The OUR report is and and its suggesting that the JPS meters are just fine, see full report here.
http://www.our.org.jm/images/stories/content/PressRelease/Investigation%20of%20JPS%20Billing%20and%20Metering%20for%20Electricity%20Consumption.pdf
Friday, October 21, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
How to eliminate your demand charges
This post is specifically for any business which has decided to stop using JPS either temporarily or permanently.
When a customer applies for power for their business, they have in effect entered into a contract between the JPS and the company in question.
Demand charges I have explained already and will just focus on how to stop them from coming should you decide to stop using their services.
You need to write to JPS indicating that you are terminating or suspending your contract with the them which would stop your demand charges from appearing for up to six months after you have turned off your breaker. Failure to do so will see you wracking up demand charges for up to six months after you have stopped using the service.
Keep tuned into this blog for information.
When a customer applies for power for their business, they have in effect entered into a contract between the JPS and the company in question.
Demand charges I have explained already and will just focus on how to stop them from coming should you decide to stop using their services.
You need to write to JPS indicating that you are terminating or suspending your contract with the them which would stop your demand charges from appearing for up to six months after you have turned off your breaker. Failure to do so will see you wracking up demand charges for up to six months after you have stopped using the service.
Keep tuned into this blog for information.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Why our electricity bills from JPS are so high?
The issue of high electricity rates has been a sore point for all JPS customers for sometime now, but the debate has really heated up with the recent spike in electricity rates. The issue has now sparked wide spread debate with one senator labeling the JPS as an extortionist organization.
Others have called JPS, vampires sucking the blood out of its consumers while making billions of dollars in profits for its owners in the process. Many persons have indicated that even when they attempt to conserve energy, their bills keeps rising and that energy conservation does not seem to work.
The politicians have now joined in, with Phillip Paulwell calling for the breakup of JPS which he suggest could cut our electricity bill by 50%. The current minister however does not agree and so will do nothing at this point in that regard.
Recently we see where the Jamaica Productivity Center in conjunction with Mona School of Business have done some research and has suggested that Jamaica could save upwards of J$15B if JPS was able to reduce it technical and non technical losses from 23.9% to 16% and at the same time have a better conversation rate for fuel. They have suggested that if JPS moves it heat to electricity conversation rate from 10,400 to 8,100 KJ/kwh (kilojoules per kilowatt hour) just over $7.8b in savings could be netted.
Another school of thought is, if we moved from crude oil to LNG we could see in the region of US$500m shaved off our oil bill, but how much reduction would be likely see in our electricity rates? At current rates of US$100 per barrel and our imports being around 1.4mb/y (million barrels per year) our bill is in the region of US$1.4B
Given the fact that our oil bill is order of US$1.4B per annum and that 23% of the oil that is imported goes into the generation of electricity, at current conversation rates we could expect to see reduction of around 25- 30% or between $0.08 - $0.12 per kwh, using a base residential rate of US$0.35 per Kwh.
Next we come to energy diversification, where electricity will be generated from a number of different sources i.e. a combination of fossil fuels and renewables. All of this stuff while making a lot of sense cost a lot on money to be implemented.
So what does all of this have to do with why the price of electricity is so high in Jamaica? This is what I will seek to explore further in the rest of the article.
The Jamaican experience
Jamaica stands today as one of the few countries in the world where the electrical demand and productivity shares an inversely proportional relationship. By this I mean in most industrial countries in the world peak demand takes place during the productive hours of the day i.e. between say 6am and 6pm.
Jamaica has defied that logic and its peak period are when persons are the least productive. In Jamaica the peak period is when persons are at home and falls between the hours of 6pm to 10pm.
Partial peak is between 6am and 6pm and off peaks hours are between 10pm and 6am.
Therein lies one of our biggest problem, which will NOT be solved be cheaper sources of fuel or more efficient plants. Our problems lies in our way of life which if not changed will continue to result in high rates. We will get only temporary relief from high prices with lower oil prices or cheaper sources for electrical generation but ultimately it will rise again by virtue of our bad energy profile.
To understand how our electrical bill is arrived at we need to understand what goes into the determination of the bill.
It must also be noted that JPS have varying tariff structures, which depends on your demand /energy consumption at the rates are different under each of these tariffs (See JPS tariff structure on the JPS website).
