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2010 has been one of the hottest summers on record. Electric providers are holding their breath praying the the grid doesn't fry itself. They ask people to cut back but I am sure there are many school kids getting home at 3PM and throwing their favorite clothes in the washer and dryer while stay-at-home moms put a roast in the oven. I think that every electric customer should have a two meter system in their residence. One for peak and one for off peak with the off peak rate being much cheaper. Secondly there should be a reward for conserving electric usage. I believe that all electric providers should divide their rates according to the customers usage with rates rising as usage increases. i.e, the lowest rate is for kwh less than 500, with the next range from 500-1000kwh, and then the highest rate for over 1000kwh.
It is either do something to curtail the use of electrical energy now or fry the distribution system leaving all with no power. The electric companies way of reducing consumption is to increase the price for everyone. PECO in PA will increase the charge per kilowatt hour to about $.25 in December 2010 making one of the highest in the country. I wonder how many people, especially the elderly, will die because of no heat in the winter or these super hot summers with no cooling because of these higher costs.
How much electric in kwh do you think you can consume and still be considered green?
I live solo in a 1 BR apartment, and have learned to minimize electric consumption. I consume on average year round about 5 to 5.5 kwh per day, according to the bar chart on my most recent bill from Southern California Edison. For the month of July I used 140 kwh. This has been a cool, mild summer in my area, with just a few days above 90F. I am about 15 miles inland from the coast, and I have only turned on AC one time this summer for less than 4 hours. I have not even used fans very often this summer.
It would be hard to put a number on kwh consumption and draw a line and say someone is "green" or not. Depends on where the person lives, how many in the household, how big is the house, how well it's built and insulated, and if the people that live there know how to use the ambient temperatures during the day to their advantage.
There are dummies that live in apartments next to me who never open windows. The outdoor air temp might be 75F or less with less than 50 percent humidity, perfect for having the windows open and letting in a cool breeze, and I hear their AC condensers turn on and off during the day. They probably have electric bills of many hundreds of $$ per month, and my electric bill is less than $20 per month. I have had at least one window open almost 24x7 since early May, with the exception of just a few hot afternoons.
2010 has been one of the hottest summers on record. Electric providers are holding their breath praying the the grid doesn't fry itself. They ask people to cut back but I am sure there are many school kids getting home at 3PM and throwing their favorite clothes in the washer and dryer while stay-at-home moms put a roast in the oven. I think that every electric customer should have a two meter system in their residence. One for peak and one for off peak with the off peak rate being much cheaper. Secondly there should be a reward for conserving electric usage. I believe that all electric providers should divide their rates according to the customers usage with rates rising as usage increases. i.e, the lowest rate is for kwh less than 500, with the next range from 500-1000kwh, and then the highest rate for over 1000kwh.
It is either do something to curtail the use of electrical energy now or fry the distribution system leaving all with no power. The electric companies way of reducing consumption is to increase the price for everyone. PECO in PA will increase the charge per kilowatt hour to about $.25 in December 2010 making one of the highest in the country. I wonder how many people, especially the elderly, will die because of no heat in the winter or these super hot summers with no cooling because of these higher costs.
How much electric in kwh do you think you can consume and still be considered green?
Thankfully, I live in Texas where we don't penalize people for using energy or legislate our individual opinion and political ideologies on others.
I pay a flat locked rate up to a certain point of use, if I go over that use I get a discount at a lower rate due to using more. Its a simple pricing model that is consistent with how businesses work.
I lived in California before moving here where it was just the opposite. Prices were extremely high because government went into business with the electric companies to get kick backs. Together, they are able to fleece the population with high prices and penalties for usage. Also, recently with their smart meters they have taken up polices of dictating flow to the consumer without the consent of the consumer.
The result is a state where energy bills are often 3 times the amount they are here and draconian polices that dictate individual choice and fund government agenda through theft of the tax payer.
I doubt any will care if people die. They are currently in a movement to claim that living without air conditioning is better for you and using this flawed ideal as justification to dictate to people that they should limit or go without it.
