Electricity Nationwide - Supply & Distribution charges?

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TheLight75

TheLight75

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I've heard that some parts of the US have electricity rates as low as $0.08/kWh. But do they also have delivery/distribution charges on top of that and if so, what are they? Here in Massachusetts, our electric bills have 2 sections for supplier charges per kWh & delivery charges per kWh. My area charges 10.8 cents/kWh for supply & a whopping 13.2 cents/kWh for delivery bringing my total cost to 24.0 cents/kWh.
 
The https://www.eia.gov has more details. Yes, Massachusetts individual customers are being screwed and it is past time some transformers should get dumped in the Boston Harbor. "Tea Party" my *ss!

Then there is the contradiction of California. They have so much solar and wind power that during the day, they have to turn them off yet that is when their rates are highest. Time of Day rates should be tied to Cost to Produce and then they can dig themselves out of a regulator/utility hole.

Bob Wilson
 
My Indiana REMC: 0.077387 per kw energy charge plus 0.032440 per kw distribution charge equals .109827 per kw, plus 7% sales tax on the energy charge only = 0.115244 bottom line out of pocket per kw including distribution and taxes. 24 hours a day same rate.

And I also know my REMC has higher rates than most of the rest of the state.

So yes I can confirm my Indiana electricity costs me less than half of what CA and Mass residents have presented thus far.

You wanna get real upset? Now let’s talk about how little Indiana residence pay in property taxes compared to CA and Mass...living in a boring and republican run Midwestern state with minimal services and mediocre infrastructure certainly has its personal financial benefits....
 
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TheLight75 said:
I've heard that some parts of the US have electricity rates as low as $0.08/kWh. But do they also have delivery/distribution charges on top of that and if so, what are they? Here in Massachusetts, our electric bills have 2 sections for supplier charges per kWh & delivery charges per kWh. My area charges 10.8 cents/kWh for supply & a whopping 13.2 cents/kWh for delivery bringing my total cost to 24.0 cents/kWh.
Click to expand...

Where do you live in MA? Our town here in MA has its own municipal light plant, and we pay around .16/kWh average, which includes only a "distribution charge." Also, our electricity is currently at around 85% renewables. We also get a $10/month credit on our bill for only charging our EV off-peak (10 pm-noon weekdays, and 10pm Fridays to noon Monday). Works out for us to about 200-250 free miles a month.

Wish the per kWh cost was a bit lower, but the cost to charge my EV still comes out to less than half of what I was paying per month to gas up my 24mpg Outback before I got my EV.
 
I am truly amazed at how much difference there is between electricity rates in different regions of the "lower 48" USA. It may be to some extent understandable why rates are higher in Hawaii and Alaska, but since the entire lower 48 is connected to a nationwide grid -- altho it's actually 3 grids, there are connections between them -- then why does it cost significantly more in one area than another?

I put it down to over-regulation. This is particularly apparent in the way that electricity rates skyrocketed in California a couple of decades or so ago, due to nothing more than the way the State was regulating the utilities.

It is reported that in some areas of New York City, with a summer surcharge for daytime electricity rates, the charge may be as high as 35¢ per hour! Yet in some Western States, a night-time rate may be as low as 2¢ per hour, or a least that was claimed some years back. Dunno if it's still true today.

IMNSHO this difference is absolutely insane. Here's hoping that increased usage of solar power may ameliorate those ridiculously high charges in certain areas; hopefully people in the neighborhoods can band together to create their own microgrid and reduce or eliminate dependence on the public utility and its absurd overcharges.

Monopolies are very bad, even when they are only local monopolies. We can be sure that if true competition and a competitive market existed, nobody would be selling residential electricity at rates higher than 20¢ per kWh. Maybe not even higher than 15¢ per kWh.
 
i pay 3 cents a kwh, but have double that in delivery charges.
if i use about $50 in actual power, it's about $150 i get billed.
so i average closer to 9-10 cents a kwh.
i'm locked in at that 3 cents for 3 years too.
it dropped a lot from nat gas generation. coal is going broke on power here.
i live in alberta, ca.
 
manybees said:
Where do you live in MA? Our town here in MA has its own municipal light plant, and we pay around .16/kWh average, which includes only a "distribution charge." Also, our electricity is currently at around 85% renewables. We also get a $10/month credit on our bill for only charging our EV off-peak (10 pm-noon weekdays, and 10pm Fridays to noon Monday). Works out for us to about 200-250 free miles a month.

Wish the per kWh cost was a bit lower, but the cost to charge my EV still comes out to less than half of what I was paying per month to gas up my 24mpg Outback before I got my EV.
Click to expand...

Hi Manybees,

I live in a small town on the South Shore. National Grid is my utility and, sadly, they do not have off-peak rates nor EV-incentivized rates. It's the same rate around the clock. I've looked into changing the supply side to one of those "competitive" providers that do provide off-peak rates, but in the end they cost even more because of the inflated rate structure designed to make you think you're getting a good deal. That's a sweet deal you have there with your MLP!!
 
finally looked at my bill this month.
electricity. $18. delivery, $63.
so, a little more than i thought.
a lot of line to pay for when you live in a small rural town.
the high cost comes from the last conservative government and their overbuilding of the infrastructure to bring cogeneration from the tarsands in ft mac.
it doubled bills overnight.
 
There are 50 states with 50 different regulatory commissions determining what the utilities can charge so little wonder things vary widely. It's all politics, of course. On the tree-hugging left coast the politicians force the utilities to install expensive renewable sources well in excess of what the system can support and allow them to pass the charges on to the customers. Elsewhere where the utilities are investor owned, they make huge contributions to reelection campaigns and the governing entity is controlled by the industry it is supposed to be controlling. In either case the customers get screwed. It can get pretty wild in some places. These are the components of my electric bill:

II.A.1 Basic Customer Charge

II.A.2 Distribution First 800 kWh
II.A.2 Distribution Over 800 kWh
II.A.3 Rider T1
ii.A.3. Fuel Charge Rider A
II.A.4 Distribution Standby Charge

II.B.1 Generation First 800 kWh
II.B.1 Generation Over 800 kWh
II.B.2.a Transmission Charge
II.B.2.b Transmission Standby Charge
 
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