Bad news for fixed rate electric bills.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

Admittedly regardless of how the charges are distributed to consumers, it does irritate me that the cost of this disaster is being put upon the backs of consumers and the likelihood of us receiving any kind of protection in the event of future disasters is very low.

The big question would be, what can we as consumers do about it?

For starters, I would like to know the projected costs and outcomes.

[Lee W.]

Vote the politicians out that did nothing after 2011?

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by Dopo

Amazing

Well, that's why I'm against "Pro-business" politics and I'm in favor of "Pro consumer protection" politics.

One reason I've been contemplating about moving to California or Illinois for the past decade-and-a-half. This is what you get from "cheaper" COL Red States!

But Texas is on the cusp of turning Blue. The power outage and the resulting power bill is finally waking up a lot of people!

[rynetwo]

Originally Posted by KerrTown

One reason I've been contemplating about moving to California or Illinois for the past decade-and-a-half. This is what you get from "cheaper" COL Red States!

But Texas is on the cusp of turning Blue. The power outage and the resulting power bill is finally waking up a lot of people!

In CA they can't keep the lights on during normal summers. IL might be good for you, but your comment is most likely not why you want to move so this reply is useless.

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by rynetwo

In CA they can't keep the lights on during normal summers. IL might be good for you, but your comment is most likely not why you want to move so this reply is useless.

Don't know if you've ever been to CA, but the predominant weather in the coastal areas blows cool winds from the cool Pacific. Extreme heat is usually an inland phenomenon, which reduces electric demand.

Texas could have embraced solar along with wind, but has refused to do so far. West Texas nary has a solar farm.

The sun suddenly broke through mid-day on the Tuesday of the storm here in Houston; don't know about West Texas. The solar panels collecting that sun could have brought a neighborhood back online for a couple of hours to heat the inside again before nightfall. Tuesday night was the coldest night at my house since the power didn't come back on anytime that day.

I remember this past summer we were asked to conserve power during the hot late afternoons, as usual. Even in Texas, a typical hot mid-summer day always strains the power grid. Soon I'm going to convert my last appliance, my dryer, to natural gas to help reduce load on our fragile electric grid.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by KerrTown

Don't know if you've ever been to CA, but the predominant weather in the coastal areas blows cool winds from the cool Pacific. Extreme heat is usually an inland phenomenon, which reduces electric demand.

Texas could have embraced solar along with wind, but has refused to do so far. West Texas nary has a solar farm.

The sun suddenly broke through mid-day on the Tuesday of the storm here in Houston; don't know about West Texas. The solar panels collecting that sun could have brought a neighborhood back online for a couple of hours to heat the inside again before nightfall. Tuesday night was the coldest night at my house since the power didn't come back on anytime that day.

I remember this past summer we were asked to conserve power during the hot late afternoons, as usual. Even in Texas, a typical hot mid-summer day always strains the power grid. Soon I'm going to convert my last appliance, my dryer, to natural gas to help reduce load on our fragile electric grid.

California mandatorily shuts down power plants in the midst of heavy winds in effort to reduce odds of wildfires. Unfortunately this can go on for several days if not weeks of no power. The problem is, this isn't stopping wildfires AND its leaving thousands to millions without power for untold periods of time. This along with their ban of Natural Gas leads me to believe California is trying to 'force' people to go Solar. Problem I have with that is those politicians are making kickbacks off the panels. They essentially turned a very real environmental issue into a 'for-profit' kickback.

And trust me, if you think TX is bad - moving to IL would be suicide... Welcome to a state that taxes twice as much and gives back half as much to the general public.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by KerrTown

Don't know if you've ever been to CA, but the predominant weather in the coastal areas blows cool winds from the cool Pacific. Extreme heat is usually an inland phenomenon, which reduces electric demand.

Texas could have embraced solar along with wind, but has refused to do so far. West Texas nary has a solar farm.

The sun suddenly broke through mid-day on the Tuesday of the storm here in Houston; don't know about West Texas. The solar panels collecting that sun could have brought a neighborhood back online for a couple of hours to heat the inside again before nightfall. Tuesday night was the coldest night at my house since the power didn't come back on anytime that day.

I remember this past summer we were asked to conserve power during the hot late afternoons, as usual. Even in Texas, a typical hot mid-summer day always strains the power grid. Soon I'm going to convert my last appliance, my dryer, to natural gas to help reduce load on our fragile electric grid.

Oh look - wind farms all over West Texas (and Texas in general):

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/vi...102.400215&z=6

And solar farms all over Texas, including in west Texas!
https://wellssolar.com/news/solar-farms-in-texas/

Not sure how familiar you are with solar energy but it takes a LOT of solar panels to produce a significant amount of electricity. The typical American home requires at least 227 feet of roof space (usually more) and between 14 and 36 panels. Ideally, the roof space should face south with no tree blockage and copious sunshine.

