Electric Bill to go up by 47% next month

[NW-Bound]

About battery replacements for EVs, I have seen reman batteries for hybrid cars, but am not sure about EV batteries.

EV batteries are bigger and heavier than cells for hybrid cars. And when the batteries are engineered for super-duper acceleration and superfast charging, it's not possible for an aftermarket shop to do this job. No way.

Even EV makers have orphaned their earlier models. There's not enough money in making replacement batteries for these old EVs, and the makers are too busy with building new models. These early EVs will be sadly scrapped.

 

[shotgunner]

About battery replacements for EVs, I have seen reman batteries for hybrid cars, but am not sure about EV batteries.

EV batteries are bigger and heavier than cells for hybrid cars. And when the batteries are engineered for super-duper acceleration and superfast charging, it's not possible for an aftermarket shop to do this job. No way.

Even EV makers have orphaned their earlier models. There's not enough money in making replacement batteries for these old EVs, and the makers are too busy with building new models. These early EVs will be sadly scrapped.

Here is another interesting aspect regarding EV's I just learned. If they become disabled and need to be towed they can not be towed by a wrecker or even pulled up onto a ramp truck without a special dolly under each tire. I was told by a person who drives a ramp truck for a living that it's because they do not have a transmission with a neutral position and moving them with a winch or wrecker without those dolly's will damage the electric motors.

 

[NW-Bound]

The toad for my motorhome is 22-year-old. I bought a new car that is flat-towable for the possibility of using it as the new toad, but until then I wanted to keep the old toad.

Parts for the old car are dirt cheap. I think what happens is that unused spare parts sitting in warehouses are liquidated as fewer are needed each year. They only get more expensive when the cars become antique items.

You cannot stockpile EV batteries the same way as mechanical parts because of the calendar aging effect described earlier.

And making these advanced EV batteries requires a sophisticated assembly line. No car makers will maintain an expensive assembly line when it is no longer needed. And you simply cannot make these battery assemblies by hand.

 

[NW-Bound]

Here is another interesting aspect regarding EV's I just learned. If they become disabled and need to be towed they can not be towed by a wrecker or even pulled up onto a ramp truck without a special dolly under each tire. I was told by a person who drives a ramp truck for a living that it's because they do not have a transmission with a neutral position and moving them with a winch or wrecker without those dolly's will damage the electric motors.

That's not a big deal. Many ICE cars with AWD have to be towed the same way.

PS. I have not heard about pulling onto a ramp truck with a dolly under each tire. Will check this out.

 

[audreyh1]

Here is another interesting aspect regarding EV's I just learned. If they become disabled and need to be towed they can not be towed by a wrecker or even pulled up onto a ramp truck without a special dolly under each tire. I was told by a person who drives a ramp truck for a living that it's because they do not have a transmission with a neutral position and moving them with a winch or wrecker without those dolly's will damage the electric motors.

Tesla has a transport mode that allows the vehicle to be winched into a flatbed truck.

 

[Turbo29]

Nuclear!

Newsom knows rolling blackouts really suck. He's no fool.

Gray Davis told him that rolling blackouts could be death for one's political career.

I still remember the ads on the radio when Arnold Schwarzenegger was running against Gray Davis. They said, "Grayouts, grayouts from Gray Davis."

 

[Freedom56]

This was our consumption last month.

04/27/22 to 05/25/22
Consumption 299
Net Generation -606
Total electricity usage this month in kWh -307

You are in month 7 of 12
Year to Date Charges: $-380.44

We have a AC System and pool pump running throughout the day.

From an investment point of view we paid $23,800 cash for our system and received an $1800 rebate from Southern California Edison. We then received a 30% tax credit bringing our net cost to $15,400. Our annual electricity bill was $3621 in 2011. So the net $15,400 investment yielded a 23.5% after tax return. Break even was just over four years. Now our credits continue to accumulate in our account to mitigate any future down time for maintenance which is expected after 20 years.

 

[Bergamo]

This was our consumption last month.

04/27/22 to 05/25/22
Consumption 299
Net Generation -606
Total electricity usage this month in kWh -307

You are in month 7 of 12
Year to Date Charges: $-380.44

We have a AC System and pool pump running throughout the day.

From an investment point of view we paid $23,800 cash for our system and received an $1800 rebate from Southern California Edison. We then received a 30% tax credit bringing our net cost to $15,400. Our annual electricity bill was $3621 in 2011. So the net $15,400 investment yielded a 23.5% after tax return. Break even was just over four years. Now our credits continue to accumulate in our account to mitigate any future down time for maintenance which is expected after 20 years.

I read that some FL utilities are now charging a "fee" for those who have solar, and also not buying back the generated electricity or at least paying less. Is that the case?

 

[Boose]

Our electric company, "Entergy", says this is due to rising natural gas prices...

Whenever I hear Entergy mentioned, my mind automatically substitutes "Entropy."

