Your electric company?

G

Gjkrisa

Member
Hi im curious if anyone else's energy bill is as insane as ours when it comes to added on fees
A customer charge are you fucking crazy?!
And then a regularly charge fee what the heck?!
I haven't seen an actual bill in awial because moved in with family and Everytime I did see the bill it would infuriate me with the fees.
although for just my wife and I it was only $80 up to $140 in the winter no washer dryer or boiler electric being used.

But the thought crossed my mind does your electric company have stupid fees?
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Pretty sure it is the same for ours (BG&E).  There's the core rate variable by time and day of week.  Then the added "fees" that usually amount to 1/2 of the core charge, or more.  So the bottom line, how much I actually pay, is what I use to computer the actual cost per kWh.  That is what I used to compare solar service before proceeding.  I save 1/3 off the cost of traditional electric using solar; of course there is weather dependency, LOL, but not too bad!

index.php


http://www.mdelectricity.org/bge-electricity-rates/

Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) services over 1.1 million residential and over 120,000 business customers in the state of Maryland.  They are the local utility company for these customers given the responsibility by the state government to deliver power and respond to power related emergencies to each and every customer.

BGE supports electricity choice and actually wants their customers to shop for competitive generation electricity rates.  This is because their profits are derived from the delivery (distribution) charges that remain regulated by the state.  BGE does not profit off of the default generation rates that they provide to customers who have not chosen an alternative supplier.

If you are currently a BGE customer, you will continue to be a BGE customer even after you select a competitive electric supplier.  They will even continue to send you your monthly electric bill.

 
Yes Im trying to get my family transferred to solar  but we do have a small yard so the panels are best on the roof but we need to be able to remove the snow in the winter
Also I don't fully comperhend everything needed and how to scale the inverter and if I'm even choosing a good inverter other then using an inverter that's similar brand as some of the other diyers.

I forgot that I've heard about the peak rates electric companies have been doing now. Bad wording they used just to confuse you and make you mad enough that maybe you won't call them about it?

Im curious who are the owners of these electric companies how is there wealth divided? Are the worked getting great benefits?
SHOdded said:
Pretty sure it is the same for ours (BG&E).  There's the core rate variable by time and day of week.  Then the added "fees" that usually amount to 1/3 of the core charge, or more.  So the bottom line, how much I actually pay, is what I use to computer the actual cost per kWh.  That is what I used to compare solar service before proceeding.  I save 1/3 off the cost of traditional electric using solar; of course there is weather dependency, LOL, but not too bad!
Click to expand...

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Our backyard is small too.  So we had to get roof mounted.  Some homes have great exposure so they can mount on both sides of the roof, ours only has southern exposure, so options were limited.  Plus there is the weight of the panels to account for.  SUPPOSEDly snow is not an issue for long as the panels are supposed to be slippery enough to "self-clean".  It's been a while (3 years now) but we went with SolarCity (TESLA) and leased from them so no upfront costs, they monitor, repair, etc.  If your attic does not extend throughout the home, that will limit the size you can install.  We have that issue due to high ceilings in the family room.
 
Well our attic does extend all the way.
and will probably install  back half (back yard) since our sun is mostly on that ne side
Also thinking maybe I can install the panels like an awning so hopefully they will self clean off the side of the house.

SHOdded said:
Our backyard is small too.  So we had to get roof mounted.  Some homes have great exposure so they can mount on both sides of the roof, ours only has southern exposure, so options were limited.  Plus there is the weight of the panels to account for.  SUPPOSEDly snow is not an issue for long as the panels are supposed to be slippery enough to "self-clean".  It's been a while (3 years now) but we went with SolarCity (TESLA) and leased from them so no upfront costs, they monitor, repair, etc.  If your attic does not extend throughout the home, that will limit the size you can install.  We have that issue due to high ceilings in the family room.
Click to expand...

