The cost of electricity is going up all of the time.

G

GP44

Member
The cost of electricity is increasing nearly everywhere in The States.
If it’s okay to call our country The States.
Anyway from what I am seeing these costs are going up disproportionately according to where you live and which power company supplies you!
From what I’ve read one reason is because huge data centers are being built to supply all of the data that we request over the internet.
Then they say that along with that AI is consuming larger shares of the data.
All of these huge computers or numbers of them have to stay cool to work properly.
So that takes a major part of the power consumption of the data centers.
It makes sense to create these data centers where the climate is naturally cooler and therefore easier and cheaper keeping the equipment cool.
An EV battery plant is starting up soon within 30 miles of where I live and I know it takes an enormous amount of electricity to make those batteries.
I guess the cost of all of this industrial consumption is being shared with residential customers in the form of higher electric bills.
So far ours has only gone up like $30 a year but I see where people in far south-west Illinois are saying that their electric bills have increased by hundreds of dollars.
I wonder what some of the people who are so concerned about global warming would think if they found out that they are contributing to the problem every time they use a cell phone or computer or IPad to play a game or stream the latest entertainment.
Would they go back to living without some of the conveniences that we are so used to now.
 

@GP44 Very good question. I know I could go back to a land line with no qualms. I do not live with my phone on or near my body at all times.
My PC, could be a rough one I admit, I don't own a laptop so no problem there. Some companies try and at times force you to use their apps and I limit those as hard as I can. But I know people who would have a fit if they no longer had that phone for cashless paying, constant messaging etc. Of all these wireless abilities we have I will say the GPS, especially at my age with driving is the one thing I would miss most. I make lists all the time so pulling out a map and writing my directions down is doable.
 
Yes, and crypto currency people love so much is an energy hog and drives up the cost of electricity. I believe in climate change and do my part, however a lot of the things people are doing to save is basically 'Greenwashing'.

Most of the 'Smart' devices and appliances people use are unnecessary and a waste of time and money, just trendy and waste of energy.
 

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Basic service fees knock on wood have remained pretty steady but the kw hour prices are rising and used to get 6 months or so at a reduced rate.
 
Aunt Bea said:
It’s going to get worse before it gets better.

New York State has passed laws restricting the installation of gas appliances and heating in new construction and the repair/replacement of gas powered appliances and heating in existing homes beginning in, I believe, 2029.
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Demanding all electric appliances or everything is a putting an all your eggs in one basket strategy. Should always have options and alternatives for price reasons and back up of somekind.

As energy efficient many things are many consumers let alone businesses have added a lot of rechargeable stuff including electric bikes, scooters, cell phones, computers, tools etc. to their household electric.
 
Undoubtedly, reasons detailed in the OP are contributing to higher usage, but where I live, electric providers have had no difficulties finding excuses to hike rates for the past 40 years, way before all that new technology.

We can choose electric providers where I live, but how the new plans are presented for review is becoming increasingly difficult to follow. I spent all of one afternoon trying to compare plans.

Here's what I found: Those who consistently use over 1000 kwh per month get better rates. Last year, I consumed more than 1000 hours only 2 months of the year. If there is a shortage of electrcity, those who use LESS should be rewarded with lower rates, not those who use MORE - but that is not the case.

My new plan will be 43% higher than the plan that just expired.
 
GoodEnuff said:
Gads!

Our electric rates haven't changed in five years. They say it will not change this year, either. Fingers crossed.

One company charged according to the time of day. Rates almost doubled between 7am-9am, and 5pm-9pm, when more people are home.
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I'm happy to know your experience is different than mine. Don't move to Texas :confused:. My natural gas bill is $59 a month for a "customer" charge, to start with, before I use any gas whatsoever, and my water bill is right at $100 a month, with another increase (unknown amount) scheduled for October, 2025.
 
MACKTEXAS said:
I'm happy to know your experience is different than mine. Don't move to Texas :confused:. My natural gas bill is $59 a month for a "customer" charge, to start with, before I use any gas whatsoever, and my water bill is right at $100 a month, with another increase (unknown amount) scheduled for October, 2025.
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That's my water bill. $35 before you use a single drop.
 
My electrical charges are stepped so the more electricity you use the more you pay for each kilowatt. The lowest step is rather cheap per kilowatt. The next step is higher per kilowatt. The next one even higher. However, rates are going up each year, faster than the overall inflation rate and faster than any increases I get in my SS or small pension.

Solar is nice, but only a small percentage of homes can use it. In my area it is not popular because we don’t get a lot of solar radiation from October through May. Winter is when my heat pump runs the most. In the Winter the sun don’t shine very much and the wind don’t blow very much, so we need power plants.

Last Winter I got four notices via text messages to reduce power consumption on certain days so that the power system would not be stressed. I have lived in this area for over 30 years and this has never happened before. Even on days when the high temp was below freezing there were no warning about too much power usage. What will happen when most of us have to also charge our EVs overnight during sub-freezing temperatures?

The hand writing is on the wall.
 
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Everything is going up all the time. Here in Florida where I reside, electricity is expensive, but we can’t live without air conditioning, which uses a lot of electricity. My whole home is electric. My bill costs about $350 a month during summer and $250 in winter. I have a heat pump on my home. That takes care of providing both the air conditioning and heat.
 
Oldeagle66 said:
Yes, and crypto currency people love so much is an energy hog and drives up the cost of electricity. I believe in climate change and do my part, however a lot of the things people are doing to save is basically 'Greenwashing'.

Most of the 'Smart' devices and appliances people use are unnecessary and a waste of time and money, just trendy and waste of energy.
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Yes! I saw that crypto currency mentioned too but I didn’t mention it because I don’t understand anything about it so I didn’t understand how it affects power usage.
So curiosity got the better of me and I’m looking into that now.
 
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Brookswood said:
My electrical charges are stepped so the more electricity you use the more you pay for each kilowatt. The lowest step is rather cheap per kilowatt. The next step is higher per kilowatt. The next one even higher. However, rates are going up each year, faster than the overall inflation rate and faster than any increases I get in my SS or small pension.
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If there are truly shortages of power, then rates should be based on tiers of kwh used, with the lower tiers getting the best rates, just as you described. But it's the opposite in Texas, where the largest users of power get the best rates. That tells me a whole lot (at least in MY state) about how much truth there is to the claim there are shortages of electricity and we need to conserve.
 
GP44 said:
Yes! I saw that crypto currency mentioned too but I didn’t mention it because I don’t understand anything about it so I didn’t understand how it affects power usage.
So curiosity got the better of me and I’m looking into that now.
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Long story short crypto transactions take a lot of computing power/capability as does looking/mining for it. Data centers in general require lots of power. Server banksl/rooms also require a controlled cooler environment so lots of hvac involved.
 
The answer may be solar? The biggest issue with solar is upfront costs.

But I there is an easier and cheaper way to do it. "Normal" households use a jillion kilowatts of power each day. I downsized and completely rethought my electricity needs. My cooler, fridge, oven and hot plate/burner all run off of a couple of solar banks and a few solar panels. I still have electric service too which I mostly use, that costs $25 - $50 per month.

It is a big lifestyle change, but after a short period it feels "normal".
 
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