Electric company raised rates

[Sakebomb]

2 months ago, I went around my apartment and replaced all my light bulbs with energy efficient CFL bulbs and I adjusted the power settings on all my PCs to conserve as much as possible.

My electric bill went from about $100 a month to less than $65!!

I was thrilled...until I got a letter in the mail with my latest bill explaining that the company raised thier rates! Same power usage, but my bill is close to $90.

You can imagine my anger.


Anyone have any additional powersaving tips so I can lower my bill again?

Tommorrow Im going to talk with my apartment people to see if I have any options as far as electric companies.
Im currently with Perdenales Electirc Coop, for those of you aware of thier questionable buisness practices.

[dave lukins]

Here's one or two


If you live in a typical U.S. home, your appliances and home electronics are responsible for about 20 percent of your energy bills. These appliances and electronics include everything from clothes washers and dryers, to computers, to water heaters. By shopping for appliances with the ENERGY STARŪ label and turning off appliances when they're not in use, you can achieve real savings in your monthly energy bill.


Air dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher's drying cycle.
Always look for the ENERGY STARŪ and EnergyGuide labels when shopping for home appliances. The ENERGY STARŪ label is the government's seal of energy efficiency. The EnergyGuide label estimates an appliance's energy consumption.
Clean the lint filter in the dryer after every load to improve air circulation.
Consider air-drying clothes on clothes lines or drying racks. Air-drying is recommended by clothing manufacturers for some fabrics.
Consider buying a laptop for your next computer upgrade; they use much less energy than desktop computers.
Don't over-dry your clothes. If your machine has a moisture sensor, use it.
Dry towels and heavier cottons in a separate load from lighter-weight clothes.
ENERGY STARŪ computers and monitors save energy only when the power management features are activated, so make sure power management is activated on your computer.
Look for the ENERGY STARŪ label on home appliances, electronics and other products. ENERGY STARŪ products meet strict efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.
These "phantom" loads occur in most appliances that use electricity, such as VCRs, televisions, stereos, computers, and kitchen appliances. In the average home, 25% of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off. This can be avoided by unplugging the appliance or using a power strip and using the switch on the power strip to cut all power to the appliance.
For older appliances, use a power controlling device to reduce the energy consumption of the appliance's electric motor.
Periodically inspect your dryer vent to ensure it is not blocked. This will save energy and may prevent a fire. Manufacturers recommend using rigid venting material, not plastic vents that may collapse and cause blockages.
Plug home electronics, such as TVs and DVD players, into power strips; turn the power strips off when the equipment is not in use (TVs and DVDs in standby mode still use several watts of power).
Saving energy starts with being an informed consumer. Estimate an appliance's annual energy cost using this guide.
Studies have shown that using rechargeable batteries for products like cordless phones and PDAs is more cost effective than throwaway batteries. If you must use throwaways, check with your trash removal company about safe disposal options.
There is a common misconception that screen savers reduce energy use by monitors; they do not. Automatic switching to sleep mode or manually turning monitors off is always the better energy-saving strategy.
To maximize savings with a laptop, put the AC adapter on a power strip that can be turned off (or will turn off automatically); the transformer in the AC adapter draws power continuously, even when the laptop is not plugged into the adapter.
Turn off your computer and monitor when not in use.
Unplug battery chargers when the batteries are fully charged or the chargers are not in use.
Use the cool-down cycle to allow the clothes to finish drying with the residual heat in the dryer.
Wash and dry full loads. If you are washing a small load, use the appropriate water-level setting.
When shopping for a new clothes dryer, look for one with a moisture sensor that automatically shuts off the machine when your clothes are dry. Not only will this save energy, it will save wear and tear on your clothes caused by over-drying.
Turn off your personal computer when you're away from your PC for 20 minutes or more, and both the CPU and the monitor if you will be away for two hours or more.




Well you did ask

[Southie]

Well, Dave, I found it to be very informative! :)

Another tip - read instead of watching TV from the time you get home til the time you go to bed! :))

[LetsTalk]

Here's one or two

Well you did ask

Great list:)

[Ironduke]

Do your laundry in cold water... adjust your refrigerator and freezer temperatures... set the air conditioner to 72 degrees and remember to always turn it off when you leave home. Purchase an LCD monitor (uses 15-25% the electricity of a CRT).

Living in Texas, switching to CFLs and adjusting your computer's power settings will bring additional savings because of reduced air conditioning needs this summer. Incandescents, computers, and CRT monitors generate alot of heat.

If you have dark shades or curtains, replace them with white ones and close them while you're away or in another room. They'll reflect the sunlight, reducing the load on the air conditioner. If you have a sizeable gap between your apartment's front door and the ground, get one of those rubber things that go along the bottom of the door to prevent your conditioned air from flowing out into the hallway.

Purchase self-adhesive reflective window film which reduces solar heating through your windows by 30-40%.

[Shek]

Purchase an LCD monitor (uses 15-25% the electricity of a CRT).

Not sure if this is so cost effective, but it's a great argument for the LCD-hostile but eco-friendly wife :))

[Ironduke]

Not sure if this is so cost effective, but it's a great argument for the LCD-hostile but eco-friendly wife :))

When you get rid of them they generate for less hazardous toxic waste too.