As a renter in New Hampshire, I'm curious to see what will happen with prices in our complex. I'm in a mixed commercial/residential mill building with 13' ceilings, 7' windows and exposed brick walls. Residential tenants in my half of the building have all utilities included with rent (electric heat, central air, controlled by tenants). Residential tenants on the side of the building that was converted later have to pay their own electric. And IDK what arrangement the commercial tenants have. My personal rent increase was $30/month this year; pretty sure that will be eaten up by a good cold snap or heat wave. If I were the landlord, I'd reinstall water power at the falls!

 

[Freedom56]

I read that some FL utilities are now charging a "fee" for those who have solar, and also not buying back the generated electricity or at least paying less. Is that the case?

I don't know about Florida. We own a condo there in a high rise tower. Our primary home is in Southern California. Two years after our system was installed, Edison started charging a $10 per month grid connect fee. However, our excess power generation covers that fee. They do pay us for excess power but at very low rates. They turn around and sell it to other customers and much higher prices.

 

[NW-Bound]

I read that some FL utilities are now charging a "fee" for those who have solar, and also not buying back the generated electricity or at least paying less. Is that the case?

Here in Arizona, we used to have "net metering". It allowed one to dump excess solar power into the grid when you do not need it (and no one else does either), and to pull it back out in the late afternoon and evening when the utility has to fire up diesel or natural gas generators.

They have changed it, and now will pay only what they can buy from large-scale solar plants: 3c/kWh.

Existing solar home owners in AZ have a grandfathered right for so many years to allow them to recoup the cost. I think this is fair because the original deal entered into the calculus for the original installation by the home owners.

It's the same as Tesla giving away lifetime charging to early Tesla buyers. It's not a sustainable policy, and they cannot offer it anymore. Nobody blames Tesla for not continuing the "free charging" deal.

 

[Bergamo]

Here in Arizona, we used to have "net metering". It allowed one to dump excess solar power into the grid when you do not need it (and no one else does either), and to pull it back out in the late afternoon and evening when the utility has to fire up diesel or natural gas generators.

They have changed it, and now will pay only what they can buy from large-scale solar plants: 3c/kWh.

Existing solar home owners in AZ have a grandfathered right for so many years to allow them to recoup the cost. I think this is fair because the original deal entered into the calculus for the original installation by the home owners.

It's the same as Tesla giving away lifetime charging to early Tesla buyers. It's not a sustainable policy, and they cannot offer it anymore. Nobody blames Tesla for not continuing the "free charging" deal.

Yes, this is what I have read elsewhere. It does create a disincentive for people to install solar electric.

 

[Zathras]

I don't see economy in an EV when I keep my Toyota's for 15 to 20 years. How many times would you have to change the battery bank in EV over that time frame and at what cost?

I can’t say, as mass market EVs are relatively new. The oldest ones are only about 12 years old.
In my case, I would never need to pay as I don’t keep cars around that long.

By current estimates, it would be 15-25 years before the average battery pack is down to 70% capacity. 70% is what the auto manufacturers currently designate as end of useful auto life.

That said, the cars and tech are rapidly advancing and aren’t right for everyone.
For those that EVs do work for, there are a lot of benefits.

 

[audreyh1]

I don't see economy in an EV when I keep my Toyota's for 15 to 20 years. How many times would you have to change the battery bank in EV over that time frame and at what cost?

The expected battery degradation for our car is down to 90% after 200,000 miles, which is longer than we expect to keep the car. The Tesla batteries are designed to outlast the car, and we intend to take very good care of our battery anyway.

 

[GenXguy]

Where I live, I would need to run the heater all the time for about 6 months out of the year. And then the cold winter driving reduces performance as well. There goes the range.

Although the batteries may be stated to last 10 to 15 years, or up to 20, I would plan on sooner rather than later.

 

[NW-Bound]

Yes, this is what I have read elsewhere. It does create a disincentive for people to install solar electric.

No, not a disincentive.

It only takes away a lucrative reason to install residential solar. Net metering is no different than sending flood water you collect in a hurricane to someone to keep for you for free, so that you can claim it back during a drought. All without paying for the storage fee.

And so, for myself, I install lithium cells to store the excess power I collect early in the day and not sell it to the utility at the 3c price, so that I can use it myself when it is 24c in the late afternoon and evening.

It's the same as storing rain water myself. I pay for the rain barrels, and maintain them myself.

 

[Bergamo]

No, not a disincentive.

It only takes away a lucrative reason to install residential solar. Net metering is no different than sending flood water you collect in a hurricane to someone to keep for you for free, so that you can claim it back during a drought. All without paying for the storage fee.

And so, for myself, I install lithium cells to store the excess power I collect early in the day and not sell it to the utility at the 3c price, so that I can use it myself when it is 24c in the late afternoon and evening.

It's the same as storing rain water myself. I pay for the rain barrels, and maintain them myself.

That is certainly a good idea. If everyone did that or even a majority, we would have no utility companies as they could not make a profit.

