Any CHELCO clients taking advantage of off peak rates

[Smiling JOe]

Either your meter has already been replaced or it will be soon. All of them north of the bay are already done.

I do not believe that is true. There are many north of the Bay which have not been changed.

I'm still waiting for utilities to get their feces coagulated so that there can be inter-connectivity, saving much money, bundling services, and reducing carbon emissions. Currently, technology exists to create meters which not only track varying rates for various times of usage for things such as power, but also allows you or your home computer to monitor usage and control demand, by having appliances on timers, as well as AC controllers, etc. There are even companies currently producing remote switches such as controllers on your mini-blinds, which would enable you to control from your handheld device or PC. In addition, they can link into your thermostat and adjust the blinds to block out light as the AC turns on more frequently, thereby lowering the temp in the room, reducing the need for AC (and more importantly, reducing the demand for power) . The technology for new utility meters (not the ones currently being installed, as I understand it) will also allow the meters to be automatically read without ever leaving the Power Company office, eliminating the need for expense on labor, fuel, vehicles, field monitoring equipment, etc, which should more than cover the costs of the new meters over time.

 

[wrobert]

I do not believe that is true. There are many north of the Bay which have not been changed.

Maybe I misunderstood but Chelco is the one that told me the meters north of the bay had been changed. Gulf Power does still operate north of the bay, I do not know about their situation. I do believe that the school district and gulf power are doing some sort of a test project with solar at one of the schools in the coming months.

I got my bill and electricity is regularly seven cents. So if I go to off peak billing then I either pay 8 cents or 6 cents. I guess if I can use over 50% of my electricity in off peak I would be saving money.

As for the monthly fee, you pay that now, I am not understanding that to be an additional fee, but the same fee I am already paying.

I have been told that you can expect the difference between on peak and off peak to become larger in the future.

 

[Lynnie]

Chelco is a rip off......they used to advertise having the least expensive power. BOGUS!

 

[Smiling JOe]

Least expensive compared to what? I guess they could also say that they are the most expensive, since their is no current viable alternative for the masses. Having a monopoly on the utilities, doesn't fair well for end users' wallets, and anytime you pay one power company to buy their power from another company, you know the mark-up on the power is going to cost more in the end. In that same way, South Walton buys their water from Freeport. If you live in Freeport, your water is cheaper than South Walton.

To really get people to conserve power (fuel resources), a trivial savings of the amount wrobert noted won't be enough to make people jump through hoops. Not only do you have to make a substantial monetary savings to make people reduce their pull, but you also have to make it simple.

 

[Lynnie]

Least expensive compared to what? I guess they could also say that they are the most expensive, since their is no current viable alternative for the masses. Having a monopoly on the utilities, doesn't fair well for end users' wallets, and anytime you pay one power company to buy their power from another company, you know the mark-up on the power is going to cost more in the end. In that same way, South Walton buys their water from Freeport. If you live in Freeport, your water is cheaper than South Walton.

To really get people to conserve power (fuel resources), a trivial savings of the amount wrobert noted won't be enough to make people jump through hoops. Not only do you have to make a substantial monetary savings to make people reduce their pull, but you also have to make it simple.

Their ads used to state that they were the cheapest on the Gulf Coast! If they are, I'd hate to see what other power companies are charging.

Same with Regional Utilities! Outrageously expensive! Atlanta has serious water issues, an infrastructure that has been outgrown; and, my bill in Atlanta is around $18/mo. (actual usage), while at the beach it's $60/mo. (the minimum)......whether I am there or not. Why can't I be charged on my usage?

Walton Co. might qualify as one of the most expensive counties in the country to live! Hang in there, Y'all~~~~~~~

 

[Smiling JOe]

I hear you on the minimum charges. That is indeed a ripoff way they make mucho money, and it sure doesn't persuade people to conserve. In fact, it may encourage people to waste water. I've never used more than the minimum for which they charge. Some people would feel like they want to get their money's worth, and would be likely to waste it, since they were charged for it regardless.

Again, both South Walton Regional Utilities and Chelco, purchase their water and power from other companies, so everyone in South Walton is surely paying a premium. It is similar Restaurant X buying food from Restaurant Y, then selling it to you, under a different name.

 

[30abob]

my bill in Atlanta is around $18/mo. (actual usage), while at the beach it's $60/mo. (the minimum)......whether I am there or not. Why can't I be charged on my usage?

I share your frustration, I came from South GA where the "water bill" was also cheap.

The main reason you pay more for water in SoWal isn't actually the cost of water it's the "sewer" portion. Due to the home building explosion of years past there had to be a new treatment plant in order to meet federal & state requirements for the anticipated population estimates XX years out. They built the new plant and the only way to recover the cost was to charge enormous tap fees for new development and a "minimum" monthly fee for all existing customers; acknowledging that most residences in SoWal would have almost no metered usage during off peak months.

Most municipalities in GA built their systems years ago and pay for major upgrades with bonds counting on predictable "consistent" monthly usage to pay back the loans.

 

[30abob]

Having a monopoly on the utilities, doesn't fair well for end users' wallets, and anytime you pay one power company to buy their power from another company, you know the mark-up on the power is going to cost more in the end.

Basic economics teaches that "monopolies" are necessary evils (and may not actually be so evil) for certain services. In order to guarantee that everyone has access to "basic" services such as those offered by government and the utilities they need to be monopolistic to survive.

The utilities of Florida are highly regulated and spend enormous sums of money (under compulsion) on services and programs that have little or no benefit today, or for the foreseeable future, without renumeration. You can see exactly how much money Southern Company (parent of Gulf Power) makes on their annual SEC 10-K, the others can't make a "profit" by regulation they can only upgrade with excess funds (after approval from the regulators). There are basically three types of electrical utilities in the state; Investor Owned (Gulf Power), Member Owned (Chelco), and Municipal Owned (Tallahassee - closest that I know of). These entities are regulated as power distributors. All "enjoy" a monopoly in the areas they serve for residential customers; while the fringes of each market sometimes have competition for major commercial/industrial customers. Almost all (including Chelco) also engage in power production through affiliates but NO UTILITY in Florida produces ALL of the power they sell to customers; they all buy some portion from outside third party companies.

 

[Lynnie]

I hear you on the minimum charges. That is indeed a ripoff way they make mucho money, and it sure doesn't persuade people to conserve. In fact, it may encourage people to waste water. I've never used more than the minimum for which they charge. Some people would feel like they want to get their money's worth, and would be likely to waste it, since they were charged for it regardless.

Again, both South Walton Regional Utilities and Chelco, purchase their water and power from other companies, so everyone in South Walton is surely paying a premium. It is similar Restaurant X buying food from Restaurant Y, then selling it to you, under a different name.

You hit the nail on the head. In retrospect, perhaps I shouldn't have tapped a well there to water my garden. I should have spent that money setting up a catchment system and cistern in Atlanta. (But, at least I am doing something kind for the environment.)

As far as reaching the minimum, am told it's near impossible. You can water your yard, run the D/W and do three loads of clothes a day and not reach the min. I had gotten in the habit of taking my laundry from Atlanta to my cottage at the beach to do it there.