Couple in the fact that they think the world is overpopulated and people dying of heat exposure fits right in with their agenda. I personally think that to them, people dying, would fit nicely with their political goals.
It would be hard to put a number on kwh consumption and draw a line and say someone is "green" or not. Depends on where the person lives, how many in the household, how big is the house, how well it's built and insulated, and if the people that live there know how to use the ambient temperatures during the day to their advantage.
Such as many areas in the south to which running without air conditioning is impractical due to the function of our daily lives. If I ran without air conditioner, it would be over a 110 (or higher) in my home rendering any type of work that I do with electronics impossible.
Not to say that you suggest this, but some have pushed the point that we should live as you do regardless of where we live and regardless of our lifestyle. I have seen arguments that demand that people change completely. If they do a line of work that requires it, their solution is "find another job", "go spend more time out of the house", "go to the pool", etc.. which to be honest are ignorant demands and naive beliefs about others lives. Not to mention it is a position of "live like me!" and I doubt if I were to enforce such on them they would take it lightly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by recycled
There are dummies that live in apartments next to me who never open windows. The outdoor air temp might be 75F or less with less than 50 percent humidity, perfect for having the windows open and letting in a cool breeze, and I hear their AC condensers turn on and off during the day. They probably have electric bills of many hundreds of $$ per month, and my electric bill is less than $20 per month. I have had at least one window open almost 24x7 since early May, with the exception of just a few hot afternoons.
Why are they idiots? This is a subjective issue. Some people enjoy air conditioning, they may no like the heat even if it is 75 outside (usually in many homes, that translates to around 80 or more inside depending on what they are doing in their homes). It is no different than you saying you like chocolate cake and another saying you should be content with vanilla for some range of individual reason and then calling you an idiot for disagreeing.
Its great that you live the way you do, not because you live the way you do, but more importantly that you are free to choose that you will live the way you do.
What others may do if they are able to afford it should be no concern of another.
Thankfully, I live in Texas where we don't penalize people for using energy or legislate our individual opinion and political ideologies on others.
I pay a flat locked rate up to a certain point of use, if I go over that use I get a discount at a lower rate due to using more. Its a simple pricing model that is consistent with how businesses work.
I lived in California before moving here where it was just the opposite. Prices were extremely high because government went into business with the electric companies to get kick backs. Together, they are able to fleece the population with high prices and penalties for usage. Also, recently with their smart meters they have taken up polices of dictating flow to the consumer without the consent of the consumer.
The result is a state where energy bills are often 3 times the amount they are here and draconian polices that dictate individual choice and fund government agenda through theft of the tax payer.
I doubt any will care if people die. They are currently in a movement to claim that living without air conditioning is better for you and using this flawed ideal as justification to dictate to people that they should limit or go without it.
Couple in the fact that they think the world is overpopulated and people dying of heat exposure fits right in with their agenda. I personally think that to them, people dying, would fit nicely with their political goals.
Sounds like you found your Nirvana by moving to Texas. You sure sound like a Texan.
2010 has been one of the hottest summers on record. Electric providers are holding their breath praying the the grid doesn't fry itself. They ask people to cut back but I am sure there are many school kids getting home at 3PM and throwing their favorite clothes in the washer and dryer while stay-at-home moms put a roast in the oven. I think that every electric customer should have a two meter system in their residence. One for peak and one for off peak with the off peak rate being much cheaper. Secondly there should be a reward for conserving electric usage. I believe that all electric providers should divide their rates according to the customers usage with rates rising as usage increases. i.e, the lowest rate is for kwh less than 500, with the next range from 500-1000kwh, and then the highest rate for over 1000kwh.
It is either do something to curtail the use of electrical energy now or fry the distribution system leaving all with no power. The electric companies way of reducing consumption is to increase the price for everyone. PECO in PA will increase the charge per kilowatt hour to about $.25 in December 2010 making one of the highest in the country. I wonder how many people, especially the elderly, will die because of no heat in the winter or these super hot summers with no cooling because of these higher costs.
