Which San Diego Gas & Electric rate plan is cheaper?

^^^
Interesting, you seem to have a fair amount of "phantom" load or a bunch of stuff always pulling a fair amount of power. Got some lights always on? Have an inefficient fridge or multiple ones like a freezer in the garage? Perhaps there are some devices that use lots of power in standby.

I can't seem to get my base load below 0.18 or 0.19 kwh or so short of unplugging my TiVos, turning off my cable modem and router, unplugging my UPSes, and killing the power to the power strips that run my computers instead of leaving my computer and 2 LCDs in sleep mode.

.18 or .19 kwh as the baseline seems kinda high to me. Guesstimating, I figure I can account for maybe 70-80 Wh of it due to stuff like TiVo, networking equipment, wall warts, and standby power of various things so I'm not sure where the other 100 Wh is coming from.

I haven't had the time to track it all down nor that much motivation. .19 kwh costs me $0.02.

I think this a typical weekday for me (4/23/12):
START TIME END TIME USAGE UNITS
0:00 0:59 0.37 kWh
1:00 1:59 0.47 kWh
2:00 2:59 0.4 kWh
3:00 3:59 0.47 kWh
4:00 4:59 0.22 kWh
5:00 5:59 0.28 kWh
6:00 6:59 0.21 kWh
7:00 7:59 0.24 kWh
8:00 8:59 0.19 kWh
9:00 9:59 0.19 kWh
10:00 10:59 0.19 kWh
11:00 11:59 0.31 kWh
12:00 12:59 0.38 kWh
13:00 13:59 0.37 kWh
14:00 14:59 0.3 kWh
15:00 15:59 0.19 kWh
16:00 16:59 0.25 kWh
17:00 17:59 0.35 kWh
18:00 18:59 0.37 kWh
19:00 19:59 0.38 kWh
20:00 20:59 0.39 kWh
21:00 21:59 0.63 kWh
22:00 22:59 0.4 kWh
23:00 23:59 0.35 kWh
-----------------
Here's a weekend day (4/21/12):
0:00 0:59 0.49 kWh
1:00 1:59 0.44 kWh
2:00 2:59 0.33 kWh
3:00 3:59 0.32 kWh
4:00 4:59 0.35 kWh
5:00 5:59 0.21 kWh
6:00 6:59 0.19 kWh
7:00 7:59 0.19 kWh
8:00 8:59 0.19 kWh
9:00 9:59 0.2 kWh
10:00 10:59 0.19 kWh
11:00 11:59 0.19 kWh
12:00 12:59 0.19 kWh
13:00 13:59 0.28 kWh
14:00 14:59 0.25 kWh
15:00 15:59 0.19 kWh
16:00 16:59 0.2 kWh
17:00 17:59 0.36 kWh
18:00 18:59 0.71 kWh
19:00 19:59 0.93 kWh
20:00 20:59 0.52 kWh
21:00 21:59 0.75 kWh
22:00 22:59 0.54 kWh
23:00 23:59 0.55 kWh

Yes, my sleep cycle is messed up and I'm not working at the moment so I'm usually at home consuming electricity on my computer or via my TV and receiver.

 

1500 is quite a bit if used for a long time. To steal from What's the difference between kW and kWh?.

So, if your heater was 1000 watts and it ran for an hour, it used 1 kWh. If it ran for 1.5 hours, that's 1.5 kWh. You know your rates (sorta) as you've already been exposed to the complexity of the tiers and TOU metering.

You should consider ditching those incandescents, if you can. I was taking an energy efficiency in (mostly commercial) buildings systems class and a lighting designer came in as a guest lecturer. He remarked that incandescents are heaters that have the side effect of producing light.

When on my computer in the day, I usually just open the blinds and use no lights. At night, I usually have a single 13 watt CFL while using my computer.

When eating, I found that 2 9-watt CFL candelabras was doing me a lot more good than a torchiere light w/23 watt + 13 watt CFL placed somewhat far from my table (in the family room). The 9-watt CFL candelabras are quite slow to reach full brightness so I added a 4 watt LED to it.

In the kitchen, there are IIRC, 8 40-watt T12 fluorescents w/unknown ballasts (could be inefficient magnetic ballasts since the house was built in 1979 and not more efficient electronic ballasts). They're either all on or off and aren't dimmable. Assuming the tubes are being driven to 40 watts, having them on means ~336 to 400 watts being used. :O So, I try to not leave them on for too long.

T12 fluorescents are inefficient BTW. T8 bulbs are the way to go now but one needs T8 compatible ballasts. (I actually learned a bunch from the class I mentioned.)

Re: the floodlights, I don't know what size they are, but if they're large ones, there are CFL versions. For small ones, they may/may not exist. In some cases, there might be LED ones, but they're pricey.

 

Perfect. You actually have relatively little load on-peak, so that is an even stronger case to go TOU. I don't have time this morning to do the full run-down but here's a teaser. (Yes - it's very difficult for the average customer to figure this out for a comparison.)

weekday
on-peak----------27%
off-peak----------51%
super off-peak----22%

weekend
on-peak----------19%
off-peak----------55%
super off-peak----26%

So your weighted average is 25/52/23%

Here's the detail (should be big enough to read when clicked)


However, it will begin to not be cost effective if you get down in the 500 kWh/month area. I would recommend getting a Kill-a-watt as others have suggested and track down how you are burning so much.