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Aaahhh that's allot of extras. Competing energy companies do you guys actually have any we don't.
SHOdded said:
Pretty sure it is the same for ours (BG&E).  There's the core rate variable by time and day of week.  Then the added "fees" that usually amount to 1/2 of the core charge, or more.  So the bottom line, how much I actually pay, is what I use to computer the actual cost per kWh.  That is what I used to compare solar service before proceeding.  I save 1/3 off the cost of traditional electric using solar; of course there is weather dependency, LOL, but not too bad!

index.php


http://www.mdelectricity.org/bge-electricity-rates/

Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) services over 1.1 million residential and over 120,000 business customers in the state of Maryland.  They are the local utility company for these customers given the responsibility by the state government to deliver power and respond to power related emergencies to each and every customer.

BGE supports electricity choice and actually wants their customers to shop for competitive generation electricity rates.  This is because their profits are derived from the delivery (distribution) charges that remain regulated by the state.  BGE does not profit off of the default generation rates that they provide to customers who have not chosen an alternative supplier.

If you are currently a BGE customer, you will continue to be a BGE customer even after you select a competitive electric supplier.  They will even continue to send you your monthly electric bill.
Click to expand...

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We do have alternative "suppliers" or to be accurate, bundlers.  Everything else stays the same but you get approx 7% off the monthly bill.  To me, that amt of savings is piddly, so I am still with BGE.  I like big moves :)  Hence the addition of solar power.  Still not where I wanted to be, but good enough for now.  No battery bank, so no independence from utility outages.  I don't believe TESLA offers battery backup anyway.  So you use it or you lose it, basically, if your production is > actual demand at that point in time.  Fortunately not an issue here LOL, but something to keep in mind if your energy needs dominate when the moon comes up!
 
Oh ok like get your cable thru us and you get cheaper electric?

Yeah so the batteries really are the most expensive part of the build
I'm wanting to go with super caps for low maintenance and think they are cheaper then lithium ion that for a battery have the best power life when you are constantly discharging them.

And I can more easily keep them in the crawl space to keep them cold without worrying about them freezing since it's not insulated well just our water lines where insulated. That's a different story for a different thread.
SHOdded said:
We do have alternative "suppliers" or to be accurate, bundlers.  Everything else stays the same but you get approx 7% off the monthly bill.  To me, that amt of savings is piddly, so I am still with BGE.  I like big moves :)  Hence the addition of solar power.  Still not where I wanted to be, but good enough for now.  No battery bank, so no independence from utility outages.  I don't believe TESLA offers battery backup anyway.  So you use it or you lose it, basically, if your production is > actual demand at that point in time.  Fortunately not an issue here LOL, but something to keep in mind if your energy needs dominate when the moon comes up!
Click to expand...

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Caps are not really constant discharge, primarily for startup or surge need coverage.  Not sure how you can avoid batteries  in case of utility outage.
 
Extremely low specific and volumetric energy density on the order of 1/5 to 1/10th of lead acid batteries

Very high $/wh cost on the order of 10 times more than LiPo

Extremely high self discharge rates

Cannot use all the energy stored in them.

Must use Balanced Chargers when there are two or more used
And manymore cons

Ok so I now understand why not to use capacitors so I guess I will try to make a well insulated heated shed/utility room but in case of fire needs easy access and a easy way to disconnect power.... Uhhhg it's so complicated but still doable.
SHOdded said:
Caps are not really constant discharge, primarily for startup or surge need coverage.  Not sure how you can avoid batteries  in case of utility outage.
Click to expand...

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There's also this guy running an idea I had and now see looks like the connectors run too much resistance
https://youtu.be/9YwErplHps8
But would work as recharghable power wall to pop batteries In and out of so that's less knowledgeable people or lazy people would not dump batteries In the trash.

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Yeah there are YT channels that do projects like this all the time.  Especially if the channel owner makes his/her living off a farm, as they are very motivated to reuse and recycle.

Due to the numerous variables that go into a lasting design, I prefer "blueprints" to work from.  If those blueprints do not have safeties turned on, it is a no-go.  It is fun to be a jack of all trades, but big projects like this, where failures have ramifications, you should learn from the masters :)
 
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