Energy-Pinching Americans Pose Threat to Power Grid...
 

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Energy-Pinching Americans Pose Threat to Power Grid



Threat to the power grid...??? :rolleyes:

More like a threat to their profit margin...


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Those poor monopolies. Whatever will they do?

And here I was, thinking that the connection charge and the power usage charge were separate for a reason. :confused:

Ha- my coop was on that like flies on isht, years ago. :mad: It's probably all my fault; I went to a coop members meeting and mgmt and fellow customers alike were astonished at my low usage, about 1/10th of average. Can't have anyone getting away with paying that little, so they reformulated the rate structure to quadruple the monthly service fee. :mad:

Damn right, the efficient user now more than ever subsidizes the slob. :mad:

Outdated business models. As customers become more cost conscious, the models make less and less sense.

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Like the road tax.

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I like this part:

Now hurry up and give me 5kW home solar for the cost of a MacBook, please.

This is interesting from a guy in my state:

But even as power production becomes more decentralized, there is value in the centralized electric system, says Tom Farrell, chief executive of Dominion Resources Inc. in Richmond, Va. To allow a $1 trillion system to decay would be unconscionable, he says. “You can’t run a country on solar panels.”

She said it: "...NOT CONSUMERS problem..."

I find it hard to believe that Americans are using so little power.

I'm one of the "subsidizers" for other users. Northeast Nebraska Public Power District loves to toot it's own horn about how they help several thousand people every winter keep the power on when they can't afford it. They never come out and say that they are just overcharging the rest of us so someone doesn't have to have to live without cable, a cell phone, internet, or probably a car they can't afford. Maybe if some of my neighbors would prioritize their needs, manage their money, and be responsible for their own bills I wouldn't have to pay for their heat during the winter. Barring extraordinary circumstances, I can't imagine anything being more important to a family than keeping the milk cold and the house warm...but sadly that is not always the thinking in America where somebody else will just pick up the bill.

I've very seriously considered moving my personal residence off of the grid. My meager solar array and small wind turbine would almost cover my day to day electricity and farm needs, but I would have to kick on the generator and set up a cleaner transfer switch to run the lathe, milling machine, or welders. Figure I would spend more in diesel/wear and tear on equipment then I would on the $19.99 "service charge" that gets attached to every bill. This will probably not be true if my electricity bill goes up very much more than it is presently.

It's time that the utility companies move to a better business plan. The days of every person needing to buy gross amounts of electricity to see after sunset and watch TV are over. Solar, wind, and various other types of power generation are getting cheaper, more reliable, and more available. Not to mention how much more efficient bulbs and appliances have become. Just like any other business they need to find a way to produce their product at a more affordable cost or their customers will get service somewhere else.

If I were living in a house instead of an apartment, I'm sure I'd be off-the-grid. Solar panels and wind turbines, with a small backup genset powered preferably by waste cooking oils, would be my choice. And some batteries to reduce the need for the backup genset to kick in...


Have you never considered using some waste materials (either wood chips, animal manure, whatever organic material) as a renewable fuel source? Running a genset on some biofuel produced at a nearly-zero cost seems viable.