Electricity Cost Spikes

[Shelburne]

I live in western MA. Our electricity is supplied by Eversource. On my Tesla APP it used to say we were paying an average of $0.23 per kWh, then in the fall it increased to $0.24. It still says that. I guess I'll have to take a close look at my next Eversource bill to find out the truth.

 

[KenC]

Maine increased 6c this month as well. So, 7c/kWh 13months ago, to 13c/kWh 12 months ago, to 19c/kWh this month.

The delivery charge is an additional 8c/kWh, so total cost will be 27c/kWh. On the other hand, the delivery charge is going to zero for some customers with home heat pumps. If I get into the pilot program, my cost will drop to 19c/kWh total.

 

[Flybyglass]

$0.46 per kWh... wow...

I assume you shopped around/compared rates? I'm seeing the average residential electricity rate in Massachusetts (as of January 2023) sitting at $0.30 per kWh.

My rate in Connecticut with Eversource was just south of $0.10 per kWh until they more than doubled it (recently) to $0.24 per kWh. However, when I found out that Eversource intended to do this, I found a different supplier and locked in (for three years) a rate of $0.1379 per kWh.

We are looking at solar, home wind turbine and changing providers from Eversource. Who did you go with?

 

[launchd]

We are looking at solar, home wind turbine and changing providers from Eversource. Who did you go with?

Constellation

 

[Copes]

Maine increased 6c this month as well. So, 7c/kWh 13months ago, to 13c/kWh 12 months ago, to 19c/kWh this month.

The delivery charge is an additional 8c/kWh, so total cost will be 27c/kWh. On the other hand, the delivery charge is going to zero for some customers with home heat pumps. If I get into the pilot program, my cost will drop to 19c/kWh total.

I have a 2 stage heating system in NH. Heat pump and gas furnace. Careful where you set your temp if have 2 stage. Not scientific but electricity bill has been skyrocketing last 2 months so adjusted the outside temp setting for when gas furnace comes on to 40 degrees where it was set to 30. We shall see if that changes the game. I know a bit off topic

 

[brkaus]

$0.12/kWh here. And I have a $30/mo unlimited off peak EV charging plan.

Considering solar, but we have value of solar here. The specifically meter all solar generated and that applies to the regular electric bill. So solar doesn’t even take us out of the higher usage tiers and battery has no value except power outage prevention.

 

[MA128]

Maine increased 6c this month as well. So, 7c/kWh 13months ago, to 13c/kWh 12 months ago, to 19c/kWh this month.

The delivery charge is an additional 8c/kWh, so total cost will be 27c/kWh. On the other hand, the delivery charge is going to zero for some customers with home heat pumps. If I get into the pilot program, my cost will drop to 19c/kWh total.

That’s a great deal. Maine’s rates are quite low to begin with as more than half your electricity is hydro+wind+solar. Only 25% fossil fuels!

from Wikipedia: The corresponding electrical energy generation mix in 2021 was 27.1% hydroelectric, 24.7% natural gas, 23.3% wind, 19.9% biomass, 2.4% non-biogenic waste, 1.6% solar, 0.6% coal, and 0.4% petroleum.

Yet another reason to join the exodus from MA (which we love BTW) to ME.

 

[KenC]

That’s a great deal. Maine’s rates are quite low to begin with as more than half your electricity is hydro+wind+solar. Only 25% fossil fuels!

from Wikipedia: The corresponding electrical energy generation mix in 2021 was 27.1% hydroelectric, 24.7% natural gas, 23.3% wind, 19.9% biomass, 2.4% non-biogenic waste, 1.6% solar, 0.6% coal, and 0.4% petroleum.

Yet another reason to join the exodus from MA (which we love BTW) to ME.

Yeah, but going from 7c/kWh to 19c/kwh, just for the electric supply, in a space of 13months is definitely a shock! It had been around 7c/kWh for years.

Even worse, Maine voters recently voted down the power transmission lines that would transport cheap hydro electricity from Quebec to Massachusetts. Seems ridiculous to me.

 

[one2many]

Even worse, Maine voters recently voted down the power transmission lines that would transport cheap hydro electricity from Quebec to Massachusetts. Seems ridiculous to me.

Seems KC is up The river without a power pole. That happens. We all love happy hour
it just does not hold a charge.

 

[one2many]

Let just say that getting the stats of usage is not that
easy when you house is built with lots of rebar.
Well I have a corner that's always cold. My little dyson heater
is costing me an arm and a leg. Panels have snow on them
so I can turn off and on stuff to see whats going on.
I am shocked but then not, I do love the juice .
You play, you pay, just like AC in Dallas.
Never mind.