What makes up the JPS bill?
1. Energy Charge ($ per kwh)
2. KVA/KW demand (mainly for industrial and large commercial customers)
3. Fuel & IPP charges (to compensate for changes in oil prices).
4. Foreign exchange adjustments (to compensate for changes in exchange rates)
5. Customer Charge (Administrative charges, for billing, meter reading etc)
6. Discount if you own and maintain your own distribution transformer
7. Ratchet charge (Industrial customer/large commercial)
8. Power factor charge (Industrial customer/large commercial)
9. Tiered rate structure increasing or decreasing cost per $kwh above say 100Kwh
10. In addition you must know the rate category that you fall in.
The residential customer only gets billed for 1, 3, 4 & 5 above and therein lies a part of our problem. I am not for one minute suggesting that we pay more, but I want to make a point of why it’s the residential customers that are partly to be blamed for our very high energy bill.
Understanding Demand
Demand (noted is KW or sometimes KVA )refers to the need to have this available power supply at the very instant that the customer needs it, i.e. it must be readily available for use. Consider this example: When I turn on the pipe I expect to find water, as I need (demand) water at that point in time. The flow of water over time can is what the residential customer pays for i.e. what they actually use.
Demand Charges
But someone has to pay for the fact that JPS must have that available power on standby so when it’s needed it is fact available, so who pays for this. Since demand is not shown up on the bill of the residential customer as a separate line item, who pays for this charge or where is it hidden.
Now we are getting to the crux of the matter. The little secret is that you are in fact billed for this demand that JPS must have available for that peak between 6pm and 10pm, but you do not see it as a line item.
The demand charge for residential customer is averaged and rolled up into your energy charge, this is part of the reason why the residential customer pay more per kwh that the industrial and large commercial customers.
Sample rates (Refer to JPS tariff structure rates 2010 http://www.myjpsco.com/_pdfs/JPS_TariffSchedule2010.pdf)
Cost /kwh Demand Charges
Residential (Rate 10) $6.41 first 100Kwh, $14.66 /kwh above 100 ($0.00 demand charges)
General (Rate 20) $12.53/kwh
Rate 40 Low Voltage $3.57/kwh $1295.28/kva
Rate 50 Medium Voltage $3.39/kwh $1165.75
The skewed demand for electricity at the lowest voltage possible is partially the reason for our high energy cost since JPS has to run the equipment with the least level of efficiencies to meet this peak load demand and thus charges more for this service.
For the above to change it would require JPS to increase base load using more efficient generators, which comes at a very capital cost. You simply cannot have high cost equipment sitting around waiting to satisfy peak load it has to be paid for and that will fall on the backs of the residential customer.
The best and most cost effective way towards lower bills is therefore energy conservation. If we can move peak demand to the productive hours of the day the more efficient generators can run for longer period and JPS will distribute at higher voltages which means lower system losses and ultimately lower bills.
Our high bills are therefore partly the inefficiencies on the path of JPS but is also as a result of the way we use or should I say misuse energy. If we change we way we operate I believe we can see at least a 10-15% reduction in our energy bills.
Part 2 to follow.
Others have called JPS, vampires sucking the blood out of its consumers while making billions of dollars in profits for its owners in the process. Many persons have indicated that even when they attempt to conserve energy, their bills keeps rising and that energy conservation does not seem to work.
The politicians have now joined in, with Phillip Paulwell calling for the breakup of JPS which he suggest could cut our electricity bill by 50%. The current minister however does not agree and so will do nothing at this point in that regard.
Recently we see where the Jamaica Productivity Center in conjunction with Mona School of Business have done some research and has suggested that Jamaica could save upwards of J$15B if JPS was able to reduce it technical and non technical losses from 23.9% to 16% and at the same time have a better conversation rate for fuel. They have suggested that if JPS moves it heat to electricity conversation rate from 10,400 to 8,100 KJ/kwh (kilojoules per kilowatt hour) just over $7.8b in savings could be netted.
Another school of thought is, if we moved from crude oil to LNG we could see in the region of US$500m shaved off our oil bill, but how much reduction would be likely see in our electricity rates? At current rates of US$100 per barrel and our imports being around 1.4mb/y (million barrels per year) our bill is in the region of US$1.4B
Given the fact that our oil bill is order of US$1.4B per annum and that 23% of the oil that is imported goes into the generation of electricity, at current conversation rates we could expect to see reduction of around 25- 30% or between $0.08 - $0.12 per kwh, using a base residential rate of US$0.35 per Kwh.
