NY electricity rate doubled (ConEd)

Please correct me if I wrong -- I am under the impression that the jump in utility rates due to high(er) natural gas prices related to the storm in December is temporary. Is this a one month only increase ?

 

Fuel costs fluctuate (up and down), therefore your monthly bill fluctuates.

 

Fuel costs are one aspect and normally 75% or more of a utilities generation cost, but there is a full market around the Electric Grid and its regions like the PJM Interconnection, NYISO, and NE ISO. There are daily, hourly, and real-tme rates your utility can get for their excess power, or conversely must pay for power they cannot supply to another provider who can. Works out similar to the NY Stock Exchange.

I don't know if its possible to see this data from the NY ISO, so I'll relate information to what I have seen available on PJM's site.

It's possible to watch these rates on the PJM Interconnection website and see that during events like the Arctic Chill that power prices shot up from $30-50 per MW to near $2000 per MW for brief periods. Someone has to cover those excursions when the utilities can't supply their own load, and the customers are normally it. That pricing affects wholesale, so retail can be whatever is contracted with the customer.

I suspect that fuel constraints were more of an issue than fuel prices during January. If we can't get natural gas to all the new generation we've built when we need it, we're in for a shock when a large chunk of coal plants shutdown in 2015. Let's hope the infrastructure builds to keep up with the needs quickly. I doubt NG prices played much of a role in this increase, since they haven't changed that much.

Here's a press release from PJM about their January...
http://pjm.com/~/media/about-pjm/newsroom/2014-releases/20140131-pjm-grid-meets-month-long-challenges.ashx

 

The month delay in the price jump reaching the consumer is the problem. If it was closer to real-time people could decide that 70F in the house is not *really* "needed."

 

LEDs, programmable thermostat, insulation, new thermo windows, hi efficiency boiler installed. Trying to keep electric use down. Also, "when not in use, save the juice." I believe the majority of utilities will try to increase their rates - demand, weather, cost of fuel, misc fees, etc. Hopefully your state utility commissioners office will battle for the consumer.

I tried to do solar - a couple of firms recommended not to do roof solar. Not enough square footage, a bunch of the neighbors' trees. need to be remove (not going to happen).

At least they were honest and up front with me, as this is their main business.

So, I stay the course with what I have.

DBCassidy

 

No, the rebate has been discontinued, and they aren't offering any other incentives. I just checked myself, as I'm maintaining an incentives database for NY as well.

 

Fort Lee, New Jersey? as Roseanne Roseannadanna would say.
I am a "wannabe" writer for SNL.
My latest idea I want the new cast member Sasheer to come on as the sister of Roseanne Roseannadanna, and crack some jokes about George Washington bridge at all.

I try to stay away from Fort Lee, because when I go there it's usualy becuase I made a wrong turn and then I get sucked into the GW bridge traffic and go over to NY by mistake.

 

Rob both comply are the same I worked for PSEG for 42 years we just took over management of Lilco this year.

 

House or high rise, welcome to Bergen co. And the night mare of bridge traffic.

 

The EV is still TOU as of right now. Perhaps it will change later. In any case it is not a good deal (tiered or otherwise) for the PiP since we only use a very few kWh per night. I tried E-9 for a year which turned out to be a little more expensive than E-6 for my system that includes solar panels. I will be back on E-6 next month. E-9 is going away in favor of EV.

The latest PG&E rates are always available here Pacific Gas & Electric - Tariffs

 

Where are you at? I'm in Vancouver and we don't have tiers, and I haven't noticed a rate hike (not that it hasn't happened). I'd like to do PV on my roof, but I'm not sure The Couve gets enough light to make it worthwhile.

 

Conservation also takes the edge off price hikes. My home seems to be averaging 150 kWh/month on an annual basis, or about $15 for the energy ($5 a month for the hook-up fee.) Rate hikes make me happy, since I know they will encourage conservation and solar.

 

I am in one of the surrounding communities served by Seattle City Light. First tier is 10kWh/day in summer, 16kWh/day in winter. Everything above that is second tier. For historic reasons, a good portion of the area has all-electric homes, i.e. electric heat / hot water / cooking, so many customers go deep into the second tier.

I misremembered the rate hike plan, it is 4.7%/year for six years, not five, for a compounded total of almost 32%. The hike was well publicized when it was being considered in the summer or fall of 2012.

Seattle City Light rate history detail

 

That sounds like enough to keep up with inflation. Maybe.

 

The CPI rate for 2012 was 1.7% and for 2013 it was 1.5%. True cost of living may be higher than this, but 4.7% seems a bit steep to hike rates in a period of low inflation.

 

You are cherry picking years when the country was still struggling to exit recession. The rate hikes are presumably not mean to cover inflation in 2012, but to cover anticipated inflation over the next 4-5 years.

Rest assured, inflation will kick in when the powers that be decide to 'manage' the national debt. Until then, normal economic cycles will average out to around 4% a year over time.

 

True, but the powers that be will increase the rates gradually. We are still struggling to exit the recession, so I don't believe rates will average 4% over the next 4 years.

Besides, utility rates should be whatever the actual cost is at the time of consumption.