Electricity rate plan for SCE customers

[Scuba]

This thread only applies to those who live in So CA and buy their electricity through SCE. I saw a post on our local Next-door app recommending that people opt out of switching from a tiered billing structure to a time of use structure. The post said that everyone who doesn’t opt out will move to TOU in November.

We got onto our SCE account online and attempted to use their Rate Plan Comparison Tool to estimate how our bill would change with TOU. The tool does not allow us to model our situation, despite none of the six possible reasons listed applying to our account. See attached photo.

We do not see a way to opt out of TOU on the website. We attempted to call SCE Customer Service to get help, and there was a recorded message indicating they now only handle emergencies via phone and everything else can only be handled on their website.

If anyone knows how we can model our account to decide whether to opt out, actually opt out assuming that we want to, and/or how we can reach a live SCE representative on the phone, please advise.

Thank you!

 

[stevelb]

I thought that SCE said that if your total first year cost is higher under TOU than it would be under your current rate plan they would issue a refund for the excess and you could go back to your prior plan.

 

[Scuba]

I thought that SCE said that if your total first year cost is higher under TOU than it would be under your current rate plan they would issue a refund for the excess and you could go back to your prior plan.

No, SCE is opting everyone into the new TOU plan even though for many customers, bills will increase. If you don’t opt out by the deadline, you’re committed. That is why I want to opt out ASAP.

 

[NW-Bound]

We got onto our SCE account online and attempted to use their Rate Plan Comparison Tool to estimate how our bill would change with TOU. The tool does not allow us to model our situation, despite none of the six possible reasons listed applying to our account. See attached photo.

There's no attached photo!

I am not in CA, but signed up for TOU decades ago when SRP offered it in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They showed how my bill would be reduced by a few bucks with the TOU rate instead of the flat rate, assuming our pattern of usage did not change.

Ah, such a no brainer, so there was no reason not to switch. They promised to switch back if customers did not like it. And for years afterwards, they continued to show how much money I kept on saving with the TOU rate (only a few bucks each month).

Of course, if you made some minor changes like I did, you would save more. For example, simple changes such as setting the pool pump to run outside of the peak periods, and remember to do washing/drying clothes only during off-peak periods. I also installed a timer for the water heater, so that it would be off when the electricity was expensive.

Insignificant changes in lifestyle, and it helps everybody while saving me money too.

The AC is the only electric load that I cannot turn off. I would die of heat stroke. But now, my solar+battery handles the peak-hour consumption, and even in the summer, my on-peak grid consumption is only 200W or less. It is caused by the load of the minor circuits in the house that are not on the automatic load transfer switches.

So, I don't understand why your utility does not show the effect of the TOU price plan. Perhaps they don't want you to know.

 

[yakers]

Just checked and compared rate plans, my conventional residential rate is slightly better than the three TOU options.And I have not been automatically enrolled in any other plan, maybe because I'm in condo?

 

[Jenna]

This thread only applies to those who live in So CA and buy their electricity through SCE. I saw a post on our local Next-door app recommending that people opt out of switching from a tiered billing structure to a time of use structure. The post said that everyone who doesn’t opt out will move to TOU in November.

We got onto our SCE account online and attempted to use their Rate Plan Comparison Tool to estimate how our bill would change with TOU. The tool does not allow us to model our situation, despite none of the six possible reasons listed applying to our account. See attached photo.

We do not see a way to opt out of TOU on the website. We attempted to call SCE Customer Service to get help, and there was a recorded message indicating they now only handle emergencies via phone and everything else can only be handled on their website.

If anyone knows how we can model our account to decide whether to opt out, actually opt out assuming that we want to, and/or how we can reach a live SCE representative on the phone, please advise.

Thank you!

I chose to keep my standard meter in order to avoid more EMFs from the wireless system.

 

[Accidental Retiree]

I received an email from SCE and made the Opt Out selection online when I logged in to my account from the link in the email.

It’s SCE.com/toutransition

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

This thread only applies to those who live in So CA and buy their electricity through SCE. I saw a post on our local Next-door app recommending that people opt out of switching from a tiered billing structure to a time of use structure. The post said that everyone who doesn’t opt out will move to TOU in November.

We got onto our SCE account online and attempted to use their Rate Plan Comparison Tool to estimate how our bill would change with TOU. The tool does not allow us to model our situation, despite none of the six possible reasons listed applying to our account. See attached photo.

We do not see a way to opt out of TOU on the website. We attempted to call SCE Customer Service to get help, and there was a recorded message indicating they now only handle emergencies via phone and everything else can only be handled on their website.

If anyone knows how we can model our account to decide whether to opt out, actually opt out assuming that we want to, and/or how we can reach a live SCE representative on the phone, please advise.

Thank you!