Next we come to energy diversification, where electricity will be generated from a number of different sources i.e. a combination of fossil fuels and renewables. All of this stuff while making a lot of sense cost a lot on money to be implemented.
So what does all of this have to do with why the price of electricity is so high in Jamaica? This is what I will seek to explore further in the rest of the article.
The Jamaican experience
Jamaica stands today as one of the few countries in the world where the electrical demand and productivity shares an inversely proportional relationship. By this I mean in most industrial countries in the world peak demand takes place during the productive hours of the day i.e. between say 6am and 6pm.
Jamaica has defied that logic and its peak period are when persons are the least productive. In Jamaica the peak period is when persons are at home and falls between the hours of 6pm to 10pm.
Partial peak is between 6am and 6pm and off peaks hours are between 10pm and 6am.
Therein lies one of our biggest problem, which will NOT be solved be cheaper sources of fuel or more efficient plants. Our problems lies in our way of life which if not changed will continue to result in high rates. We will get only temporary relief from high prices with lower oil prices or cheaper sources for electrical generation but ultimately it will rise again by virtue of our bad energy profile.
To understand how our electrical bill is arrived at we need to understand what goes into the determination of the bill.
It must also be noted that JPS have varying tariff structures, which depends on your demand /energy consumption at the rates are different under each of these tariffs (See JPS tariff structure on the JPS website).
What makes up the JPS bill?
1. Energy Charge ($ per kwh)
2. KVA/KW demand (mainly for industrial and large commercial customers)
3. Fuel & IPP charges (to compensate for changes in oil prices).
4. Foreign exchange adjustments (to compensate for changes in exchange rates)
5. Customer Charge (Administrative charges, for billing, meter reading etc)
6. Discount if you own and maintain your own distribution transformer
7. Ratchet charge (Industrial customer/large commercial)
8. Power factor charge (Industrial customer/large commercial)
9. Tiered rate structure increasing or decreasing cost per $kwh above say 100Kwh
10. In addition you must know the rate category that you fall in.
The residential customer only gets billed for 1, 3, 4 & 5 above and therein lies a part of our problem. I am not for one minute suggesting that we pay more, but I want to make a point of why it’s the residential customers that are partly to be blamed for our very high energy bill.
Understanding Demand
Demand (noted is KW or sometimes KVA )refers to the need to have this available power supply at the very instant that the customer needs it, i.e. it must be readily available for use. Consider this example: When I turn on the pipe I expect to find water, as I need (demand) water at that point in time. The flow of water over time can is what the residential customer pays for i.e. what they actually use.
Demand Charges
But someone has to pay for the fact that JPS must have that available power on standby so when it’s needed it is fact available, so who pays for this. Since demand is not shown up on the bill of the residential customer as a separate line item, who pays for this charge or where is it hidden.
Now we are getting to the crux of the matter. The little secret is that you are in fact billed for this demand that JPS must have available for that peak between 6pm and 10pm, but you do not see it as a line item.
The demand charge for residential customer is averaged and rolled up into your energy charge, this is part of the reason why the residential customer pay more per kwh that the industrial and large commercial customers.
Sample rates (Refer to JPS tariff structure rates 2010 http://www.myjpsco.com/_pdfs/JPS_TariffSchedule2010.pdf)
Cost /kwh Demand Charges
Residential (Rate 10) $6.41 first 100Kwh, $14.66 /kwh above 100 ($0.00 demand charges)
General (Rate 20) $12.53/kwh
Rate 40 Low Voltage $3.57/kwh $1295.28/kva
Rate 50 Medium Voltage $3.39/kwh $1165.75
The skewed demand for electricity at the lowest voltage possible is partially the reason for our high energy cost since JPS has to run the equipment with the least level of efficiencies to meet this peak load demand and thus charges more for this service.
For the above to change it would require JPS to increase base load using more efficient generators, which comes at a very capital cost. You simply cannot have high cost equipment sitting around waiting to satisfy peak load it has to be paid for and that will fall on the backs of the residential customer.
