troughs for the rest of history. Time-of-Use has also meant I look for timer features on my washer, dryer, and dishwasher, and now those chores typically happen before bed, with the actual use of power about 4am. For some power regions, lowest-price power is also substantially (or even entirely) carbon-free.

Ontario: http://www.ieso.ca/Power-Data
 
eastpole said:
Those are good rates! I've felt for a while that anyone who can move to time-of-use should do so. It seems like an expensive project to shift everyone over to smart meters but once it's done, you can get the benefit of leveling out those usage peaks and troughs for the rest of history. Time-of-Use has also meant I look for timer features on my washer, dryer, and dishwasher, and now those chores typically happen before bed, with the actual use of power about 4am. For some power regions, lowest-price power is also substantially (or even entirely) carbon-free.

Ontario: http://www.ieso.ca/Power-Data
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I'm lucky that my powe company offers such program. Many others don't..
 
eastpole said:
Those are good rates! I've felt for a while that anyone who can move to time-of-use should do so. It seems like an expensive project to shift everyone over to smart meters but once it's done, you can get the benefit of leveling out those usage peaks and troughs for the rest of history. Time-of-Use has also meant I look for timer features on my washer, dryer, and dishwasher, and now those chores typically happen before bed, with the actual use of power about 4am. For some power regions, lowest-price power is also substantially (or even entirely) carbon-free.

Ontario: http://www.ieso.ca/Power-Data
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In bc we have smart meters so there is no reason why BC Hydro doesn’t offer timed rates
 
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In Ontario, summer off-peak rates from 7pm-7am are 6.5 cents per kWh
But we're paying increasing amounts for delivery, often more than for the electricity itself.
 
BlueKonaEV said:
My local electric company offers 3 different price plans. They even offer an analyzer based on your use on which plan would have been cheaper for me.. Turns out that the "Shift to Save" price plan would have already saved my $5 per year over my standard rate plan and that was WITHOUT EV charging. The Off Peak (usually night) price for charging with the new plan is only 5 cents per kwh. So, if I charge the car exclusively during off peak hours, I will be charging for 5.006 cents per kwh. That would bring the price of charging the car from 0 to 100% to US$ 3.20. My current rate is 10.58 cents per kwh 24/7 which would mean $6.77 to charge the car from 0 to 100%..
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That's very inexpensive compared (obviously) to what we have here in California. In the San Diego Gas & Electric territory they have been moving everybody to TOU rates. There are about 5 or 6 to choose from and you can opt out and go back to the old tiered rate if you want to. I went on the special EV rate a couple of months ago. Before that we were averaging about $0.24/kWh on the tiered rate, depending on the time of year.

The special EV rate has worked out quite well for me, so far, even with our sky high rates. The summer peak period is from 4:00 pm until 9:00 pm, and they get $0.52/kWh!! The off peak rate is $0.28/kWh, and there's a "super off-peak rate" of $0.09/kWh that applies from midnight until 6:00 am on weekdays and until 2:00 pm on weekends and holidays.

I have a 5 kW PV system that was originally sized to offset about 80% of our usage, which includes a VFD pool pump. Since we installed the PV system we have switched from a propane gas dryer to electric (just recently replaced standard electric dryer with an unvented heat pump dryer). I also leased a Ford Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid three years ago, which was recently replaced with the Kona EV. I'm participating in an Energy Commission "smart home study" for which they have provided me with an L2 charger and an 8 kWh storage battery (along with a smart T-stat).

