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Outrageous PG&E rate!

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by Roy2001, May 2, 2019.

  1. Roy2001

    Roy2001 Active Member

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    PG&E is in trouble, and its already super high electricity rate is getting spiked again!

    I have solar installed, so I did not check their rate for a while. Today I logged into my PG&E account and found that I was changed to TOU-A from Tiered rate plan.

    With tiered rate plan, my price per kWh was 22 cents for first 350-400 kWh, then 28 cents for another 350-400 kWh, then 42 cents for rest, per month. So if I charge with them (instead of solar) my rate is 28C or 42C depend on which month, which makes the cost to run Prime higher than gas.

    Now with TOU-A plan, or time of use plan, the peak time is weekday 3-8pm. TOU-B peak time is 4-9pm, during which we use a lot of electricity to run AC May-October due to central valley heat (~100F for almost 2 months).

    The price? Now it is winter time, the rate is 28 cents for peak and 26.7 cents for off-peak.

    For summer which is June to end of September, the rate is 40 cents for peak time and 32.4 cents of off peak time.

    For typical July/August, my monthly usage is 1600 kWh, and most of them are peak time AC usage, let's say if the average rate is 37 cents, my monthly bill would be easily > $600. It was <$500 last year.

    Furtherly, my charging rate for Prime would be 27-32.4 cents per kWh if I charge off-peak. This is out of control, I think I need to add more panels......
     
    bisco likes this.
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    seems like a no brainer at those prices, if you have room.

    check out tesla, i read they dropped their shorts on pv
     
  3. Praeluceo

    Praeluceo Junior Member

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  4. Jamesb93612

    Jamesb93612 Member

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    Someone told me that regulators just approved a rate hike. Sounds like our PG&E costs are only going to get higher!

    Edit: added link.

    California Regulators Approve $373M PG&amp;E Rate Hike &#8211; FOX40
     
  5. noonm

    noonm Senior Member

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    Sounds like it may be time to send a strong worded letter (email?) to CPUC: Complaints
     
  6. Rmay635703

    Rmay635703 Senior Member

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    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.mercurynews.com/2019/05/02/pge-profits-shrink-due-to-costs-linked-to-wildfires-bankruptcy-case/amp/

    Gotta pay the investors despite the lawsuits, only the homeowners loose

    Even at 9.8 cents a kilowatt hour here it’s cheaper for me to run a natural gas generator for all electricity including depreciation and maintenance because natural gas is so cheap and the fixed fee is high.

    Perhaps off grid solar with natural gas backup is now becoming not only fully economical but with a short payback in some areas
     
  7. bruceha_2000

    bruceha_2000 Senior Member

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    No natural gas here. Well there is, but only in the cities on the western side of the state. Propane is $4.25/gallon meaning WAY expensive.

    Sounds like EV, though big in CA, is the expensive way to drive there.

    I'm glad I don't have @Roy2001's usage. You are almost a full 1,000 kWhs a month higher than we are. Yep, sounds like you need more solar panels so you never have to buy anything from PG&E.
     
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  8. Montgomery

    Montgomery Senior Member

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    This is not directed at anyone. Just an overdue rant. It is my opinion, that while we purchase cars that save gas and modify our homes to save energy, the government, energy and oil companies lose money. So they tax more, increase prices and make it more difficult to be efficient. I didn't believe them when they said back in the 70's that we would be out of oil world wide by 1984. Bullcrap!! Freeking energy comes from the sky to us free. Just because a person has reached the point that they don't have to pay for electricity, we now have to raise rates so someone can "fall" into a so called "peak" category. I repeat, the energy from the sun is free. No one owns the energy coming to us from the sun.............and we, should we find a way to use free energy should not be penalized. Off my soapbox now.
     
  9. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Wow, I thought we are paying a high price at 20 cents/kWh any time of a day and year round, but your price is outrageous. I am planning to put PV on our roof this year, but unlike CA, we have shorter days and much less sunshine in our area. I don't think I can get entire household electricity needs including charging PRIME generated by PV alone.:cry:
     
  10. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    More panels might even provide more shade on the roof, reducing AC needs.

    Between having much of my south-facing roof covered with PV modules, set up as high as the brackets allowed for best ventilation, and improved attic venting from the simultaneous reroofing project, my attic runs far cooler than before. I also greatly improved the attic insulation (though more to prevent a repeat of the neighbor's burst fire sprinkler pipe in freezing weather -- same house builder at same time). These steps greatly reduced peak summer heat in the house, not that I usually need AC in this climate zone.
     
    #10 fuzzy1, May 2, 2019
    Last edited: May 3, 2019
    Raytheeagle likes this.
  11. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    I’ve got Sun Power coming out mid month to price 4 more panels;).

    I saw the same thing and am trying to get ahead of it. Until the state regulates PG&E’s pay practices, rates will continue to rise:cool:.

    I’ll be one that continues to plan to avoid their business (y).
     
    bisco likes this.
  12. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    And to think I average around 3200 kwh per month over a year......I no longer have room to complain
     
  13. Roy2001

    Roy2001 Active Member

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    1600kWh is just for July/August. My annual usage is close to 10k kWh, which is far below my neighbors given the size of the houses. We are in rural area and house sizes are usually around 4000 sqft.
     
  14. Roy2001

    Roy2001 Active Member

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    Wow, that's close to 40k kWh. You would be broken by the bill if you are in our area ;)
     
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  15. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    :eek: And my all-electric house is using just a bit of 5000 kWh per whole year, not month.

    Gross, before subtracting out the PV production, which drops the net to zero.
     
  16. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    With that big of a rate shift I'd be chilling a water tank at off-peak rates and then using it for cooling during the peak bump.
     
  17. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Or just get solar and pay $10 for the monthly hookup and then your insulated from their rate hike game:).

    That one time investment gets paid off after 7 years on average and is good for at least 25 years of PG&E rate games(y).
     
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  18. smyles

    smyles Active Member

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    Not to start a debate, but while you're rightfully outraged, your initial premise is wrong. The government, energy and oil companies don't lose money because we're becoming more efficient. Their costs outpace their revenues due to multiple things, from objective and unavoidable to inefficiencies to deliberate f##kups and stupidity. But being basically monopolies, they can and do make consumers/taxpayers pay.
     
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  19. bruceha_2000

    bruceha_2000 Senior Member

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    I guess that is the "up side" of outrageous grid prices. The price of solar isn't tied to the price of electricity so your payback is fast.
     
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  20. Rmay635703

    Rmay635703 Senior Member

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    I see several CNG stations near you.

    Alternative Fuels Data Center: Alternative Fueling Station Locator

    $2 or less per gge (same energy as a gallon of gasoline) is still WAY cheaper than your electric rate, decommissioned vehicle CNG tanks used for home heating are regulated differently and can be filled up at any of the stations in the list above no different than filling a tank for your bbq but cheaper and self service.