Why doesn't your wife like LCDs?

I looked up energy usage just to be sure, a random 19" LCD widescreen and a 21" CRT, which have roughly equivalent display area.

The LCD uses 34W, compared to 140W for the CRT.

[Shek]

Why doesn't your wife like LCDs?

She does, she just doesn't like spending money. We recycle, too - we wash our clothes, our dishes . . .

[TopHatter]

I look up energy usage just to be sure, a random 19" LCD widescreen and a 21" CRT, which have roughly equivalent display area.

The LCD uses 34W, compared to 140W for the CRT.

CRT's are out-moded power-hogs and heat lamps.

With the cost of LCD's dropping faster than my hair to the bathroom floor, there's really little reason not to replace a CRT with an LCD

When I go into a business and see dozens of elderly CRT's humming away, I cringe.

If I was to start working at a new company and they provided me with a workstation and a big CRT, I'd immediately inquire about objections to replacing with an LCD, out of my own pocket if neccessary. (Which of course would come home with me if I ever quit)

[omon]

if we all use power saving equipment, power companies will loose some money, and what will happen when they do?? we see from the first post, they jack up the price, and what can we do?? nothing, we are dependant on them, unless we produse our own power, we still be on their hook. my building complex has its own generator station, they use hi presure boilers, and generators driven by steam turbine, we make more power than we consume, and sell the surplus to the grid, i don,t have electric bill at all, power is included in my maintanance, i never cared how much i use.

[Ironduke]

if we all use power saving equipment, power companies will loose some money, and what will happen when they do?? we see from the first post, they jack up the price, and what can we do??

I don't understand the logic of your argument. If we use more power, we pay less?

[omon]

I don't understand the logic of your argument. If we use more power, we pay less?

no, we pay the same even if we use less. sure your bill will be lower at first, than they increase price for kw\hr (either due to lower consumption that brings less money, or increased taxes...), and you end up being right where you started.
my point was, once you need them, and depend on them, they will make sure they get their money either way, taking less from the grid, won,t decrease your dependance, or save you money in a long run, being off the grid will.
i,m off the grid, i don,t care if i run electric heater 24\7, which i do in the winter, i use power that i made myself, as much as i want, and have no el. bills, no power comp. has me dependant on it. even if con ed increases the price, i won,t get affected, i,ll even make more money as i sell surplus of more expencive power to the con ed.

during blackout of 2003 my buildings had power, outside lights were on, ac's were running, i felt no effect of blackout in my appt. the rest of ny weren,t so lucky.

[Ryan Bailey]

Thanks for these excellent tips. Unfortunately the problem is Communism and the loss of free markets in power.

Not only do most utility companies have government enforced monopolies, in many places solar panels, wind mills, hydro-electric power and other alternatives are actually illegal or otherwise restricted.

For our international friends this is the US not the USSR that I'm writing about, much to my dismay.

I also should point out that due to the government-industrial bureacracy that sets utility rates in most of the country there's nothing that can be done to "lower rates" at the individual level since you are actually paying not only for your grid extraction but for the aggregate debt service of the utility company. This is particularly true if your utility company is obligated in coupons or bonds. In this way each household is liable for a percentage of the utility company's overhead & debt service, like it or not.

In this way the green movement lightens the burdens on the utility monopolies who have no motivation whatsoever to lower rates. Instead of investing in lower energy usage I recommend investment in Independence.

This brief overview is a rough look at how some utilities operate their grids. Does anyone here have differences or more specific information on such details in their neighbourhoods ?

As you might notice this is a great argument against Communism.

[Sakebomb]

if we all use power saving equipment, power companies will loose some money, and what will happen when they do?? we see from the first post, they jack up the price, and what can we do??

Well in my particular situation, Im with Perdenales Electric Coop which is recovering from a recent class action lawsuit. That probably has more to do with the raised rates than me changing my light bulbs ;)


Thanks for the power saving advice so far guys.
I turned down the settings on the freezer from totally frozen to just sort-of frozen. We'll see how that works.
Found a good deal for a 14" LCD on amazon.com
Im also getting an electronic thermostat The idea of having my home automatically cool itself down in preparation for my arrival is just too awesome. I am huge gadget whore too.

If all goes well 2 years from now, I should have enough credit built up to get a home loan. Then its time for solar baby!
I don't plan on my future house being completely off-grid, but two or three panels should significantly lower the bill.

Not to get too off topic here, but I really hope the govt or a company like BP will invest serious $$ in femtosecond laser technology to make 100% solar powered cities a reality.

Not to get too off topic here, but I really hope the govt or a company like BP will invest serious $$ in femtosecond laser technology to make 100% solar powered cities a reality.

[omon]

Well in my particular situation, Im with Perdenales Electric Coop which is recovering from a recent class action lawsuit. That probably has more to do with the raised rates than me changing my light bulbs ;)


.

my point exactly, whatever looses they encounter, they pass it on to us. never seen a company that eats the cost, they always make it up, by increased rates, be it electric comp, or a retail store.