How to determine your electrical rate? 2

[Sharkbiteattack]

Stupid question and I'm not even sure this is the forums to discuss this.

Anyhow the power provider is charging us $.041/kWh and the distribution company is charging us a distribution facilities charge, an IL electricity distribution charge and some other taxes. Is $.041/kWh my rate (seems awful low) or do I have to somehow factor in these other charges to get the full cost of what I get charged for every kilowatt-hr of electricity I use? I'm trying to make some models on how more efficient applainces will improve our electric bills

 

[waross]

Once upon a time and long long ago electric rates were quite simple and the cost per KWHr was pretty well your cost.
Now there may be a number of charges, some by the day, some based on usage, some by the month.
My bill has separate charges for:
Transmission lines.
Distribution lines,
Administration charges,
Operating charges,
Deposit reserve,
Taxes,
Maximum demand.
Rate riders (Small adjustments in the rate. May be plus or minus.)
On a sample bill my usage by KWHr was $57.81
The total charge was $130.18

Bill
--------------------
"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter

 

[cranky108]

Blame it on people who think customer generated electricty should be at the same rate as utility generated electricty. So now it is, but you still have to pay for the other services the utility is offering, like reading the meter, billing, delevery, transformer capacitys, mandated taxes, the changing cost of fuel, etc.
I've even seen customers who take power during the day, and generate at night, and say they owe nothing, so time of use is also coming (a large customer).

After you have seen all the tricks customers play to game the system, it's no wonder there aren't more idems on your bill.
I personally think they should break out all the taxes so I can question each entity that has added a tax on my electric bill.

But that is a good question, what is the rate you are paying? I'm no accountant so I can't answer that, but I am sure it has been debated before, and there is no standard.

 

[jghrist]

You have to find out how the distribution charges and taxes are calculated. The utility probably has the rate schedule published on the Internet. Then calculate your bill with inefficient appliances and then wit efficient appliances.

 

[jraef]

Is $.041/kWh my rate (seems awful low)

By California standards that is incredibly low. We are already on TOU (Time Of Use) billing. My base use rate is $0.15, basically from 7M to 6:AM as long as I don't use more than I did last year at the same time. Then in the middle of the day it can go up to $.38 per kWh depending on how much I use during those hours. Then we get all the little extra charges as well.

"Will work for (the memory of) salami"

 

[cranky108]

jraef, have you consitered using more natural gas? Gas dryer, gas water heater, gas heater, and gas AC? Most are common, except gas AC.
While you are at it you can use those swerly lights, and check the air in your tires.

That the type of stuff you get when the enviroment is placed in too high of importance, and you have to import most of your energy from somewhere else.

 

[waross]

I use a 79% Nitrogen mixture in my tires. Works well and is cheap and readily available.

Bill
--------------------
"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter

 

[cranky108]

waross, if you use He in your tires you would get better gas milage. Probally not as cheep as 79% N2, and 20% O2 (costs a quarter at the corner store).

 

[iceworm]

"Use He in your tires you would get better gas milage"

Because the car is lighter? (Haven't had my coffee yet - it's still before 7:00am

ice

Harmless flakes working together can unleash an avalanche of destruction

 

[waross]

I was under the impression that He atoms were a similar size to H molecules and would diffuse rapidly similar to H. With He in the tires I may require frequent addition of He to replace that lost through diffusion.
I may be wrong. Comments??

Bill
--------------------
"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter

 

[cranky108]

It was intended as sarcism. Although I have heard that 100% N2 makes tires last longer.

My orginal intent was a poke at the CA enviromental/reduce your carbon foot print stuff, and the publicly presented ideas, like 'keep air in your tires'.
Yes keeping air in your tires will give you better gas milage, but if you have to say it means you think people are stupid (and maybe some of them are), but it is an insult to many of us.

A bigger issue that impeads people from putting air in there tires, is the vending machine part of the air compressor. I just don't always carry a quarter, and i don't like standing in-line behind some lady buying a dozen lottery tickets, and a slerpy, and a six pack, and....

Back to what I said, if the price of electry is that high, have you consitered natural gas, for some of the things that can be switched?
I also made comments as to why the price of electrical energy maybe so high in CA.

 

[cswilson]

Bill:

"I was under the impression that He atoms were a similar size to H molecules and would diffuse rapidly similar to H."

Some years ago, I spoke with the scientist in Washington in charge of the project to update the enclosures for the US Declaration of Independence and Constitution at the National Archives. (Ironically, he was a Brit...) One aspect of the project was to change the gas in the enclosures from helium to argon, and it was to slow the leakage of the gas with the bigger molecules.

Since my kids were little at the time, I asked him the very important questions as to whether the small size of helium atoms/molecules explained why helium leaked out of latex balloons faster than air. He said that this was absolutely the case. I don't know how significant this would be for tires.

 

[waross]

Hi cranky. I forgot to add the "grin" to my posts.
On the subject of economy, I often dilute the glycol in my cars cooling system with di-hydrogen-monoxide. grin.
When people get on about nitrogen in tire I respond that I have been using quite a bit of nitrogen in my tires all my life. grin
Thanks for the support cswilson. I believe that helium will even diffuse slowly through some metals.

Bill
--------------------
"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter

 

[jghrist]

When you fill your tires with helium, tire noise becomes very high pitched. Some people find this annoying and use nitrogen instead. By the way, oxygen is much more expensive than nitrogen, so you can save a lot of money using nitrogen in your tires instead of a 79% N2, 20% O2 mixture.

 

[DRWeig]

The local speed racer guy says that pure nitrogen deletes the oxygen, so the tire won't oxidize from the inside. Plus, his nitrogen is bone dry so there's no water vapor to condense inside and throw off the tire's balance.

I explained to him that I've never had a tire disintegrate from the inside before the tread wore out. I further explained that his racing tires only last through half a race -- so how could the tires oxidize from the inside in just a few hours? I then started to discuss dew point, density of water, and the quantity of H2O that might be found in a cold tire that was filled with saturated warmer air and...

...he raised an inappropriate finger toward me and indicated that a certain part of my anatomy was about to be kicked, so I shut the heck up and ran.

My 79% N2 mixture is just dandy fine.

Best to you,

Goober Dave

Haven't see the forum policies? Do so now: Forum Policies

 

[cranky108]

Maybe the 100% N2 is just the latest trend. You know every house should have one. Sort of like those wallet cleaning services.

The problem is we can't see ourselves without one, so we have to keep it.