Texas homes need the highest number of solar panels in the US due to electrical demand - typically 36 panels or so.
https://www.solarreviews.com/blog/ho...ne-thousand-kw

[rynetwo]

Originally Posted by KerrTown

Don't know if you've ever been to CA, but the predominant weather in the coastal areas blows cool winds from the cool Pacific. Extreme heat is usually an inland phenomenon, which reduces electric demand.

Texas could have embraced solar along with wind, but has refused to do so far. West Texas nary has a solar farm.

The sun suddenly broke through mid-day on the Tuesday of the storm here in Houston; don't know about West Texas. The solar panels collecting that sun could have brought a neighborhood back online for a couple of hours to heat the inside again before nightfall. Tuesday night was the coldest night at my house since the power didn't come back on anytime that day.

I remember this past summer we were asked to conserve power during the hot late afternoons, as usual. Even in Texas, a typical hot mid-summer day always strains the power grid. Soon I'm going to convert my last appliance, my dryer, to natural gas to help reduce load on our fragile electric grid.

I have been to CA many times. I used to live the Grand Canyon State.

The state of CA is complete garbage sans San Diego and the mountains.

[Katyroadpink]

Need4Camaro, I think we will all have to do whatever we can personally do. We need to vote for people who are smart, hard-working, ethical and efficient. We need to keep the conversations going, because it doesn’t take long for a hot topic to be pushed out of the news, whether by manipulation or chance.

We need to find our sense of outrage over the senseless deaths from cold and medical emergencies. We need to question why PUC decided to allow the $16 billion overcharge error. We need to ask why energy charges can go from pennies to thousands of dollars.

We need to support the politicians who are trying to make a difference. We have to look at their past records as well as their present words. We also need to listen to the quiet ones, not just the headline grabbers.

We need to write, call and email our representatives. We need to make government an honorable occupation again, so that honorable people will want a career in public service.

We can’t make any changes alone, but we can all make them together.

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

California mandatorily shuts down power plants in the midst of heavy winds in effort to reduce odds of wildfires. Unfortunately this can go on for several days if not weeks of no power. The problem is, this isn't stopping wildfires AND its leaving thousands to millions without power for untold periods of time.

Get your narrative straight: It's the power lines--the long-distance transmission lines--because of the recent law that makes the utility liable for damage caused by wildfires ignited by electric facilities. PG&E almost went bankrupt with the tort lawsuits before the law was written.

This along with their ban of Natural Gas leads me to believe California is trying to 'force' people to go Solar. Problem I have with that is those politicians are making kickbacks off the panels. They essentially turned a very real environmental issue into a 'for-profit' kickback.

It might be appropriate in their circumstances because of the earthquake risk. Newsom's generation were in their formative years--their 20's and 30's--when the Marina district caught fire in the 1989 earthquake because of ignited natural gas mains from soil liquefaction. In contrast, Texas has minimal seismic risk.

The solar companies have created the electrification gimmick (CA is the land of Marketing; being home to Hollywood and the Tech industry) to stimulate demand for solar panels. But the Western libertarian streak is showing with the decentralized grid movement--basically undoing FDR's Depression-era electrification movement and spreading to Texas via the popular "bootstrapping" conservative philosophy.

And then you forgot about the new gas station ban movement. 7-11 will be among the hardest hit with the growing vehicle electrification movement. The Puritanical Californians will rejoice as the outlets of the vices of alcohol, lottery tickets, and tobacco are shuttered.

From the TX perspective, the forced electrification is going to sink the Oil and Gas industry economic pillar. For Californians, it's just another day among the innovators, entrepreneurs, and the movers-and-shakers in society.

And trust me, if you think TX is bad - moving to IL would be suicide... Welcome to a state that taxes twice as much and gives back half as much to the general public.

The only reason IL has recognition is the Chicagoland. Without that city, it would be Kansas-on-the-Lake! (So many cornfields along the Downstate interstates leading to Chicago.). Surprisingly Chicago is still relevant despite the recent turtle-slow decline.

The decentralized Texas Triangle has hampered the state economically with the missing synergy of critical mass. It has only produced local in-fighting to the detriment of the state's overall being.

At least IL doesn't have blackouts and massive water outages with that same weather a couple weeks back. The winter blast here is considered an unremarkable snowstorm (like scattered showers) up North. It was only memorable because of the damage across the entire state due to poor cold-weather building methods and the specialization against the summer heat.