Have you noticed electricity prices went up?

[Scooby24]

And there are no state or federal regulations impacting energy production in Texas. Right.

I'm sure there are some...

but to counter to that mine is 100% regulated and didn't change at all and is some of the lowest in the country.

I am also absolutely confident my Solar would not have 100% net metering and expedited options if it weren't for the state having made that a requirement on them. My state reps stepped in on my behalf when the energy company was dragging its feet on getting my system approved and swapping out my meter. One call to them after 2 months of inaction on their part and they were there same day.

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[ChuckA]

And there are no state or federal regulations impacting energy production in Texas. Right.

And they reduce costs by letting the grid fall apart, cutting maintenance & investments to save money.

 

[MABachE131]

yeah, right. That's funny.

Martin Skrelli: "They don' have to pay the 20x price increase we levied for no reason. They could choose to die instead"

Currently government regulation has us at their mercy... See how it works???

Seriously though... A little regulation is good, but over regulation is a killer!

 

[timbop]

Currently government regulation has us at their mercy... See how it works???

Seriously though... A little regulation is good, but over regulation is a killer!

You fellas need to learn about ERCOT and marketplace dynamics. No, his increase is NOT from government regulation - just like the 1000% increases a year and a half ago (or whenever it was) were due to LACK of regulatory control of prices in the face of a major supply shortage. That shortage was exacerbated BECAUSE of ERCOT policies. To avoid federal regulation, they don't interconnect with the rest of the US grid.

Fossil fuel costs have gone up because the frackers took a huge hit in 2020 when oil prices fell. Now there are fewer frackers producing oil and natural gas, and russia's production is also down due to the invasion of ukraine. So, those that are still producing are charging more because supply is lower and demand hasn't changed much.

With a weak regulation in Texas the utilities are passing on whatever hikes they want to their captive customers. And that's the operative point: when your customers are a captive audience, it is no longer a free market - which is why regulatory bodies were created in the first place.

 

[Motomax]

I don’t really notice electrical charges anymore since solar covers 100%. Our NG price more than doubled though, definitely noticed that one.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

People are complaining about gas prices are the highest ever. So are electricity costs now and natural gas prices a few months ago. Last June, I paid $142 for 1847 kWh (7.7 cents per kWh). This June, I paid $257 for 1875 kWh (13.7 cents per kWh). I know that's still a lot cheaper than some areas. Have you noticed your electric rates went up?

My current rates are currently 38¢ per kWh and are slated to rise by a lot more. Don't complain about 13.7¢

 

[kgautam28]

I'm already on a TOU plan, it's about 10%-20% less than fixed rates. I looked into Solar a year ago and they said it would take about 24 years to break even so I passed.

It takes 24 years
But your electricity costs remain the same. Price increases won't affect

 

[devmach-e]

Electricity prices would be going down if the government wasn't regulating the producers. People complain about rising electricity costs and then vote for politicians who promise to regulate energy producers more, which of course drives up electricity cost. It's like asking why they toilet overflowed when you are the one who filled it with toilet paper.

California tried deregulating their grid about 23 years ago. It did not go well. In fact, it was a pretty spectacular failure.

 

[dml105]

Minor increase in Virginia on the off-peak plan. Was 7c/kWh, now 8c.

 

[Nklem]

Yup. Electricity is all based on natural gas. Natural gas is at record costs across the county. This is the silent increase that’s not talked about on the news. It’s up over 300%. Natural gas is the basis for electrical cost because when the sun does not shine and the wind does not blow, gas plants ramp up quickly and can be fairly efficient. As someone once told me, with every Solar farm comes and equivalent Natural Gas Plant on the grid.