The best and most cost effective way towards lower bills is therefore energy conservation. If we can move peak demand to the productive hours of the day the more efficient generators can run for longer period and JPS will distribute at higher voltages which means lower system losses and ultimately lower bills.
Our high bills are therefore partly the inefficiencies on the path of JPS but is also as a result of the way we use or should I say misuse energy. If we change we way we operate I believe we can see at least a 10-15% reduction in our energy bills.
Part 2 to follow.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Energy Audit made simple
What is an energy audit and why is it important, especially at this time when the cost of energy is at an all time high in Jamaica.
In its most basic form an energy audit allows you to see where you are using energy either at home or your place of business.
Have you ever received a water bill and you know that you could not have used that volume of water. I am sure this has happen to many persons and what they typically do is the most basic of audits, yes you may not even realize that is what you did.
So you shut off all pipes and go look at the meter and lo and behold the meter dial is spinning like crazy and you are sure everything has been locked off.
So what do you do now, well go look around to try and find where this water is leaking, as it must be leaking somewhere for your meter to be registering usage. You look but cannot find any leaks, so what do you do next.
Do you leave it and continue to line the pockets of NWC or do you take action. Most persons will take action and will seek the services of a plumber to try and figure out where this leak is and fix it, so they can stop paying for what they really have not consumed. I use the word consumed as while the meter did register the usage you actually did not consume all that water, quite a bit was wasted due to the leak.
Now that you understand the concept, why are we treating electricity any different. With water you can physically see the leak(or well the plumber can) but with electricity there is nothing to see. The fact that you cannot see the electricity "leaking" does not mean its not occurring, so what do you do.
Whatever your meter registers ( we are assuming the meter is accurate) is a combination of what is used and what is wasted(leaking), and the only way to know what's really going on is to measure it.
An energy audit will tell you where you are vulnerable and will provide you with data, which you can now use to plug those leaks.
The audit will NOT fix the problem, it will point you in the direction to fix the problem, what you do with the data however is what determines the level of savings which you will see.
In its most basic form an energy audit allows you to see where you are using energy either at home or your place of business.
- Wouldn't be nice if you could predict the cost of energy each month?
- What if you could tell what actions on your part leads to energy usage or wastage?
- How do you know if you are actually using what you are being billed for?
Have you ever received a water bill and you know that you could not have used that volume of water. I am sure this has happen to many persons and what they typically do is the most basic of audits, yes you may not even realize that is what you did.
So you shut off all pipes and go look at the meter and lo and behold the meter dial is spinning like crazy and you are sure everything has been locked off.
So what do you do now, well go look around to try and find where this water is leaking, as it must be leaking somewhere for your meter to be registering usage. You look but cannot find any leaks, so what do you do next.
Do you leave it and continue to line the pockets of NWC or do you take action. Most persons will take action and will seek the services of a plumber to try and figure out where this leak is and fix it, so they can stop paying for what they really have not consumed. I use the word consumed as while the meter did register the usage you actually did not consume all that water, quite a bit was wasted due to the leak.
Now that you understand the concept, why are we treating electricity any different. With water you can physically see the leak(or well the plumber can) but with electricity there is nothing to see. The fact that you cannot see the electricity "leaking" does not mean its not occurring, so what do you do.
Whatever your meter registers ( we are assuming the meter is accurate) is a combination of what is used and what is wasted(leaking), and the only way to know what's really going on is to measure it.
An energy audit will tell you where you are vulnerable and will provide you with data, which you can now use to plug those leaks.
The audit will NOT fix the problem, it will point you in the direction to fix the problem, what you do with the data however is what determines the level of savings which you will see.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Jamaican business lack understanding of energy audits
I have taken the unusual move to post here criticism leveled against Jamaican business who now are complaining about the high cost of energy, when they have in fact taken very little steps to understand the value of using local experts to assist them. This criticism forms part of the latest wikileaks exposures.
http://www.wikileaks.org/cable/2009/08/09KINGSTON626.html
Energy auditors have expressed frustration at the unwillingness of businesses to value their services. There are qualified auditors on the island, and their projects make financial sense, but the business community is not willing to pay for such services because they are not acquainted with the technology and do not realize the financial gains that could be derived
http://www.wikileaks.org/cable/2009/08/09KINGSTON626.html
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
What is the real cost of Solar Energy ?