For the month of June we had a total net usage of about 125 kWh, but I ended up with an energy credit of $35.00. I always charge the Kona during the super off-peak period, whether I'm charging nightly or weekly (I'm trying both options out). The battery is set up to charge fully during the super off-peak period and then to cover our usage (up to 8 kWh) during the 4:00 pm until 9:00 pm peak period. We get charged or credited, monthly, at the full retail rate for our net usage, and bills are trued up and due annually in May. During the day we are feeding the grid at $0.28/kWh because our usage is well below the PV output. Even from 4:00 pm until about 6:00 pm (at least this time of year) we have a negative net usage until the sun goes down, at which time the battery kicks in. So basically we are using power at $0.09 and feeding it back to the grid at $0.28 or $0.52. During the month of June we had net negative usage during both of the high cost periods and about 350 kWh net positive during the super off-peak period. So far in July, according to my spreadsheet, we have generated about $20.00 in energy credit. We will probably end up using all of those credits later in the year when the weather is still warm, the A/C is still being used, and the PV output is reduced. Very interesting to see how all of these parts interact.
 
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apu said:
Most likely because it a "crown corporation" aka government run public utility with fairly nebulous accountability.
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I'm not going to argue in this forum that public utilities have the most bestest accountability ever, but let's ask California how well private utilities like Enron treated them when they got the chance.
 
eastpole said:
I'm not going to argue in this forum that public utilities have the most bestest accountability ever, but let's ask California how well private utilities like Enron treated them when they got the chance.
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The California electric market is somewhat (actually very much) more complicated than this.

The three largest electric utilities (PG&E, SCE and SDG&E), though they are regulated by the Public Utilities Commission, are actually Investor Owned Utilities (IOUs) whose main goal is to make a profit for their shareholders. They will do everything that the can to avoid costs and maximize profit. Their rates are regulate d by the PUC but they are guaranteed a rate of return on capital investment. There are some actual Publicly Owned Utilities (POUs), also known as Municipal Utilities, owned by local governments. The largest are LADWP in Los Angeles and SMUD in Sacramento. A few dozen others from Anaheim and Riverside to Palo Alto and San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. These are not regulated by the state government. There is also now a movement toward something called Community Choice Aggregation as another alternative to the IOUs.

One could write a thesis on all of this, but...not me.

Enron was basically the result of a failed experiment in deregulation.
 
FlbrkMike said:
That's very inexpensive compared (obviously) to what we have here in California. In the San Diego Gas & Electric territory they have been moving everybody to TOU rates. There are about 5 or 6 to choose from and you can opt out and go back to the old tiered rate if you want to. I went on the special EV rate a couple of months ago. Before that we were averaging about $0.24/kWh on the tiered rate, depending on the time of year.

The special EV rate has worked out quite well for me, so far, even with our sky high rates. The summer peak period is from 4:00 pm until 9:00 pm, and they get $0.52/kWh!! The off peak rate is $0.28/kWh, and there's a "super off-peak rate" of $0.09/kWh that applies from midnight until 6:00 am on weekdays and until 2:00 pm on weekends and holidays.

I have a 5 kW PV system that was originally sized to offset about 80% of our usage, which includes a VFD pool pump. Since we installed the PV system we have switched from a propane gas dryer to electric (just recently replaced standard electric dryer with an unvented heat pump dryer). I also leased a Ford Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid three years ago, which was recently replaced with the Kona EV. I'm participating in an Energy Commission "smart home study" for which they have provided me with an L2 charger and an 8 kWh storage battery (along with a smart T-stat).

For the month of June we had a total net usage of about 125 kWh, but I ended up with an energy credit of $35.00. I always charge the Kona during the super off-peak period, whether I'm charging nightly or weekly (I'm trying both options out). The battery is set up to charge fully during the super off-peak period and then to cover our usage (up to 8 kWh) during the 4:00 pm until 9:00 pm peak period. We get charged or credited, monthly, at the full retail rate for our net usage, and bills are trued up and due annually in May. During the day we are feeding the grid at $0.28/kWh because our usage is well below the PV output. Even from 4:00 pm until about 6:00 pm (at least this time of year) we have a negative net usage until the sun goes down, at which time the battery kicks in. So basically we are using power at $0.09 and feeding it back to the grid at $0.28 or $0.52. During the month of June we had net negative usage during both of the high cost periods and about 350 kWh net positive during the super off-peak period. So far in July, according to my spreadsheet, we have generated about $20.00 in energy credit. We will probably end up using all of those credits later in the year when the weather is still warm, the A/C is still being used, and the PV output is reduced. Very interesting to see how all of these parts interact.
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You got to blame California Politicians for the high rates (just like you got to blame them for the high gas prices)

