Are you aware of the huge electric rate increase.. (Austin: to buy, utilities)

[Roadking2003]

Originally Posted by Komeht

How is paying for the energy you use taxation? Do you think we get to vote on our cable bill rates in the city of Austin? I missed the last town hall discussion on the price of gas.

Paying for electricity used is NOT taxation. Paying extra for electricity for funds that get transferred to the Austin general operating fund IS taxation.

[Roadking2003]

Originally Posted by owlman

The city taking money from AE is not really taxation without representation. If you don't like it, vote/petition/protest city council to stop doing that.

Not if you don't live in the city of Austin. I cannot vote for Austin city council candidates since I am not a resident. So, I pay a "tax" that goes to the Austin operating budget but I have no representation on the council that decides how much "tax" to charge me over and above the cost of electric service nor do I have any input as to how that money is spent.

So, yes, it is taxation without representation.

[Roadking2003]

Originally Posted by buffettjr

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm translating your post as "I hate solar panels for political reasons and am trying to be overly dramatic about it."

Yes, you are wrong. I hate to waste money on any form of electric service.

If that is wrong, then I translate it as "I do not understand the concept of inflation."

Wrong again. I fully understand inflation. Do you?

Austin Energy is raising rates 14% for the average home, not 30%. It is the first rate increase in 17 years. Surely you understand the concept of inflation, and that your money has weakened by 3-4% per year for 17 years in row. After this rate increase goes through, you will be paying significantly less for your energy on what we call a "real basis" than you were in 1994. That would be true even if we had a 30%, or 50% increase. Moderator cut: rude

Moderator cut: responding to deleted portion of post I never said the average cost was going up 30%. Try reading it again.

Also, this is not taxation without representation.

Yes, it is. Since I'm not a resident of Austin, I have no vote.

Moderator cut: orphaned comment

[owlman]

Originally Posted by Austinite101

My family saves money with these new rates.

Looking at the new rates I thought it would be about a wash for me, but this AE Calculator shows larger increases

New Rate Calculator

[Roadking2003]

Originally Posted by owlman

Looking at the new rates I thought it would be about a wash for me, but this AE Calculator shows larger increases

New Rate Calculator

Correct. If you use 3500 kwh, your bill will go from $390 to $507. That's a 30% increase.

Using the chart they sent out, everybody will have an increase. The lowest percent increase in Summer rates is 15%.

[Trainwreck20]

If you use 3500 kwh

Holy Crap! Do people really use that much?

Edit: Just did a quick look, and I don't think we have gone over 1,300 kwh in the past year. 2,400 sf house which we kind of keep on the cool side...

Edit2: Did a cursory month by month check, and while your summer bill may go up by 30%, the rest of the year the percent increase will be much smaller due to lower usage, and average out to much less than 30% over the year. Our winter months look like they would see a 10-15% increase with our summer months around a 15-20% increase).

[Roadking2003]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

Holy Crap! Do people really use that much?

Edit: Just did a quick look, and I don't think we have gone over 1,300 kwh in the past year. 2,400 sf house which we kind of keep on the cool side...

Edit2: Did a cursory month by month check, and while your summer bill may go up by 30%, the rest of the year the percent increase will be much smaller due to lower usage, and average out to much less than 30% over the year. Our winter months look like they would see a 10-15% increase with our summer months around a 15-20% increase).

There are a lot of houses in Austin bigger than 2400 sq ft. I have a friend who has kids at home... they already pay up to $700. Kids can waste a lot of AC.

[Trainwreck20]

I have kids at home (at least in summer) and we don't get anywhere near that. Yes, there are a lot bigger than 2400 sf, but to get to that bill, ours would have to be around 7,000 sf...much more rarefied air.

[CoolerInTheShade]

I know this argument doesn't always sit well with folks, but we are quite lucky in Austin to have such low rates (even after the increase). I've lived in other parts of the country, and own a couple rentals for which I pay utilities, and costs are as much as 8 times higher than Austin's "first tier." The national average is 9.83 cents/KW, which applies to all usage tiers with no seasonal adjustments.

Compare that to Austin's 1.8 cents/KW for the first tier; AE doesn't get higher than the national average until using 1501+ KW, and only in the summer. Northeast states, for further comparison, are 14 cents and up, and also charge that for all usage; no break for the first 500 or 1500 kW.

Not only do I like the rates, I like the structure. It encourages conservation, which in turn should theoretically keep prices lower by enabling AE to buy less energy on the "spot market."

[Austinite101]

Originally Posted by CoolerInTheShade

I know this argument doesn't always sit well with folks, but we are quite lucky in Austin to have such low rates (even after the increase). I've lived in other parts of the country, and own a couple rentals for which I pay utilities, and costs are as much as 8 times higher than Austin's "first tier." The national average is 9.83 cents/KW, which applies to all usage tiers with no seasonal adjustments.

Compare that to Austin's 1.8 cents/KW for the first tier; AE doesn't get higher than the national average until using 1501+ KW, and only in the summer. Northeast states, for further comparison, are 14 cents and up, and also charge that for all usage; no break for the first 500 or 1500 kW.

Not only do I like the rates, I like the structure. It encourages conservation, which in turn should theoretically keep prices lower by enabling AE to buy less energy on the "spot market."

Exactly! And honestly, if the Non-Austinites are that unhappy about it, they can vote with their feet; move into the city limits, or get the heck out.