With the soaring cost of electricity in Jamaica, many persons are ready to crucify the OUR and JPS as it appears that the two are in collusion to rip off the public.
There is a tremendous amount of emotions involved , with many persons showing bills which they have indicated have increased tremendously for no apparent reason.
The question of alternative energy sources have been championed once again, and always occurs when oil goes up which results in an increase in the cost of electricity. I too am in favour of an energy mix, of which renewable energy sources must be an integral part of that mix.
But what is the real cost of solar installation and can the average consumer really save money by installing such a system for their homes.
I have decided with the help of other resources to really break this down to see if this is just a lot of emotions ar work or can we really save at today's by installing such a system.
Lets first talk a little about demand in trying determine what kind of solar system one would need to extraciate themselves from the JPS grid.
A middle income family with say a 4 brm 's house may containing the following .
There is a tremendous amount of emotions involved , with many persons showing bills which they have indicated have increased tremendously for no apparent reason.
The question of alternative energy sources have been championed once again, and always occurs when oil goes up which results in an increase in the cost of electricity. I too am in favour of an energy mix, of which renewable energy sources must be an integral part of that mix.
But what is the real cost of solar installation and can the average consumer really save money by installing such a system for their homes.
I have decided with the help of other resources to really break this down to see if this is just a lot of emotions ar work or can we really save at today's by installing such a system.
Lets first talk a little about demand in trying determine what kind of solar system one would need to extraciate themselves from the JPS grid.
A middle income family with say a 4 brm 's house may containing the following .
- 1 18 cubic ft refrigerator - 420w (0.42kw)
- 1 x 16 cf freezer (NF) - 600w (0.60kw)
- 1 x 12,000 btu ac unit - - 3.5kw
- 1 micro wave - 1.2 - 1.5 kw
- 1 clothes iron - 1.5kw
- 1 washing machine - 500w (0.5kw)
- 1 dryer - 2.7kw
- Toaster oven - 1.5kw
- Hair Dryer - 1.15kw
- Dish washer - 1.2kw
- Lighting (CFL) - 220w (0.22kw)
- Flat screen tv(42") - 150w (0.15)
- Home Ent System - 400w ( 0.4kw)
- 40 Gal water heater - 3kw
- Other - 500w (0.5kw)
Aggregate demand = 17.24Kw
Now we would never have all the above equipment running at the same time so lets use a load factor of say 30% , this means no more than 30% of the aggregate demand would be on at any one point in time.
Total average demand = 17.24 x 0.3 = 5kw ( Actually 5.17kw but I am using 5 for ease of calculation).
Cost of 5Kw Solar system
The cost of a solar grid tie system( NOT installed) in the USA is estimated to be in the order of US $25 - $28,000 so lets use $26,000. Then for installation of the system and tie into JPS( net metering when it comes on board) lets add another $5000, for a total cost of US$31,000.
Assumptions.
- Lifetime on panels 20 - 25yrs
- Life time on inverter - 10 -15 yrs
- Average life span of entire system lets say 20 yrs.
- Efficiency of converting light to dc then inverting to ac lets say system is 90% efficient.
- System generation is 5hrs per day, ie period when sun is most prominent ( 9am - 2pm)
- Now system capacity is 5kw x 0.9 = 4.5kw but manufactures does not want you to run it at its max capacity so the max load they indicate is 4kwh.
- Total energy produced over the system life span = (#hrs per day we are generating power x # days per yr x total power produced x life span ) = 5 x 365 x 4.5 x 20 = 164,250Kwh
Given actual max rating of 4kw total available power = 5 x 365 x 4 x 20 = 146,000 kwh
Calculations
- System installation cost per kw = System cost(installed) / System Capacity
= $31,000/ 5 = US $6,200 / kw
2. Cost per kwh over the life time of the equipment = Total system cost(installed) /rated kwh available
= $31,000/ 146,600
= US$0.21/kwh
How does JPS compare to the above
At today's rate the residential customer is paying on average of US$0.39/ kwh so does this mean the customer who purchase this system and switched fromo JPS would save $0.18/ kwh over the life of the equipment. Not necessarily as recall the total aggregate demand for the customer was over 17Kwh.
Even when we dropped the load factor to 30% , the demand was 5Kw and this system is only producing usable power of approx 4kw.