Here's a nice summary on why electricity is expensive in Cali..
https://www.quora.com/Why-are-electricity-bills-so-expensive-in-California

In Florida, we use a lot of Atomic Energy as also Coal Power and Natural Gas.. That's why electric rates are low here.. The only thing that brings rates up is clean ups after Hurricanes.. If it wasn't for those, the normal rate would be about 8 cents per kwh but since we were hit by multiple Hurricanes over the last 15 years, those rates went up a little bit to recover cost to repair the infrastructure after those storms.
 
KonaTom said:
I wish my electric utility offered reduced off peak rates (BC Hydro). I wonder if any Canadian power utility does? BC Hydro says they are looking into it, but that has been going on for a long time.
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In Ontario we have On-Peak (13 cents per kWh), Mid-Peak (10 cents per kWh) and Off-Peak (7 cents per kWh). From 7 pm Friday to 7 am Monday is considered off-peak as is any week day from 7 pm to 7 am.
 
Brennan Raposo said:
In Ontario we have On-Peak (13 cents per kWh), Mid-Peak (10 cents per kWh) and Off-Peak (7 cents per kWh). From 7 pm Friday to 7 am Monday is considered off-peak as is any week day from 7 pm to 7 am.
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That averages about what we have here at 10.58 cents per kwh. Peak with my new plan is 17 cents per kwh and off peak is 5 cents.. However, in summer, off peak is 9 PM to noon. In winter, it's a little more complex.. Off peak in winter is from 10 PM to 6 AM and 10 am to 6 PM.. So, in summer I will be charging starting 9 PM until 5:50 AM when I leave the house to go to work and in winter, I'll be charging 10 PM to 5:50 Am and if I'm not full, I can charge between 4 and 6 PM after I come home from work.
 
BlueKonaEV said:
That averages about what we have here at 10.58 cents per kwh. Peak with my new plan is 17 cents per kwh and off peak is 5 cents.. However, in summer, off peak is 9 PM to noon. In winter, it's a little more complex.. Off peak in winter is from 10 PM to 6 AM and 10 am to 6 PM.. So, in summer I will be charging starting 9 PM until 5:50 AM when I leave the house to go to work and in winter, I'll be charging 10 PM to 5:50 Am and if I'm not full, I can charge between 4 and 6 PM after I come home from work.
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BC Hydro rates are pretty basic, 9.45 cents per kWh up to 1350 kWh (average home), then it jumps to tier 2 rates of 14.17 cents per kWh. At least until next year:(
 
electriceddy said:
BC Hydro rates are pretty basic, 9.45 cents per kWh up to 1350 kWh (average home), then it jumps to tier 2 rates of 14.17 cents per kWh. At least until next year:(
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.0945, who gets that?? I have never seen ours below .13 (all in, incl tax) when I do the calc. We do have LED with most of the lights,.. but we do have central air,... and a fish pond. But have yet to charge the car at home.

So what is going to happen next year?
 
R P said:
.0945, who gets that?? I have never seen ours below .13 (all in, incl tax) when I do the calc. We do have LED with most of the lights,.. but we do have central air,... and a fish pond. But have yet to charge the car at home.

So what is going to happen next year?
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Jan- March bill - Step 1, 1.354 kWh @ .0884, step 2, 243 kWh @.1326 kWh , (heat mostly with wood and occasional heat pump)
The raise it every year but still not bad
 
SDG&E in socal offers an EV rate with 9c/kwh off peak. The off peak hours are 12am to 6am weekdays and 12am to 2pm weekends and holidays. There is a $16 monthly fee, but still worth it for EV owners.
 
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