Electricity is (near) free?

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Tom

Tom

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Today I picked up our electricity bill for the last year on our lot in WY; It was an outrageous $46!

Admittedly we're only on the lot a few weeks/months of the year, but this would be our bill for a week (or less) at home.
 
What was the killowatt per hour charge?  I read our meter today.  We is used 533 kw in 26 days x .11 per kw = $58.63 or $2.55 per day.  Now, that's near free.  ;D
 
I had arranged to take July and August off from work, the plan was to take 3 weeks to drive from Los Angeles to Vermont, help with the sound setup at the Escapade, then spend the month of August driving back.

Work problems delayed my departure until mid-July, so there wasn't enough time to drive to Vermont.  instead, I left my motorhome on my lot in the Pahrump Escapees co-op and flew there from Las Vegas

Since the highs in Pahrump were going to be in the 105 - 110 degree range, I left the RV's air conditioner on, set for 90 degrees.

I was dreading the electric bill when I got back, especially since the Pahrump utility raised the rate from 10 to 12 cents per KWh.  But the bill for 17 days in June was only $17.  I figure the air conditioning was running continuously for at least 8 - 10 hours a day.  Along with the home style electric refrigerator.
 
Margi, your rate is almost double ours ($0.11 v $0.06).
 
I put solar on the S&B 3 years ago. I rolled the dice as SDG&E rates are going through the roof. I got my "settle up" bill in July.  They owed me $2.43!  Now admittedly I have been gone since April, but my sister is there in her Bungalow, and it's been HOT in So. Cal. 

It will spike again when we get home, but I am loving it right now!
 
I keep procrastinating on solar for the S&B. Having previously re-roofed, I'm nervous about 'punching through', and potential leaks. Call it paranoia on my part. I've talked at length with various solar companies about it, but get the salesman response.
 
Wow.. Some of you guys sure get cheap electric...
Our rate is .13  per kwh.. here in northern Indiana..  (I&M electric)

Bob
 
Our electric bill runs $180 to $300 a month..  Summer time we have a pond pump going 12 hours a day for the stream/waterfall and the wife has sal****er and freshwater fish tanks going 24/7.  Then in winter, she has a electric heated room in her pole barn for her parrots. (I should switch to gas as it is less than half the cost)

Bob
 
.06, now that's cheap!
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Aye Ken. I wonder if there's a rate tier affecting some reported numbers. In our case, the park receives a bill from the power company and they print separate bills for lot owners under their (the park's) letterhead; All we see is usage, rate, and total $. Our S&B bill shows tiers, and we also receive monthly follow-up reports comparing our usage with other local highs and lows. Somehow, even when we're not there in the summer and the a/c doesn't run, we're never in the lows.
 
Tom said:
I keep procrastinating on solar for the S&B. Having previously re-roofed, I'm nervous about 'punching through', and potential leaks. Call it paranoia on my part. I've talked at length with various solar companies about it, but get the salesman response.
Click to expand...

I've talked to two different solar companies and am not impressed with their systems or their prices. Considering we are planning to sell this house, it's not worth the cost to do solar now anyway. If we were going to keep the house, I would design and install a system myself. Yes, I am an electrician by trade and have a company that is licensed that I would be "working for" to do the installation. And yes, it would be inspected by the state inspector.
 
SargeW said:
I put solar on the S&B 3 years ago. I rolled the dice as SDG&E rates are going through the roof. I got my "settle up" bill in July.  They owed me $2.43!  Now admittedly I have been gone since April, but my sister is there in her Bungalow, and it's been HOT in So. Cal. 

It will spike again when we get home, but I am loving it right now!
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I installed twelve 280 watt panels on my roof almost 2 years ago. Typically, my monthly bill has been less than $13.00.
I'm told that money is a usage fee because I'm using their power lines to send the power I generate back into the grid. 
 
The lowest rates usually occur where hydroelectric power is abundant, which includes the PNW east of the Cascades. It's tough to beat the cost of power produced from falling water! Once you build the power plant, the "fuel" to operate it is free.
 
Wyoming generates approx 2% of its power from hydroelectric sources; The vast majority comes from coal.

Edit; Data source: http://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=wy
 
You should try good ol 3 tier pricing here in the Sacramento area with PG&E. 18, 24, 40 per kwh. I just started a solar lease, 178 per month to the solar co, 10 per month to PGE for being hooked up to the grid.  Normally in the warm months our bill was 400 to 500. I am very glad I went solar.
 
Tom said:
Wyoming generates approx 2% of its power from hydroelectric sources; The vast majority comes from coal.
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Your 6 cents per kwh beats ours at 11 cents.  Ours sometimes goes to ten cents but never lower than that.  We paid CA PG&E rates our whole life, so we appreciate the lower cost here in Oregon.
 
You should try good ol 3 tier pricing here in the Sacramento area with PG&E.
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Greg, we're an hour south of you, and are familiar with PG&E's pricing. We became very familiar with their tiers when, a few years ago, a friend spent a month with their boat plugged in at our dock in the middle of summer. The incremental on our bill was $1,300 higher than "normal"  :(
 
I waffled about solar for a while too. But seeing where the prices were going, I knew "up" was the only direction. It wouldn't make sense to go solar unless you plan on being in the house for at least 5 years.  Our tiers just went up again a few months ago, courtesy of the PUC (Public Utilities Commission)
 
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