This therefore leaves a short fall of minimum 1kw which must come from somewhere, either from JPS or another renewable energy source such as wind. The customer may also choose to go to say a 10kw system which would move the cost to over US$50K installed.
Now lets assume the individual opts to use JPS (he has a grid tie system)
How this grid tie system works is I can either use my system and sell the excess to JPS and get a credit, or if my system goes down I have JPS as back up. These new electronic meter allows for co-generations recordings ie it records what is generated in the house and what is generated from outside (JPS).
The individual would need the minimum demand of 1kw and say this demand is used 5hrs per day , then the total consumption per day would by 5kwh/hr.
Weight average cost of electricity becomes $0.246/Kwh
Calculation JPS 1 Kwh @ 0.39/kwh = $0.39
Solar = 4 Kwh @ 0.21/kwh = $0.84
5 kwh = US$1.23
So cost per kwh = US$1.23/5 = $0.246/ Kwh
The above is an over simplification as we ignored the following.
- Shipping cost
- Duties applicable to the above (duty free status was removed)
- Cost of capital ( if person is borrowing)
- Time value of money.
- Losses from exchange rate conversion and fluctuations.
When the above are taken into account we could very well be adding another 8 - 10 cents (US) per kwh hr, thus moving this cost to $0.32 - $0.35 /kwh.
However as time goes on the cost of solar system will fall and if oil keeps rising, the reverse could be occur where the saving as actually greater than those stated above.
However as time goes on the cost of solar system will fall and if oil keeps rising, the reverse could be occur where the saving as actually greater than those stated above.
Lets look at the graphs below credits have been noted. It speaks volumes.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
How did I beat JPS high energy bills
With black Friday being declared for Friday, Aug 19, 2011 I thought I would share with bloggers my bills for the last four months of this year.
This house is unoccupied for most on the time and is probably used 4 days per month. It uses mainly fluorescent bulbs, but also incandescent bulbs 7 x 40w controlled by 3 electronic dimmers switches as follows. 4 for two bathrooms and 3 in the living room. ( I plan to get rid of these in the new two months or so).
The appliances are a 18 cf no frost refrigerator and a electric water heater which is only used maybe days per month, while the home is occupied. The refrigerator however remains plugged in all the time.
The meter is an analog electro-mechanical meter like most of what we as Jamaicans at our homes.
Just a little history, 6 years ago I got a bill from the JPS which immediately struck me as being inaccurate. I went and read the meter myself and realized that the reading on the my bill was far different from what I noted on the meter. In fact the reading noted as present reading on my bill had not yet been recorded on my meter ie the meter had not yet reached those levels.
Armed with pictures of the face of the meter, the actual readings I had recorded along with a copy of my latest bill, I wrote a very strongly worded letter to the corporate office, which surprisingly responded within two weeks.
I got an apology and I was not billed for two months by which time my "real readings" had caught up with the "bogus" reading that had been on my bill. Since then I really have never had a problem with the JPS and my readings have been accurate since then.
Now for my bills this year when most persons are seeing increases.
This house is unoccupied for most on the time and is probably used 4 days per month. It uses mainly fluorescent bulbs, but also incandescent bulbs 7 x 40w controlled by 3 electronic dimmers switches as follows. 4 for two bathrooms and 3 in the living room. ( I plan to get rid of these in the new two months or so).
The appliances are a 18 cf no frost refrigerator and a electric water heater which is only used maybe days per month, while the home is occupied. The refrigerator however remains plugged in all the time.
The meter is an analog electro-mechanical meter like most of what we as Jamaicans at our homes.
Just a little history, 6 years ago I got a bill from the JPS which immediately struck me as being inaccurate. I went and read the meter myself and realized that the reading on the my bill was far different from what I noted on the meter. In fact the reading noted as present reading on my bill had not yet been recorded on my meter ie the meter had not yet reached those levels.
Armed with pictures of the face of the meter, the actual readings I had recorded along with a copy of my latest bill, I wrote a very strongly worded letter to the corporate office, which surprisingly responded within two weeks.
I got an apology and I was not billed for two months by which time my "real readings" had caught up with the "bogus" reading that had been on my bill. Since then I really have never had a problem with the JPS and my readings have been accurate since then.