 

Hi SanDiegoMom,

Thanks for the corrections of the kwh total charges. There is a peculiarity that comes out of the calcs using your numbers though: TOU is cheaper than DR at OP's consumption amounts, unrelated to EV charging at night (or anytime, for that matter).

Believable ?

And now to throw a monkey wrench in this discussion: The SDG&E rates are a moving target. If TOU is a great deal now, expect it to be less so in the future. Just look at how SDG&E is trying to give a haircut to home PV owners.

 

Yes, I think that is the exact question to answer if you are still interested -- after you have improved your current monthly consumption amounts as much as possible. Phrased another way, the current high bills are from your consumption in the tier 3 and tier 4 rates, not TOU or DR choices. Cut your consumption down to tier 2 maximum (to about 400 kwh a month ideally, staying under 600 kwh a month certainly), and you can ignore the Rube Goldberg pricing schemes.

This will all be much easier for you when you get comfortable with watts and kwh.
The k in these units is one thousand. So 1000 somethings is a kSomething.
1000 watts = one kw
Perhaps you will find it easier to think of things like this:
You pay for the AMOUNT of energy you use (broken in tiers)

kwh is the base unit for an amount, and has a $ amount attached (again, in tiers)
watts is a RATE. RATE * time = amount
See why? any rate is a ratio. In this case watt is energy/time
Multiply (energy/time) * time .. and you get energy (the AMOUNT)!

Here are some examples to play with:
1. Let's say your water feature is running 24/7, using a 100 watt pump
Each hour 100 watt*one hour = 100 wh = 0.1 kwh of energy is consumed
A month has about 24*30.5 = 732 hours, so a month of pump use is 73.2 kwh.
Ouch. I'd put that pump on a timer, myself

2. I'll guess the parabolic heater runs at 400 watts
Then each hour of use is 400 watts * one hour = 400 wh = 0.4 kwh.

3. Now that TV of yours (get ready for a shock)
I'll guess 250 watts, so each hour 0.25 kwh
16 hours a day ? 4 kwh every day, or ~ 122 kwh a month.

4. Electric Dryer
Iirc, a load uses 3 - 5 kwh. If you figure two loads a week, that is about 25 - 40 kwh a month.

Find the energy guzzlers in your house, and give them a haircut. A high wattage device running all the time is the worse. Low watt devices running all the time are easily overlooked, but because they are used so much they become important players.

The kill-a-watt (kaw) people have been recommending you buy lets you measure watts for any device you are interested in. If the device runs all the time at the same power, then the kaw gives you the information you want immediately in watts. If the device pulls power intermittently like a refrigerator, leave the kaw attached for a day or two and read the kwh consumed for that time period.

Cutting energy use is a lot easier than most people might think. I used to use around the same amount as you; now I use about 40%, and that is dropping to about 23% once I switch my hot water away from electric. Amazing what a bit of effort, a desire, and a kaw will do

Cheers, and Good Luck

Addendum:
Perhaps my experience in cutting down energy use may be of some use to you. I'll try and include energy savings.

- Replaced 2 kwh/day fridge with (EPA rated) 1.1 kwh/day fridge. I realized that we were opening the fridge door a lot just for cool water in the summer, so I bought a separate cold water dispenser to avoid that behavior.

- Replaced incandescent lights with low watt CFLs. About a 85% decrease in energy use.

- Did not replace water feature pump when it broke. 30 watts continuous

- Instead of using a swamp AC, I now use whole house ventilation. 90% decrease in wattage (pushing air through the entire house's ductwork takes a kw.)

- Big box computers replaced with low power notebook and tablets. 90% decrease in wattage.

- Home computer server on timer, off at night. (restarts automatically.) 25% decrease in wattage

- Trying to use more pressure cooking, when the electric stove is used

- Phantom waste decreased by using wall or power strip switches to power on/off devices

- One of us makes 'rounds' before we go to sleep to make sure no lights have been left on.

- A light on when no one is using it is verboten.

- Showers until the hot water is finished are a distant memory.

- Clothes dried on a line.

 

Happy I can be of some use.

I had the same insight as you when I bought my first Prius in 2004. It is interesting that the Prius (for many, not all) encourages energy efficiency and conservation; not only in our driving, but in our daily lives too.

 

Hopefully the OP will order ahttp://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B00009MDBU?tag=priuschatcom-20 or one of the fancier models like [ame=http://www.p3international.com/products/p4460.html]P3 - Kill A Watt EZ[/ame]. When I got mine, there was only one model.

The OP might be able to pick one up at Fry's.

 

I made it to San Diego!

 

Enjoy the weather!

 

Some more random thoughts about the OP saving electricity.

Not sure if OP's using a dishwasher. (Not that I've ever measured plug loads on dishwashers) If so, running loads often/everyday, that can add up. I believe most/all of them have built in heaters to boost the water temperature. I'd turn off any electric (heated) drying of the dishes. (I did that when I lived in WA. I can't use a dishwasher now as mine leaks/is broken.)

 

To give you some comparison: Our family of five uses 400 to 550 kWh/month. We have a dishwasher, and we need to run laundry almost daily. We have a high efficiency central gas heater, gas water heater, oven, and clothes dryer. We don't have DVR service. We open our drapes to fill our home with daytime light; we don't use lightbulbs during the days.

We don't do anything in particular to reduce our electric use. These things I describe weren't energy-saving decisions, but maybe they'll give you some ideas.