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General Category => Amazon Echo Discussion => Topic started by: MikeNY on April 15, 2016, 12:49:39 pm

Title: ..
Post by: MikeNY on April 15, 2016, 12:49:39 pm
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Title: Re: Electric rate hike
Post by: DParker on April 15, 2016, 12:50:30 pm
Put your incandescent bulbs back in.   ;D
Title: Re: Electric rate hike
Post by: mike27oct on April 15, 2016, 04:16:43 pm
Unfortunately, this is not the first time I have heard of this ridiculous rationale for a rate hike.  It's like, OK folks, you did a great job of cutting your electricity consumption like we asked you to, so now we have to penalize you for doing that (because we need the same revenue stream as we always have had)!"

The utility industry's business model is archaic.  Ever since the first light bulb was sold, electricity consumption has increased, until nowadays.  Just what the electric "business" wanted it to until today.  Since utility stocks are considered very safe and permanent investments; especially for "widows and orphans," they need to produce constant dividend revenue for eternity.  Well, today, they are not, and THIS is the real reason for the rate hike. The weather factor is a convenient scapegoat. 

It is not capitalism at work, it the accountants at work. It's the same as Amazon seeing the unit sales of the Echo declining, so to make those darn sales goals as last time, they raise the product's price to at least keep revenue the same (at least they hope it does.) If companies lowered the price, they likely would sell more units and get sales revenue up, but companies are loath to lower their prices, ever. It was done in the industry I worked in for many years, too.  I hated it. It is done in most all industries.  As long as there are Managerial Accountants, this practice will continue. 

Another fun example to leave you with:  When a drug becomes generic, the drug companies have to recover that revenue, so the price of all their drugs go up.

Nevertheless, I would be writing to the utility commission and elected officials about this.  Those folks are reaching into the back pockets of the utility companies in many ways (e.g. political contributions, for one.)
Title: Re: Electric rate hike
Post by: DParker on April 15, 2016, 05:26:35 pm
Same thing to me....



It is not capitalism at work, it the accountants at work.

Except that capitalism is characterized by the version of supply-and-demand where high supply/low demand = lower prices, not the other way around.
Title: Re: Electric rate hike
Post by: renegade600 on April 15, 2016, 05:37:37 pm
the town I live in owns the electric company.  if a sales tax or any other tax fails at the ballot box, the first thing they do is to raise the electric rate to make up for it.  It is a money making machine that has one of the highest rates in the state. 
Title: Re: Electric rate hike
Post by: DParker on April 15, 2016, 05:49:47 pm
I actually know the definition, but it all equates to profit for investors and if the margins are not met we get stung with an increase to make up the difference. Accountants or not the consumer gets it in the end.

My understanding is that NY is an open competition state with regard to electricity suppliers.  Have you tried shopping around?  That said, it looks like NY already has the 4th highest average rates in the country, being about 60% higher than the national average:  http://www.neo.ne.gov/statshtml/204.htm (http://www.neo.ne.gov/statshtml/204.htm)

I think I'll stop complaining about the rates in TX (about 14% below the national average) now.

Actually what is the rate for electricity in your various areas... enquiring minds want to know. Mine.

I pay 9.9 cents per kilowatt hour.

I think mine is at about 8.9 at the moment.
Title: Re: Electric rate hike
Post by: renegade600 on April 15, 2016, 06:12:15 pm
I actually know the definition, but it all equates to profit for investors and if the margins are not met we get stung with an increase to make up the difference. Accountants or not the consumer gets it in the end.

My understanding is that NY is an open competition state with regard to electricity suppliers.  Have you tried shopping around?  That said, it looks like NY already has the 4th highest average rates in the country, being about 60% higher than the national average:  http://www.neo.ne.gov/statshtml/204.htm (http://www.neo.ne.gov/statshtml/204.htm)

I think I'll stop complaining about the rates in TX (about 14% below the national average) now.

Actually what is the rate for electricity in your various areas... enquiring minds want to know. Mine.

I pay 9.9 cents per kilowatt hour.

I think mine is at about 8.9 at the moment.

according to that chart, the average for my state is 7.xx.  my town is 11.0 and there is an extra 10 bucks a month added it for just being connected. Not counting the extra they sometimes charge as an adjustment.  Sounds a lot like at$t.
Title: Re: Electric rate hike
Post by: DParker on April 15, 2016, 06:18:22 pm
according to that chart, the average for my state is 7.xx.  my town is 11.0 and there is an extra 10 bucks a month added it for just being connected. Not counting the extra they sometimes charge as an adjustment.  Sounds a lot like at$t.

Well, somebody has to be above the average.  As for the rest (taxes, surcharges, etc), that's understood, and is the norm for just about every utility provider.  The "rate" we're talking about is the per KWh charge, not the total cost of service.
Title: Re: Electric rate hike
Post by: renegade600 on April 15, 2016, 06:32:19 pm
according to that chart, the average for my state is 7.xx.  my town is 11.0 and there is an extra 10 bucks a month added it for just being connected. Not counting the extra they sometimes charge as an adjustment.  Sounds a lot like at$t.

Well, somebody has to be above the average.  As for the rest (taxes, surcharges, etc), that's understood, and is the norm for just about every utility provider.  The "rate" we're talking about is the per KWh charge, not the total cost of service.

no kinding...
Title: Re: Electric rate hike
Post by: DParker on April 15, 2016, 06:34:10 pm
no kinding...

So "kind" is a verb now?  Man, I never get the memos.   8)
Title: Re: Electric rate hike
Post by: renegade600 on April 15, 2016, 06:36:27 pm
no kinding...

So "kind" is a verb now?  Man, I never get the memos.   8)

yep, you must not have gotten the memo on typos...
Title: Re: Electric rate hike
Post by: Slygrin on April 15, 2016, 09:44:35 pm
I can't complain too much...

Basic Charge: $0.51 per day
Energy Charge: $0.04455 per kWh
Title: Re: Electric rate hike
Post by: jwlv on April 16, 2016, 05:56:48 am
I can't complain too much...

Basic Charge: $0.51 per day
Energy Charge: $0.04455 per kWh

If my electrical rates were that low, I'd be running a bitcoin mining farm in my garage :)

Here, we are supposed to be on hydro-electric power, although I don't know exactly what percentage is from that. But the rate is about $0.13 per kWh and the monthly connect fee is around $16 + a whole bunch of non-sense fees.


Title: Re: Electric rate hike
Post by: Notional on April 18, 2016, 02:36:45 pm
I'll play. Had to look mine up. 7.109 cents per jiggawat.  I won't complain either. I'm in the Washington DC area too.  But I have over $185 in just fees.

Sent from my Commodore VIC-20
Title: Re: Electric rate hike
Post by: markv on April 18, 2016, 02:48:41 pm
I'm jealous of you folks. Here in SoCal we're at $0.175 per KWhr, and that's at the "lower" Winter rates. We're on a tiered cost structure and during the summer months last year we hit around $0.21 / KWhr.

Water rates have also climbed dramatically in the last few years and while we've changed to drought tolerant landscaping, the local utility keeps raising rates for the same reason... less water usage = less revenue. Sigh.
Title: Re: Electric rate hike
Post by: DParker on April 18, 2016, 03:15:41 pm
I'll play. Had to look mine up. 7.109 cents per jiggawat.

Great Scott!!!