I just got a bill yesterday...actual cost .085 cents per kWh. With all my appliances being electric the crazy part is I actually pay more than I would if they were gas.
Cheap Electricity in our new energy efficient home - Compare if you can
- Thread starter alarmguy
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The solar project was an investment with an expected return. It has far exceeded my wildest expectations.
I am way past break even point and have a new roof with high end materials.
I will be saving substantial payments for the foreseeable future. It's all gravy now.
My plan was to minimize recurring costs for the long term. I live in a very expensive area for dirt cheap. Heck, those panels save me $50 or more per week on gasoline alone.
You invest, you win. This doesn't means it always happen that way. Ask Critic and see how the previous owner of his house did on the solar investment.
There is always risk, reward, and opportunity cost. Nobody can predict the future all the time. I'm fortunate my roof is facing north and a neighbor's house is blocking the sun from the south. My 300kwh / mo usage would easily be 500kwh a month if I have to use AC if my roof face the south (I would have installed solar in that case).
Spanish tile roof is nice too, they last forever.
This is insane!
and insanely complicated!! Crazy!I’m in a one year old home 1800 sq ft = $117 cost for electricity in August 2024 and we have like 4 lines on our bill as posted in the OP
We never open our windows unit runs 24/7 all year.
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Here is the power mix in North Carolina, and the cheap natural gas traded price at this time. Enjoy.
Sure, there is always risk.
In my case I am a fiscal conservative and I can do arithmetic. I researched solar for about 4 years, talked to dozens of companies and compiled stats on an Excel spreadsheet. Kept track of my PG&E electricity costs. I also knew I would be retiring soon and would be using more electricity during the day.
Some people make poor solar project decisions; I did not. I can tell you I was not going to spend this much money without doing my homework. The numbers were compelling; the decision was a no-brainer.
All good; I love my solar. One problem; NEM3 has killed many solar companies. Infinity Solar out of Rocklin did a great job for me, but are currently out of business. I guess my one regret (mistake) was not going with Costco Sunrun; they were very helpful and professional.
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However with our electric Co-Op the price of natural gas has not affected rates. We buy electricity in the marketplace, like a supermarket. Not held by any production entity.
We have had one increase in 15 years and that took place before the price spike in your graph. REALLY AMAZING if you think about it and why I am a believer in homeowner owned electric co-ops. Stupid cheap, I mean REALLY STUPID *LOL*
https://portcitydaily.com/local-new...e-in-10-years-higher-fees-kick-in-april-2020/
I would be curious your actual payment for a month and how many kWh you used.
You should have spent the money on Tesla stock instead.
I did bad math, my previous post is off by a few cents. All-in about 11.6 cents per kWh. Snip from by bill is below...like you I'm in a coop. I don't have cost broken down to the extent that @SHOZ does on his bill. I guess I'm a heavy user compared to most others here at about 1400 kWh/month in the summer.
2400 sq. ft. house cooled to 72F at night, 74F during the day (2 ton, 14 seer unit about 3 years old)
-electric water heater (2 of us adults and a kid that takes baths)
-electric stove (wife cooks/bakes 3 meals per day)
-electric dryer (wife runs about 50 cycles per month)
-house occupied by wife and child all day with lights, cooking, etc.
-2 dehumidifiers, one of which runs 100% of the time and the other probably about 50% of the time
In the future if we end up staying in the house long-term I'll go gas on the water heater (located 2 feet from the gas line to the furnace but builder did electric...riddle me that one!). Stove will stay electric as that would be a pain to pipe in.
Co-Ops are great/
I originally came from Long Island NY. Geez when I left there 18 years ago electric was 20 cents a kWh... because they built a 5 BILLION DOLLAR Nuclear Power Plant, started low power testing, then politics got in the way and it was mothballed! *LOL* CAnt make this stuff up, so another ONE BILLION plus was spent decommissioning it. Moving out of NY was the best decision of our lifetimes and I admit to growing up there, spending most of my life, it was wonderful back then, but as time went on I got smart and asked, WHY?
The rest was history, I no longer pay high rates for anything and I no longer pay over $1000 (now its higher) a month in property tax for a 65 year old house the same size I have now and this one brand new with all the luxuries and energy efficiency .
YIKES! That is close to 100% more per kWh then we pay... our Co-op didnt raise rates recently. That was back in 2020, one time in 15 years. Some of these bills are just nuts.
They just redid their billing. Along with a 20% higher meter charge the KWH went up 20% and they went to a peak demand price
Yes! (keep in mind I used to live on Long Island, NY)
Now in the land of the free my Co_op sends me money every year of funds they did not need to use.
I lived in South Carolina 16 years and some years ago, I am guessing around the 10 year mark, they started crediting one bill every year around March to the tune of $30 to $70.
Now get this. they make their members aware that these capital credits also apply when you move so to be sure you inform them of your future addresses.
Anyway, March of 2023 we moved to North Carolina (now with a new CO-Op and I updated using my online account for the old Co-Op my new address I already got a check from my old electric CO-OP mailed to me at my new address in my new home state along with a statement showing I still have $800 + dollars in capital credits in my account that will be mailed to me every year until the account is depleted (or they need the money) Gotta just love the land of the free in many states.
Can't predict them all. Even Sunpower is out of business and who would have guessed?
This is great when people post their bills like I do and you just did or it's impossible to compare rates nationwide.
You need to add up your total cost for each kWh and yours was never 3 cents and currently is 12.5 cents kWh plus another 70 cents a kWr for demand usage.
you have to add up all these charges, it is the total of these charges that you pay per kWh.
Plus you pay a "base charge" of $53~!
ALL told it cost you a whopping 29 cents a kWh for this month. $105.82/361kWh = .29
( come to think of it, I think we spoke about this, but darn it, it took me a long time to type it so I am leaving it!
Age of the house makes a difference, climate and number of people living in it. We a dont have an electric water heater or an electric cooktop, we do have an electric range and electric dryer. We grill outdoors much of the summer so the oven is not used heavily.
I am curious now that I am looking at your bill again. is the $160.50 your actual payment? I only ask because it says "electric charges" I dont see any taxes. I assume its your actual payment and great rate if it is.
Originally back in the day I just got a bill for so many KWHs and the tax. Back in the 80s it was around 14 cents a KWH. They just break down the bill due to the deregulation in Illinois now. The 3 cents and now 5 cents is what my coop pays for the electricity I use. I also pay for a lot of other things.This is great when people post their bills like I do and you just did or it's impossible to compare rates nationwide.
You need to add up your total cost for each kWh and yours was never 3 cents and currently is 12.5 cents kWh plus another 70 cents a kWr for demand usage.
you have to add up all these charges, it is the total of these charges that you pay per kWh.
View attachment 239952 Its the total of these numbers that you are paying kWh
Plus you pay a "base charge" of $53~!
ALL told it cost you a whopping 29 cents a kWh for this month. $105.82/361kWh = .29
( come to think of it, I think we spoke about this, but darn it, it took me a long time to type it so I am leaving it!
In reality the energy prices still have not caught up with inflation. And adjusted for inflation I pay about the same or less for the total power.
The Coops too have always been almost twice as much than the investor owned towns and cities in Illinois. Ameren around me and they are also the distributor who maintains the lines to the substations. It's the Coop from then on. The National Coop who has a coal plant in southern IL dumps it's power to Ameren.
I see in the headlines today that in California PG&E just had their fourth electric rate hike for the year hike approved today.
To pay for the storms in 2022 and 2023 and fund further fire mitigation efforts
To pay for the storms in 2022 and 2023 and fund further fire mitigation efforts
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