 

[RunningBum]

A few years ago our electrical co-op offerred "solar shares". I get 250kwh/month for $22.50, plus the regular delivery charge, price locked in for 25 years. It's a penny/kwh more than regular energy, but from all of these comments I assume that'll be going up. I guess it was their way of deciding how many panels to put up. The only catch was you don't get anything back if you use less than you "bought", and I've been as low as 370kwh in a month so I kept it to 250 to be safe.

 

[NW-Bound]

That is certainly a good idea. If everyone did that or even a majority, we would have no utility companies as they could not make a profit.

It is not easy to be off the grid. It would take more equipment. PV panels and electronics last a long time. I don't know about the battery life yet.

If I go off the grid, will need a generator for backup. I would opt for one running on propane because gasoline goes stale.

If I lived full-time up in my high-country boondocks home, I would definitely do this. The need for AC is nearly non-existent. It would not take much to go off-the-grid. And it is not often cloudy there, even in the winter. The clear sky plus cool air means mucho solar power (the colder the panels, the higher their output).

A small generator of 2 kW running off propane will be all the backup I need for the solar system.

Managing my own electric power system is also fun. A retiree needs something to keep busy on.

 

[ncbill]

Reading this thread reminds me why we like living in Mexico so much.

2br 2.5bath apartment. Modern appliances. No air conditioning, just ceiling fans. No central heat, just a small propane heater (which we haven't used yet). Everything else is normal. LED lights throughout. Stove/oven is gas. Just got paid our first electric bill that didn't include prior residents.

$412 pesos. That's about $20.26.

Oh, that's for two months.

We will eventually need to refill our propane tank. I'm projecting that this will happen about 6 months into our 1-yr. lease. Cost estimate: $80US.

IIRC, in Mexico the first 300 kWh or so (depending on location) are essentially free...under a penny per kWh last time I checked.

Above that one gets charged a "high-consumption" (DAC) rate that can start at over 25 cents/kWh.

And it used to be that a new homeowner had to hire their own electrician to make sure previous owners hadn't tampered with the meter...bypassing a leg was common on the old mechanical meters...before the power company itself checked & issued a hefty fine to the new owner.

Where exactly are you renting in Ajijic?

Is Joco still cheaper?

 

[Koolau]

I'm pretty sure all utility rate increases have to be approved by a state's PUC before they announce them.

IIRC our bills have a more-or-less direct pass-through for increased fuel costs. SO the "rates" don't actually go up, but the bills do. I look for our bills to rise dramatically as a large percent of our electric generation fuel is oil. YMMV

 

[Hyper]

We've been off the grid in the mountains since first of Feb. We have solar system that we'll expand on once we get the rest of the cabin built. I actually love it. We have no ties to any entity besides property taxes. The solar has/ will pay for itself extremely faster than we ever imagined but we installed ourselves which is huge savings. I've learned alot and it is quite interesting. We've never been green but also never been wasteful. It'd blow most people's minds how little it cost once you get away from the utilities! Gas and diesel is a different story as we live out far and remote. Some of those monthly bills have been equal to a mortgage pmt. I plowed a 2 mile road 25+ times this past winter which was not cheap. This year I don't plan on plowing nearly as much. Still I never want to go back!

 

[Koolau]

We've been off the grid in the mountains since first of Feb. We have solar system that we'll expand on once we get the rest of the cabin built. I actually love it. We have no ties to any entity besides property taxes. The solar has/ will pay for itself extremely faster than we ever imagined but we installed ourselves which is huge savings. I've learned alot and it is quite interesting. We've never been green but also never been wasteful. It'd blow most people's minds how little it cost once you get away from the utilities! Gas and diesel is a different story as we live out far and remote. Some of those monthly bills have been equal to a mortgage pmt. I plowed a 2 mile road 25+ times this past winter which was not cheap. This year I don't plan on plowing nearly as much. Still I never want to go back!

I think it would take a special person to live not just off-grid but more or less isolated from other people. My son lived off grid on Big Island, but he was a 5 minute walk to other people. Heh, heh, but then again, someone in his neighborhood has sticky fingers and stole his system when son was off Island. I guess every life style has pros and cons.

I moved away from the need to plow roads but would never want to live that far from people in any case. My hat is off to you.

 

[Chuckanut]

I
I moved away from the need to plow roads but would never want to live that far from people in any case. My hat is off to you.

Being isolated is great until a health emergency raises its ugly head. It's a risk some are willing to take. To each his/her own.

 

[rodi]

We just got solar in February. So far it looks like we oversized our system... but won't know for sure till next February.

I've been diving into rates in my son's college town (San Luis Obispo) as we try to figure out his budget. He and his roommate will share the electric bill. It looks like it's 25cents/kWh... Turns out his college town is expensive in pretty much every category... Rents, utilities, trash, water... In researching prices for his budget, found something that claimed it's the 2nd most expensive small city in the country. I believe it. Good thing the school is top notch and the surf is good.