Smart meter Pilot program offered...interesting.

[TexasToker]

Basically my electric company wants me to be in a new pilot program that allows me to have on and off peak prices. If my off peak hours are cheaper and I run my lights at night instead of during the day, saving some change!

Does anyone, besides conspiracy theorists think it would be a problem when running less than 1k of lights?

Here is an exerpt:
Pollution Free TimeWise is priced at rates that vary depending on when you use power. Your electricity rate will be lower during off-peak periods and higher during on-peak periods. By shifting major power-consuming activities like running your dishwasher or laundry machine to off-peak periods, when the rates are lower, you can potentially save money on your electricity bill.

I mean lots of things run 400+ watts. My Plasma is 400w. I just wonder if things being on a perfect set sched 6pm/6am would raise an eyebrow.

What ya think?

They have lots of cool charts and graphs...mesmerizing.

 

[dunkybones]

Other than hearing 'stories' dating back to the 80's and the first president Bush's war on drugs, I've never heard of anyone getting busted by the electric company.

I don't think utilities waste their resources fishing for specific telltale usage patterns. They just want you to use their power, and then pay for it. Pay your bill, don't sweat it, and enjoy some cheaper electricity.

 

[junior_grower]

how much cheaper is it going to be per KWH ? Ask that first and how much more during on peak are they gonna charge you? most power is used by thing like AC's, fridges, freezers, furnaces, ect. will this cost you or save you?

 

[TexasToker]

I think we are going to do it, and it is all solar and wind electricity. It will actually save us. We already run the dishwasher at night anyway. Our bills are pretty small really. ~$125.00 a month. I would just run my HIDs during off peak, which will also keep them cooler.


ON-PEAK April-Oct
Weekdays
Noon – 8 pm
$0.159 per kWh

Off-PEAK April-oct
Weekdays
8pm-noon
$0.111 per kwh


OFF-PEAK
Weekend/Holiday
$0.111 per kWh

***************
ON-PEAK Nov-March
Weekdays
6am-10am & 5pm-8pm
$0.149 per kWh

Off-PEAK April-oct
Weekdays
8pm-6am @ 10am-5pm
$0.099 per kwh


OFF-PEAK
Weekend/Holiday
$0.099 per kWh



$5.95 monthly fee in addition to the rates above. The effective rate for this product, including the $5.95 monthly charge, is 12.52 cents/kWh all-in for an average monthly usage of 1,000 kWh.

 

[shrapnel]

It's obviously a scam.

Notice how the "w" in "kwh" for April-oct is lowercase, while others are uppercase. Apr-oct / summer is probably not a good season to be growing because of this, most likely.

 

[junior_grower]

I suppose that's a good size difference and at those prices i would look for any break i could get. Around my parts its 0.07 cents or less so the off peak vs on peak is marginal here. in your case those numbers are large enough to work out.

 

[TexasToker]

It's obviously a scam.

Notice how the "w" in "kwh" for April-oct is lowercase, while others are uppercase. Apr-oct / summer is probably not a good season to be growing because of this, most likely.

lol...you are right one of the nation's leading electrical companies is running a scam and hiding it by changing the case of letters.

I typed most of that out man...

I suppose that's a good size difference and at those prices i would look for any break i could get. Around my parts its 0.07 cents or less so the off peak vs on peak is marginal here. in your case those numbers are large enough to work out.

Ya, I was thinking it would be worth it. Those rates are actually pretty good here too. I could get a little cheaper kwh price with the same company, but I use the renewable energy, which is all from solar/wind. I am a bit of a treehugger. I would kill for .07 though.

 

[jkanna]

Around my parts, it is 12 cents per kwh for 1st tier.
17 cents per kwh for 2nd tier
and 28 cents per kwh for 3rd tier. No on or off peak options.
And wouldn't you know it, most of my bill is charged at third tier rates.
(1st tier cutoff gets lower and lower all the time - 10,000 kwh per month- absurd scam.)

 

[Sam the Caveman]

28 cents per kwh for 3rd tier

Whoa, that is pricey, a diesel generator (a good one) is much cheaper to run than that, of course you have the $8k+ up front cost, but price per kwh including diesel, oil and filters is still much cheaper than 28 cents per kwh.

 

[shrapnel]

I typed most of that out man...

i just get a bit paranoid at times. my bad. it looked real legit and all for a sec there

 

[TexasToker]

and 28 cents per kwh for 3rd tier.

WTF - that is nuts.

(1st tier cutoff gets lower and lower all the time - 10,000 kwh per month- absurd scam.)

Man, you are pulling 10k off the grid, and at $.28. That must be one hell of an op.

i just get a bit paranoid at times. my bad. it looked real legit and all for a sec there

It is legit.

 

[Lazyman]

Shit mines tier 3, .49 per kwh and I burn about 4K kwh per month. Not cheap, power costs me more than my rent.