Texas electric

[moonshadow]

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/20/us/t ... s.amp.html


What in the hell is going on with electric cost in Texas? I heard today that some customers are paying over $15,000 per month...

What kind of jobs do you all have down there where you can afford that...?

I thought... "surely this must be a mistake... that's the electric bill for a grocery store... or manufacturing plant...."

Nope... I find that your state law allows a maximum rate of...

Wait for it...

$9 per kilowatt hour????

Jesus... I will NEVER complain about Appalachian Power and Virginia regulating authority again!

My rate has been running at a consistent 11.5 cents per kwh delivered for years now...

My last bill was $97 for about 850 kilowatt hours...

In Texas that same bill would have been $7,650!

That's like more than I've paid for electricity in the last FIVE YEARS COMBINED!

Uncle AL, y'all NEED TO REVOLT!

Man to hell with Texas! KEEP IT!

You've GOT to be f--king kidding me!

I'd tell them to cut the line... I'd just live in the DARK!

I guess it's true what they say...

EVERYTHING IS BIGGER IN TEXAS!

[moonshadow]

Hell fire.. in Texas minimum wage needs to be $200 per hour just to keep the lights on! God all mighty...

Average rates around the world...

**Texas. $9.00
Germany 0.38
Denmark 0.33
Portugal 0.31
Belgium 0.31
Japan 0.29
Cyprus 0.28
Ireland 0.28
Italy 0.26
United Kingdom 0.26
Rwanda 0.26
Australia 0.25
Spain 0.24
New Zealand 0.23
Kenya 0.21
France 0.21
Singapore 0.19
Poland 0.19
Brazil 0.15
United States 0.15
South Africa 0.13
Indonesia 0.1
Turkey 0.09
India 0.08
Mexico 0.08
China 0.08
Nigeria 0.07
Argentina 0.07
Russia 0.06

[crfriend]

This was an anomaly, and likely will be legally investigated and potentially prosecuted under various anti-gouging laws that may still be in force.

"Griddy", the "utility" that was charging the absolute maximum allowable rate of $9,000 per Megawatt Hour (which works out to nine bucks per kilowatt hour) is way out of line with reality, but Griddy, from what I've read, is a somewhat shaky enterprise based on strange rules.

We shall see what happens. I'm hoping that they get the same fate that entities like AIG and Wells Fargo should have gotten -- a sentence of death. As has been said by wags wiser than I, "I'll believe corporations are individuals when Texas executes one". This one is certainly a candidate.

[Faldaguy]

Not completely an anomaly; other companies as well, but Griddy seems to have earned the candle. But if you look at their list of Executives, ex Finance company loan sharks; ex Bit-coin and Coin Desk folk -- no surprise. They aren't really an electric company -- just a gimmick re-seller, first registered in CA, but operating in States with little regulation. They take a deposit and auto pay authorization bank card to start along with a monthly fee that is ostensibly their only profit! However, it is the cap on Electric within the limited regulation TX offers that grants the $9000.00 per mwh! The history of this dates back to Ken Lay, CEO of Enron! His buddy George Bush, now Gov. Greg Abbott, Rick Perry are all co-trumpeters for this deregulation-- that I'm told Texan's cherish and will happily do without power to keep the Feds out of TX -- except right now they seem happy to have Fed help from the Biden administration and that horror FEMA coming to their aid.

[moonshadow]

In all fairness, I later found out that most Texans opt for the more predictable "level" plans... and those people who got billed thousands of dollars just kinda got caught off guard.

Still yet, I can't believe Texas allows for such a high cap. I realize [now] that such spikes [of $9 per kwh] generally only last for a few minutes at a time during peak periods, but surely to goodness they'd cap the overall monthly amount...

What a screw-ball system that is down there....

Granted, I don't get to pay 2 cents per kwh in the spring and fall like they do down in Texas... but damn... I'll take my more consistent rate and simply open the windows of hang laundry out in the line if I want to save a buck or two...

Playing games with the rate is just asking for trouble...

I read that Griddy is going to allow them to make payments... well isn't that nice of them...

Gonna need a second mortgage to pay that whopper.

I'm curious to hear from Al, but I figure he's worried it might cost $10 per hour to boot his computer...

[Brad]

In 2012, the New York City area suffered devastation from Superstorm Sandy. When Congress voted on an aid package, the congressional delegation from Texas didn't find it in their hearts to help. I hope that the congressional delegation from New York will return the favor.

[moonshadow]

Thought this was interesting...

https://www.griddy.com/post/griddy-upda ... -this-week

I've heard this elsewhere too, so I'm not sure Griddy is just covering their asses... sounds like the "Public Utility Commission of Texas" isn't working for the public welfare...

Sounds like some Texas authorities need to have their heads on a pike!

2012, the New York City area suffered devastation from Superstorm Sandy. When Congress voted on an aid package, the congressional delegation from Texas didn't find it in their hearts to help. I hope that the congressional delegation from New York will return the favor.