No picture attached so unsure if I got the same letter as you or not. It is a pitch for switching to Time of Use from Domestic but my letter specifically said

We are not changing your current rate plan and you do not have to take any action

So at that point I ignored it, now i will have to go back and take a further look. I get the CARE discount so I thought maybe that's why I get to stay on my plan but I just checked the website and they say CARE participants can move to a different plan. I hardly use any electricity so it's probably not a big deal for me either way but I will check in with them when I get a chance.
I also found the opt out link for you.

https://pages.email.sce.com/toutransition/en/

 

[NW-Bound]

I chose to keep my standard meter in order to avoid more EMFs from the wireless system.

Most places now use smart meters so that they do not have to send out human meter readers. The use of smart meters is independent of whether you have a TOU or a fixed-rate plan.

Some send signals out using the powerline, rather than wirelessly through the air. Even if the link is wireless, it is intermittent and may not have the field strength of signals for radios, TVs, cell phones, or household WiFi.

 

[HenryD]

Some send signals out using the powerline, rather than wirelessly through the air. Even if the link is wireless, it is intermittent and may not have the field strength of signals for radios, TVs, cell phones, or household WiFi.

This is correct. Very few use the powerline. Most are wireless to a neighborhood collecter which reports back to the utility in aggregate. From your meter, it's one packet every 5-30 mins and it only has to be able to reach that neighborhood collector or its nearest neighbor.

 

[Chuckanut]

We had TOU plan in my area years ago. One had to opt in. The utility company made a big deal about how most people would save money on this plan. Well..... to actually save money one would have to do things like the laundry, shower, baths, dishwasher between the hours of 10:00 PM and 5:00 AM.

And, one was fighting this: Prime time rates were about 120% of the normal rate. The best late night saver rate was about 85% of the normal rate. Note the 5 percentage point difference.

With the proportions skewed against the customer and the need to run most hot water using devices during sleep time, few if any people saved money in the real world. Eventually, they gave up the TOU rate and had to refund the TOU users for the excess charges. Be careful.

 

[stevelb]

My letter from SCE states:
Your're auto-enrolled in bill protection

If you pay more on a TOU plan rate plan for the first 12 months than you would have on your previous Tiered rate plan, you will receive a one time bill credit for the difference after the first 12 months. You may switch rate plans twice in the 12 month period following the transition.

By the way, I did actually opt out as their estimate showed that the TOU plan would cost slightly more than my current plan, LOL

 

[ERD50]

I chose to keep my standard meter in order to avoid more EMFs from the wireless system.

Tell me more.

How much transmit power does the meter send? What is the average time it is transmitting per day? How much power would that be inside your home where you are?

Is that a significant increase over and above the EMF you are exposed to now?

If you are thinking that anything additional is a problem, then what are you doing to decrease your exposure? You posted from a computer, so you are getting exposure in some form.

Bottom line, I really, really doubt that your power meter is adding anything measurable, and there is no evidence that those levels are harmful. If you think they are, you probably need to live in a cave somewhere far from civilization. I'm not trying to be funny, it's just that some people have a tendency to lose all perspective in regards to these things.

-ERD50

 

[Scuba]

I received an email from SCE and made the Opt Out selection online when I logged in to my account from the link in the email.

It’s SCE.com/toutransition

This is the email we need, but we haven’t gotten it yet.

 

[Scuba]

No picture attached so unsure if I got the same letter as you or not. It is a pitch for switching to Time of Use from Domestic but my letter specifically said

We are not changing your current rate plan and you do not have to take any action

So at that point I ignored it, now i will have to go back and take a further look. I get the CARE discount so I thought maybe that's why I get to stay on my plan but I just checked the website and they say CARE participants can move to a different plan. I hardly use any electricity so it's probably not a big deal for me either way but I will check in with them when I get a chance.
I also found the opt out link for you.

https://pages.email.sce.com/toutransition/en/

Thank you for this link!

 

[Koolau]

Tell me more.

How much transmit power does the meter send? What is the average time it is transmitting per day? How much power would that be inside your home where you are?

Is that a significant increase over and above the EMF you are exposed to now?

If you are thinking that anything additional is a problem, then what are you doing to decrease your exposure? You posted from a computer, so you are getting exposure in some form.

Bottom line, I really, really doubt that your power meter is adding anything measurable, and there is no evidence that those levels are harmful. If you think they are, you probably need to live in a cave somewhere far from civilization. I'm not trying to be funny, it's just that some people have a tendency to lose all perspective in regards to these things.

-ERD50

I would be much more concerned (and I'm not) about cell phones, near-by radio towers and overhead power lines than telemetry from your electrical meter. I'm no expert, so YMMV.

 

[ERD50]

I would be much more concerned (and I'm not) about cell phones, near-by radio towers and overhead power lines than telemetry from your electrical meter. I'm no expert, so YMMV.

I'm pretty sure the wireless meters are using cell phone frequencies and power. But rather than a 30 minute conversation, it's more like a text, a little blip of data, maybe a fraction of a second, maybe once an hour?

