How much is your electricity bill? (refrigerator, live in, garage)

[DetroitN8V]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

It may. But that is certainly not what the rate sheet says. If you are brave you can test it. Turn both your ac's down to 65 at 2:30 this afternoon. Observe the demand being shown on your meter which would be in neighborhood of 10-12KWH I suppose. Then turn them off for an hour. If you are correct, then your peak for billing will be about 1/2 of the demand you read because it split over the clock hour. If it is as I read it, then you will be billed for a peak pretty near what you saw on the meter because you will have run the ac's both for an entire 60 minute averaging period. It'll cost you 13 bucks a KWh if you are wrong though.

So put my money where my mouth is, huh? Considering my normal demand is 3-4 KWHs, that would still mess my month up putting me likely around 6-7. Not sure I want to take that gamble.

[DetroitN8V]

Originally Posted by HX_Guy

Yeah I'm not sure where the "average" thing is coming from as the description on APS's site says:

"the demand is the largest component of your bill and is the on-peak 60-minute period of the month when you use the most electricity"

The tariff sheet:

DETERMINATION OF KW
For billing purposes, the kW used in this rate schedule shall be based on the average kW supplied during the 60-minute period of maximum use during the customer’s On-Peak hours, as determined from readings of the Company’s meter.

https://www.aps.com/library/rates/ect-2.pdf

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by HX_Guy

So not total over 60 minutes? So it does matter if you have a spike as it will affect the whole average? That sucks.

The rep on the phone told me spikes do not matter and that it's the total kW used an an hour.

Spikes add to it but they don't matter. It is measuring demand over time (demand x time). A sharp spike for a short time is not going to do you in. That's why turning on the microwave does not matter much.

[HX_Guy]

Yeah, edited my earlier post as I found that as well.

So again then, a spike would definitely affect it. Because if you have a spoke of 17kW let's say, which I've seen, that would skew the average for that whole hour more than if you just used a consistent lower amount I would think.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by DetroitN8V

So put my money where my mouth is, huh? Considering my normal demand is 3-4 KWHs, that would still mess my month up putting me likely around 6-7. Not sure I want to take that gamble.

Don't blame you. Like I said before, the key no matter what the start and stop are is to not run two big things at a time during peak hours. If people can do that, most of them are going to save with Combined Advantage. But, if you blow it, it will cost you dearly.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by HX_Guy

Yeah, edited my earlier post as I found that as well.

So again then, a spike would definitely affect it. Because if you have a spoke of 17kW let's say, which I've seen, that would skew the average for that whole hour more than if you just used a consistent lower amount I would think.

It depends on how long the spike was. Assume for the sake of argument that th 17K is your only load. If you ran the 17KW gizmo for one minute during the hour and nothing else, 17kw would only be 17/60 or .28 kw for that sampling interval. But if you had that 17kw going for 10 minutes it would be 2.8 KW @ 13 bucks each. And of course, if you ran it for the full hour, it would be 17KW @ 13 bucks.

[yukon]

Do apartments get to choose a rate plan based on prime/non prime time usage, or is it only limited to home owners?

[Solere]

Is the obsolete Combined Advantage Rate the best rate plan? I have never really paid much attention to rates all these years until now when the bill was $304 for July 2014. I am in a single story 2200 sq ft house, have a two year old 13 SEEER A/C unit, sunscreens or tint on every window of the house, have the A/C set at a constant 81 degrees, have no pool and do all major electric oven cooking, dishwashing and laundry on the weekends. The only daytime/on peak daily electricity usage is a constantly running wine refrigerator, the central A/C system, the computer on for 12 hours, and occasionally the television. Twice a week I will use the cooktop to cook either soup or pancakes. Last year (July 2013) I had the same routine and habits and thought the bill was high then. I also had a huge Subzero 30cu ft refrigerator in my garage last July that ran constantly, but don't anymore and the bill this July is $14 higher and I used more electricity despite having no fridge in the garage. Crazy. Have rates increased since last year? Here is part of the bill.

Comparing your monthly use
This month Last month This month last year
Billing days 30 29 30
Average outdoor temperature 93° 90° 92°
Your total use in kWh 2245 1850 2216
Percentage of on-peak use 46% 49% 45%
Your billed demand in kW 8.0 8.1 7.4
Your average daily cost $10.17 $9.61 $9.69


My on peak kwh was 1042 and my off peak was 1203.

I wish APS would give you a way to compare how much your bill would be under the standard rate, the Time Advantage plan and others.

What am I doing wrong?

[kell490]

Originally Posted by Happs

Is the obsolete Combined Advantage Rate the best rate plan? I have never really paid much attention to rates all these years until now when the bill was $304 for July 2014. I am in a single story 2200 sq ft house, have a two year old 13 SEEER A/C unit, sunscreens or tint on every window of the house, have the A/C set at a constant 81 degrees, have no pool and do all major electric oven cooking, dishwashing and laundry on the weekends. The only daytime/on peak daily electricity usage is a constantly running wine refrigerator, the central A/C system, the computer on for 12 hours, and occasionally the television. Twice a week I will use the cooktop to cook either soup or pancakes. Last year (July 2013) I had the same routine and habits and thought the bill was high then. I also had a huge Subzero 30cu ft refrigerator in my garage last July that ran constantly, but don't anymore and the bill this July is $14 higher and I used more electricity despite having no fridge in the garage. Crazy. Have rates increased since last year? Here is part of the bill.

Comparing your monthly use
This month Last month This month last year
Billing days 30 29 30
Average outdoor temperature 93° 90° 92°
Your total use in kWh 2245 1850 2216
Percentage of on-peak use 46% 49% 45%
Your billed demand in kW 8.0 8.1 7.4
Your average daily cost $10.17 $9.61 $9.69


My on peak kwh was 1042 and my off peak was 1203.

I wish APS would give you a way to compare how much your bill would be under the standard rate, the Time Advantage plan and others.

What am I doing wrong?

You can contact APS they can give you the rates under those plans. If you check into the cost of a fridge it's very low the compressor only draws about 5 amps because it's much smaller nothing like an AC unit's compressor. I would have your AC units checked out tell them they seem to be pulling more power I had an issue where my wires the lugs that screw down on the wires on the breaker were lose from heat cycling aluminum wire. Although most newer homes don't use aluminum wire some still use it for AC units because it's allowed.

I had the old 9 to 9 combined advantage which is no longer available unfortunately I didn't look into the new plans they had which gets you on that demand charge. I noticed this new charge if I ran my welder or air compressor during the peak time. It pays to read the fine print.

[esiebert7625]

When I started service that didn't give me a choice of plans, they put me in the Combined 12-7 plan and wouldn't let me switch even when I told them I'm home during those times.