How much electric in kwh do you think you can consume and still be considered green?
I think that is a subjective question as one must take into account the power source of that electricity. One must also take into account all the other green measures the individual has taken to reduce their "foot print' and what they return to the earth in the way of planting trees, composting, etc..... . To just take a kWh number and then designate a consumer as green or not green is intellectually dishonest, IMO.
As for the rate increases: those will continue all over the country as the EPA continues to impose stronger restrictions, regulations and fines to power companies. Cap & Trade continues to loom on the horizon as does the "smart grid". All of this will be hugely expensive and will be paid for by the consumer.
People have been dying of heat exposure forever. However, most communities, along with power company involvement, have designated "cooling centers" and programs in place for donations of air conditioning units and ways to donate $$ to help pay the utilities of those low income and elderly who cannot afford to do so themselves.
If you have elderly neighbors who cannot afford A/C perhaps the place to start is to invite them into your home to "cool off" or offer to pay their bill for them in the hottest months.
Why are they idiots? This is a subjective issue. Some people enjoy air conditioning, they may no like the heat even if it is 75 outside (usually in many homes, that translates to around 80 or more inside depending on what they are doing in their homes). It is no different than you saying you like chocolate cake and another saying you should be content with vanilla for some range of individual reason and then calling you an idiot for disagreeing.
Its great that you live the way you do, not because you live the way you do, but more importantly that you are free to choose that you will live the way you do.
What others may do if they are able to afford it should be no concern of another.
It is a non-sequitur to claim that one's manner of electricity use is the same as a choice of flavor, because electricity use affects other people. The use, and waste, of fossil fuels is a national, and global issue with many aspects, including air pollution and wars fought to assure a continuing supply. If there is a black-out caused by demand exceeding supply, then all people in the blacked-out area suffer from it, not just those who neglected to pay attention to peak versus off-peak use. There is much more involved than whether people can afford the additional cost of their wasteful habits.
Sounds like you found your Nirvana by moving to Texas. You sure sound like a Texan.
i do like it here, there are things I dislike such as old 1800 laws that ban the selling of spirits on Sundays and beer sales only after 12PM. Far right can get just as bad as far left, but overall it has a fair balance. Though to be honest, it didn't take much to beat California on most issues.
The only thing I liked about California is the climate in various areas. Politics, individual liberties, etc... not so much.
It is a non-sequitur to claim that one's manner of electricity use is the same as a choice of flavor, because electricity use affects other people. The use, and waste, of fossil fuels is a national, and global issue with many aspects, including air pollution and wars fought to assure a continuing supply. If there is a black-out caused by demand exceeding supply, then all people in the blacked-out area suffer from it, not just those who neglected to pay attention to peak versus off-peak use. There is much more involved than whether people can afford the additional cost of their wasteful habits.
Maybe people should have thought of that when they were protesting the development of power plants being made to meet demand and instituting government policies to restrict and put pressure on that?
California is a prime example. They had plenty of upstarts and the Big 3 utility companies lobbied for regulation which destroyed competition (government in corporations back pocket) and also they lobbied against funding and supporting environmental groups protesting new plant development as well as legislating restrictions, regulations and conditions which hampered practical development of them.
Seems like those folks were causing their own problems pushing their agenda and now they want to complain about lack of supply?
We don't have those problems as much here. Some companies who are lacking might, but it isn't extremely common. We also don't have monopolies, there are over 40+ companies here providing. Prices are cheaper, power is in supply, and we don't have all the regulations that put people into that position in the first place.
You don't get to dictate to me. If you want to tell others how to live, move to California. I am sure there are enough people there willing to worship at the feet of your ideology.
Maybe people should have thought of that when they were protesting the development of power plants being made to meet demand and instituting government policies to restrict and put pressure on that?...........
Seems like those folks were causing their own problems pushing their agenda and now they want to complain about lack of supply? ............................
Funny how that works. That is the same reason we now have to drill for oil miles off the coast and more than a mile deep.
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Chocolate vs. vanilla? I don't think so.
