Average cost of Electricity in your area?

[Renic Gunderson]

What is the average cost of electricity where you work?

In California, prices range from 11.4 cents to about 36 cents per kWh (based on usage)

average usage statewide is 6,900kWh/y and in the central valley it is more like 10,000kWh/y. How is it where you are?

[Wilco Vercoelen]

Our price p/kWh with all the distribution charges, debt retirement and rural charges is between 13 and 15 cents p/kwh (adjusted rate). The unadjusted rate is between 14 and 16 cents p/kwh. This is our data (SW-Ontario) from the last 7 months. Energy usage is about 30kWh/day, so about 10,000 kWh per year, way too much, we think!
As far as I know this is about average in Canada.
For comparison, in the Netherlands, the other side of the pond, where we used to live, we consumed 3,500kWh per year. But the meter and program we used was a double meter for day and night with different ratess, doing most of the heavy loads at night when it was cheaper, something they are introducing here now in Ontario as we speak and should be finalized in 2012 when everyone should have a smart meter. Because we have a Skystream now (not in the data), the installed a new smart meter last week, unfortuanately again with a x10 multiplyer :(.
By the way, the rate in Europe is about 24 Eurocents all incl. or 33.5 cents Canadian/US now, because both currencies are even now, for the time being…

[Rob Beckers]

To echo Wilco, the official rate here in Ottawa (Hydro One) is 5.3 cent (USD or CAD, same now) for the first 600 kWh, 6.2 cent after that, per kWh. If I take my own last electricity bill, the actual rate after all the taxes, delivery fee, dept retirement charge etc. works out to 13.9 cents per kWh effectively.

Sadly, also like Wilco, our use (in a 20 year old fairly large house) is around 1000 kWh a month, or 32 kWh/day. That number also happens to be the Canadian average by the way. This is all relative, as this house would use up 1500 kWh/month just after when we bought it. Changing out an 18 year old fridge, and top-loader washer/dryer with new appliances, plus changing almost all light bulbs with CFLs brought it down by 500 kWh a month. The largest loads now are 3 computers that run day-and-night, good for a bit over 300 kWh/month according to my Kill-a-Watt meter. Two are for business, one is my media server. Not easy to change.

Wilco, what do you mean by "10x multiplier"? I didn't understand that part. We also have a new 'smart' meter, they installed it last year.

-RoB-

[Wilco Vercoelen]

The multiplier x10 is where you read the amount on the meter and multiply by 10. So if the number says 1234 the actual amount is 12340 kWh. The next day the number is 1237 so the actual number is 12370 kwh. So the difference is 30 kwh. The label on the meter will say x10. We don't like the new meter because it will not tell you in a few hours how much kwh you have been using or producing for that matter. You will still read the same last digit. Ofcourse in a year the result is about the same with a x1 or x10 meter, but it makes it harder to read the usage on a hourly bases or daily basis. So I am installaling my own x1 kwh meter on the Skystream line so I can track its actual production. I waited for HydroOne to install the new meter which it finally did last week and expected a x1 meter.
Now I have purchased my own meter, which uses energy on its own.
Maybe I am getting also a Powercost Monitor, but we will see.
http://www.bluelineinnovations.com/powercostmonitor.php

[Rob Beckers]

Ah, yes, I see!
Not to hijack this thread, but doesn't the SkyStream track its own production pretty well? Through the remote readout? Or do you suspect it may be, eh, biased in favor of the manufacturer?

-RoB-

[Wilco Vercoelen]

Rob, The functionality of the Remote Meter is not completely ready yet.
The number in the display will show you 000000kWh and will stay that way.
I addressed this issue with Southwest. Don't know when they are going to solve that. The datalogger software tracks and logs the power output, so to get the kwh you need to do some work. The datalogger will also show you the Watthours, but it appears like it is adding the power consumption as well, which it should substract or ignore instead; Anyway, that's my opinion.