 

[Nklem]

My flat rate in Maine is $.239. My TOU is $.169 off peak (8PM to 7:AM) and $.25 on peak. This is all up from $.17 flat rates last year. I have not made the switch to TOU yet, but May soon. Since 90% of my Mach E charging is free from work, I have to evaluate the off peak savings with my Ioniq EV. My wife likes to charge when she wants to and I do not know if off peak is an option. But with only a Penny between peak and flat, it’s probrably a no brainer. I also subscribe to a community solar farm which knocks 15% off from these costs.

it still stinks as Maine went deregulated in 1996 and that’s when rates skyrocketed. Buy the way , all non standard offer rates and green energy provider rates offered in State are now $.03-.10 cents higher than the rates noted above. So if you want “Green” power you will pay $.30 or more.

 

[RickMachE]

My bill on 6/25/21 added up to 12.35 cents off-peak, plus the allocation of $17.41 in other charges, for a total of 14.76 cents off-peak. Peak would be 23.04 cents without the other charges, with the allocation it would be 25.44 cents.

My bill on 6/25/22 added up to 12.485 cents off-peak, plus the allocation of $16.31 in other charges, for a total of 15.37 cents. Peak would be 20.88 without the other charges, with the allocation it would be 23.75 cents.

Given that we're about 85% off-peak, our rate would work out to 16.36 cents last year and 16.63 cents this year, for an increase of 1.7%.

Without a surcharge for tree trimming that they should have been doing for years and years, our rate would have gone down.

Our utility bought natural gas in advance, and bragged about it.

 

[fmtexmme]

And there are no state or federal regulations impacting energy production in Texas. Right.

Another Texan here. Electric deregulation has been a disaster here. Despite promises of lower rates, the exact opposite has happened And we now pay above the national average.

Here's some pretty good information:
http://tcaptx.com/downloads/HISTORY-OF-DEREGULATION.pdf

From page 7 in the link:

For years, Texans enjoyed electricity prices below the national average. After the Texas
electric market deregulated, prices increased above the national average and have remained
significantly above that mark.
Note that this chart shows average residential rates in Texas spiking above the national
average only once during the entire decade prior to deregulation. That spike came in 2001. Industry-sponsored studies typically compare the 2001 spike with later years to support their contention that under Senate Bill 7, electric prices in Texas have not substantially increased relative to the rest of the nation. However, these industry studies ignore the clear trend illustrated in this chart that shows that Texans consistently paid below the national average before deregulation.


In the meantime, thanks to deregulation, producers have reduced their system maintenance and upgrades. The result is the massive power failure during the 2021 freeze and every summer telling residents to reduce usage or face rolling blackouts. That almost never happened before deregulation.

 

[Guss-E 2021]

In NH, rates are set to double. New England is entirely too dependent on natural gas for electricity generation. Natural gas prices are spiking so electrical rates are going to rise. That being said, I was already paying higher (winter) rates than most of my state so I actually saw my costs go down on June 1st (summer rates good until Nov). Essentially my supplier charge dropped from 17 cents to 7 per kWh. Not the norm though.

EV owners are not 100% immune to rising energy costs though it does not hit our wallets as hard right now. We Mach-E owners (often) get 250 kWh of free Electrify America charging with our cars. It's actually kind of odd because EA charges per minute not kWH used, at least around here. Even so, if I took the full 45 mins or so to charge my car it would only cost me around $15. It would cost me $86 to fill the tank with premium on my old Acura TSX.

What EV owners really need is rooftop solar to complete the puzzle. Out of my price range at the moment but at least it is an option down the road. Also, according to the EIA, 2022 is on track to set another record for investment in renewable energy at $440 billion globally. The more renewable energy gets added to the grid, the more electrical rates will stabilize. Right now they are subject to the same swings in fossil fuel prices that ICE vehicle owners are subject too.

 

[Carsinmyblood]

People are complaining about gas prices are the highest ever. So are electricity costs now and natural gas prices a few months ago. Last June, I paid $142 for 1847 kWh (7.7 cents per kWh). This June, I paid $257 for 1875 kWh (13.7 cents per kWh). I know that's still a lot cheaper than some areas. Have you noticed your electric rates went up?

You're in Texas.

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