Now now... two wrongs don't make a right.... by all means, let the other 49 states jump in and help... we're all Americans after all...

But let's do so under the understanding that Texas doesn't get to sit high on their petastal anymore... we own their asses from now on...

Thank God this happened under Biden's watch... Trump would simply be beside himself right now...

Let's see them blame this one on socialism!

[6ft3Aussie]

The cost per kWh is only one part of the bill, there's all the fixed charges like line charges, plus tax etc.
The fixed daily charge is also something I'd like to be able to roughly compare as for many that probably makes up the largest portion of their bill.

For most of us in Australia, we're paying about $1/day fixed daily charge, possibly more. I know at our last place, my electricity bill was about $240/quarter, and gas about $50/quarter. 7 years later when we sold that place, we were paying about $380/quarter for electricity and $120/quarter for gas. Our electricity usage was around 8kWh/day, at up to 28c/kWh at the end! That made our daily fixed charge at about $2/day before you've used anything, total cost per day for low user was approximately $4.17/day.
Where we are here, we're on a bulk supply agreement, at 24c/kWh and 47c/day fixed charge.

[moonshadow]

The cost per kWh is only one part of the bill, there's all the fixed charges like line charges, plus tax etc.
The fixed daily charge is also something I'd like to be able to roughly compare as for many that probably makes up the largest portion of their bill.

When I quote mine, that takes into account the fixed charges. I know the absolute minimum charge is around $15 per month...

Here is what a normal semi-regulated (non-Texan) bill looks like...

Screenshot_20210223-064415_Adobe Acrobat_resize_78.jpg

And they don't jack our rates unless Richmond approves it...

Of course the Texas legislature approved of $9 per kwh... we'd tar and feather our politicians if they tried that crap!

[crfriend]

What a screw-ball system that is down there....

Unrestrained capitalism at work. We shall see whether there are laws on the books that prohibit price gouging during times of emergency (and I forget whether Texas ever declared one).

I still assert that this was a man-made "disaster".

[Sinned]

Just as a comparison here are the energy prices I paid last month. We pay a daily charge and a per kwh rate.

Electricity: 21.78p/day, 15.4p/kwh
Gas: 19.47p/day, 2.66p/kwh

From November to April is my main period with a peak of about 90kwh/month for gas and 750kwh/month for electricity. But for gas, with the central heating switched off and not needing air conditioning our usage is as low as 2kwh/month June to October and 340/350kwh/month for electricity. Total energy balances out with a direct debit of £140/month. I do an annual price comparison for energy and have found a company that does renewable energy so am happy with them.

As we have an interconnected National Grid as far as I know we don't have a Texas style price mechanism. Either the electricity or gas is there or it isn't. In the seventies most electricity was via coal-fired power stations and a miner's strike meant that there was less electricity generated. A 3-day working week was instituted and rationing introduced with periods of blackouts for areas. So electricity either there or not.

[Big and Bashful]

The more I have seen over the past few years, the more I am convinced that the United States, on the whole, is insane, more insane than any other country I can think of, apart from those middle Eastern states that seem intent on killing their populations. Anyway, in my house, which is maybe 170 or 180 years old, I rely on oil fired central heating and electric to light things up, run my toys and cook. My energy bills total to about £200 per month, split evenly between oil and electric. If there was gas in pipes for me to use I believe that would half my heating bills, but there isn't.

[Sinned]

There has been mooted to stop the installation of new gas boilers from 2025 but what will replace them is not clear. I'm glad that I don't have your energy bill. We have a 4 bed detached house, fairly well insulated so I suppose our current bills are reasonable.

[pelmut]

There has been mooted to stop the installation of new gas boilers from 2025 but what will replace them is not clear. . .

A wonderful new electrical system that uses sustainable energy and causes no pollution.  It hasn't been invented yet, but that won't stop the politicians from promising it and bringing in legislation to enforce it.  All vehicles will also run on this wonderful electrical system soon, despite the fact that there aren't enough raw materials in the entire planet to produce the vehicles; the scrappage and replacement of large numbers of vehicles before they are worn out will use huge amounts of energy and create loads of pollution.  It is only a trivial matter that the electrical distribution system won't cope with the extra load and will generate far more CO2 (once the charging and discharging losses of the batteries are taken into consideration) than burning fossil fuels in conventional engines, but lesislation will soon take care of that.

I am fully in favour of reducing our profligate use of energy and resources, that is why I am opposed to these crazy schemes driven by campaigners and politicians who believe in magic and are ignorant of the basic rules of physics and chemistry.

[rode_kater]

There has been mooted to stop the installation of new gas boilers from 2025 but what will replace them is not clear.

Over here they're replaced with heat networks using waste heat from industry. The waste heat from the Rotterdam harbour can heat the entire province, it's just a matter of transportation. Otherwise there's geothermal. If you insulate your house properly you can go electric heating as well. It can be done.