I'm not an expert, but I've worked with some. Smart people, and they would take reasonable precautions with high power RF, but no one I knew was overly concerned with cell phone levels, properly terminated (antenna or dummy load), especially a fraction of a seconds worth, way out by your utility meter (compared to holding it an inch from your brain!). And remember, energy drops off sharply with distance.

Remember all the cancer scares over cell phone use over the years? What happened? They used to pop up every once in a while (some study 'suggests' something), but even those seem to have gone away. Despite the fact that pretty much everyone has a cell phone and WiFi now.

Of course, reasonable precautions must be taken. But we can't allow ourselves to just be scared out of proportion and perspective, with no backing for it.

-ERD50

 

[Ready]

I am with SCE and we are currently on a TOU plan which is being discontinued. It gives me really cheap electricity from 10pm-8am, which has worked well for us given we have two Teslas.

The plan I’m being moved to in November is also TOU but with higher rates. It’s still the cheapest plan for me but my annual cost will definitely increase on the new plan.

We haven’t been on a tiered plan for several years now. I generally like the TOU plans because I can avoid running A/C, dishwasher, dryer, etc from 2-8pm and save a lot of money by doing so. The new plan has peak rates from 4-9pm but the 9pm-4pm rates are higher.

I have not needed to call SCE for over a year but the last time I did call I got a live agent who was very helpful in helping me to analyze the different plans. That was probably before COVID so they may have a reduced staff now.

 

[NW-Bound]

... I generally like the TOU plans because I can avoid running A/C, dishwasher, dryer, etc from 2-8pm and save a lot of money by doing so...

I am surprised that you need AC at all, being near the ocean. And CA is not like Florida, where it's humid.

As for where I am, turning off the AC at 2PM, and at about 5PM is when I collapse from hyperthermia. On a really hot day here, at midnight the outside temperature may still be 100F.

 

[Koolau]

I am surprised that you need AC at all, being near the ocean. And CA is not like Florida, where it's humid.

As for where I am, turning off the AC at 2PM, and at about 5PM is when I collapse from hyperthermia. On a really hot day here, at midnight the outside temperature may still be 100F.

Not a LOT of experience with Cali but when we did our BC to BC trip (British Columbia to Baja California on 1/101) by car in July, it was always cool - until we ventured 1 to 10 miles inland from the ocean. Then it was hot. No, it was really hot. I mean it was AZ hot (well, almost.) YMMV

 

[Ready]

If we opened all of the windows we could probably do without A/C. But then we would hear motorcycle engines all day and night. So we choose to keep the windows closed and run the A/C when it gets too warm or humid.

 

[Koolau]

If we opened all of the windows we could probably do without A/C. But then we would hear motorcycle engines all day and night. So we choose to keep the windows closed and run the A/C when it gets too warm or humid.

We live in a high rise and (technically) the building does not even allow AC (I know a couple that used one of those portable units that the hose system sticks out a window sill.) The key is no visible AC and definitely, no AC noise.

So, we live with doors and windows wide open almost 24/7/365 unless we get a big blow (from the opposite direction of the trades). Only then do we get rain blowing in. 95% of the time, we really do not miss AC. The down side is as you mentioned - noise from the street. We live on a road which runs between the fire station/ambulance repository and several thousand "old" people (like us). 2 or 3 times/night there is a run and they use sirens 24/7. Oddly, we DO get used to it. I couldn't imagine that we would. The BR is back a bit and that helps for sleeping. Otherwise, we just turn up the TV for a few seconds. The upside is that our electrical bill is maybe $80/month. YMMV

 

[NW-Bound]

Not a LOT of experience with Cali but when we did our BC to BC trip (British Columbia to Baja California on 1/101) by car in July, it was always cool - until we ventured 1 to 10 miles inland from the ocean. Then it was hot. No, it was really hot. I mean it was AZ hot (well, almost.) YMMV

The ocean is a lot cooler along the West Coast than along the East Coast due to the Japanese current. There are not too many swimmers on Californian beaches, compared to Floridian beaches. Even in mid summer, the ocean water is downright cold in Southern California, let alone further up north.

 

[Koolau]

The ocean is a lot cooler along the West Coast than along the East Coast due to the Japanese current. There are not too many swimmers on Californian beaches, compared to Floridian beaches. Even in mid summer, the ocean water is downright cold in Southern California, let alone further up north.

Yeah, we noticed that too. Brrrrrrr. Punched a hole in my "California Dreaming." That trip reconfirmed our choice of Hawaii over Cali. YMMV

 

[JT90505]

Back to the SCE TOU rate plans. Their model shows us saving $1 per month by going to the 'best' TOU plan.

They have bills going back a year available on the SCE web site. I built a spreadsheet and for *every month* our effective rate is lower than the least expensive TOU rate (by ~.01 per kWh). Not sure how they did their calculations. So I elected to keep our current plan using their web site.