 

[arghx7]

I'm in Michigan, with solar + Tesla battery. In the winter I make hardly any solar. I ended up switching to time of use to charge the car. My rate went down from 19 cent KWh to 12. OP needs to see what time of use options are available, most power companies have it as an option.

 

[cleverscreenam]

I'm paying 4.5c/kWh to 7.2c/kWh (calculated myself after all delivery, taxes and fees.)
Changes every month, runs higher in winter with more usage: our mini-split heat pumps. Small rural co-op electric company:
76% hydro, 11% natural gas, 10% solar, everything else less than 1%.

It's so cheap that I haven't bothered looking at solar yet (home renovations first), plus this is lake-effect snowy western NY. There's also several places for free charging, including overnight.

 

[garth_angst]

I live in Massachusetts and natural gas powers 70% of our electricity generation. With the recent (and one hopes, temporary) increase in natural gas prices, my electricity now costs $0.46 per kWh.

Might be cheaper to go to a supercharger, unless the SC are higher in MA also.

 

[zannman]

I live in Massachusetts and natural gas powers 70% of our electricity generation. With the recent (and one hopes, temporary) increase in natural gas prices, my electricity now costs $0.46 per kWh. With the decline in gas prices compared to last summer, it now costs more to fill the “tank” with electricity rather than equivalent range gasoline. Oh, well. The electricity vs. gasoline savings is not why I bought the car anyway. FWIW, my 8,000 mile average efficiency is 246 wh/mile; stated differently that’s just over 4 miles per kWh.

Good thing is Natural Gas prices cratered in the last month from roughly $10/therm to about $3/therm. Depending on how long term your utility’s natural gas contracts are for, they might see some benefit and be able to pass it along. 46 cents is unreal.

 

[ColoradoMike]

.13 per kWh in Colorado

$.0995 in Colorado. I have my 26 panels for when (not if) they jack the price.

Here in Colorado where I live we have a WHOPPING rate of $0.109 per kWh.....not complaining at all!

 

[texas_star_TM3]

about 13 cents/ kwh (all fees/taxes in) here in North Texas with 100% renewable plan fixed for 18 months (Rhythm energy). No complaints here. just have to switch providers every time the contract ends due to price hikes ...

 

[dmurphy]

You bragging about cheap solar options in NV is akin to me bragging about cheap ocean-shore weekend trips and cheap water bills in NJ.

... or Taylor ham/pork roll. The world knoweth not what it misses.

 

[Tronguy]

... or Taylor ham/pork roll. The world knoweth not what it misses.

I will never forget Obama coming to the Rutgers in NJ for the commencement speech while he was president. He got up there on the podium, did his patented stare-off-into-space move, and announced that he was there to solve NJ's biggest problem:

"Is it Taylor Ham or Pork Role?"

It was a long time before the stadium quieted down.

 

[dmurphy]

I will never forget Obama coming to the Rutgers in NJ for the commencement speech while he was president. He got up there on the podium, did his patented stare-off-into-space move, and announced that he was there to solve NJ's biggest problem:

"Is it Taylor Ham or Pork Role?"

It was a long time before the stadium quieted down.

Absolutely apolitical, but that man knows how to connect to an audience like few others!

 

[Wahiawahi]

Net metering is great - until the day that too many people are on solar. Someone has to pay for maintaining the transmission and distribution structure - even if you use it only one day a year. Net metering the generation portion of your bill makes sense but the T&D should not be credited. Net metering as it is currently structured shifts T&D cost to everyone who does not have a solar panel system on their roof; in essence a regressive tax. Don’t get me wrong, I strongly believe in renewable energy and ending the use of fossil fuels. I just think the rate structure should be equitable.

Hawaii started out with net metering years ago. So many people got solar that they stopped it back in 2015. For those of us that got solar after 2015 we are charged the full price of $0.45kwh, which has been going up a penny every month since July 2021. Without powerwalls you wouldn’t see a savings on your bill. I have a friend that stopped driving his Tesla and started taking the bus to work because he went with Sunrun for his solar and they aren’t producing enough to charge his car. It’s sad that our electricity costs so much that people are riding the bus to avoid the expense of charging. This scares me because our 9.6kw system with 2 powerwalls has been underperforming since we got it in October. We haven’t received PTO yet, but from what I have heard we will never produce more than 7.7kw because of the inverters being 7.7kw. Even living in Hawaii the most our panels have produced is 38kw in a day, and that won’t be enough to charge our M3 when it arrives next week and power our house.