Now for my bills this year when most persons are seeing increases.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Digital Meter complaints, real or imagined
This afternoon(Monday , 8/15/2011) I listened to an interview between Nationwide News Network Cliff Hughes, the manager of JoJo's and Dr Hamilton of the SME's in Jamaica.
The subject was high utility rates being experienced by both residential as well as SME member, KVA demand charges and the new smart meters being installed by the JPS.
I have already addressed the KVA demand charges and while I hear people saying JPS is "wicked" in the way demand charges have been applied, its not different from how all other utilities applies this charge. In fact its very consistent, and what many seem not to have recognized, is that JPS has in fact lowered the penalty from 11 months to 5 months.
As it relates to the new smart meter, the Jamaican experience has been identical to what customers of Portland, Electric and Gas (PG&E) in Texas experienced when that company started installing these new meters.
See the following link.
http://www.smartmeters.com/the-news/690-pgae-smart-meter-problem-a-pr-nightmare.html
As you can see from the above link, the Jamaican situation is almost exactly the same, read my post " New electronic meters could mean higher electricity bills to see why".
Now the problem has been so bad and complaints have been so fast coming that a consulting company was brought in to commission a study to explore wether or not these complaints where real ie where these new meter accurate and were they recording more than the old electromechanical analog meters.
The summary of the document in the Texas experience suggest that customers consumption patterns tends on increase around certains periods of the year , which is the same point in time that the cost of the utlilty charges were usually higher. In effect the customers say significant increases in there bills due to their consumption pattern vs over recording of the new meters.
I have attached a copy of the document for your perusal, its over 170pgs long and as is the case with many Jamaicans we simply refuse to read, thus we always tend to be a victim, as we are an uninformed society.
Recently I wrote to a company offering free service of analysis of their utility bill after seeing their complaint, three weeks later they have refused to take up the offer which is no longer on the table.
We can either chose to complain or on the other hand chose to educate ourselves thus allowing us to be more strident customers , who makes better decisions as it relates to the operations of our homes or businesses, the choice is yours.
See the link below " Evaluation of advanced (smart) meters.
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B_NeVEvMNIivZDU3ODc2YWItN2M3Ny00YmQzLWJmODYtNmFkOTAwYzhlOTg0&hl=en_US
The subject was high utility rates being experienced by both residential as well as SME member, KVA demand charges and the new smart meters being installed by the JPS.
I have already addressed the KVA demand charges and while I hear people saying JPS is "wicked" in the way demand charges have been applied, its not different from how all other utilities applies this charge. In fact its very consistent, and what many seem not to have recognized, is that JPS has in fact lowered the penalty from 11 months to 5 months.
As it relates to the new smart meter, the Jamaican experience has been identical to what customers of Portland, Electric and Gas (PG&E) in Texas experienced when that company started installing these new meters.
See the following link.
http://www.smartmeters.com/the-news/690-pgae-smart-meter-problem-a-pr-nightmare.html
As you can see from the above link, the Jamaican situation is almost exactly the same, read my post " New electronic meters could mean higher electricity bills to see why".
Now the problem has been so bad and complaints have been so fast coming that a consulting company was brought in to commission a study to explore wether or not these complaints where real ie where these new meter accurate and were they recording more than the old electromechanical analog meters.
The summary of the document in the Texas experience suggest that customers consumption patterns tends on increase around certains periods of the year , which is the same point in time that the cost of the utlilty charges were usually higher. In effect the customers say significant increases in there bills due to their consumption pattern vs over recording of the new meters.
I have attached a copy of the document for your perusal, its over 170pgs long and as is the case with many Jamaicans we simply refuse to read, thus we always tend to be a victim, as we are an uninformed society.
Recently I wrote to a company offering free service of analysis of their utility bill after seeing their complaint, three weeks later they have refused to take up the offer which is no longer on the table.
We can either chose to complain or on the other hand chose to educate ourselves thus allowing us to be more strident customers , who makes better decisions as it relates to the operations of our homes or businesses, the choice is yours.
See the link below " Evaluation of advanced (smart) meters.
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B_NeVEvMNIivZDU3ODc2YWItN2M3Ny00YmQzLWJmODYtNmFkOTAwYzhlOTg0&hl=en_US
Sunday, August 14, 2011
New electronic meter could mean higher electricity bills.
As the Jamaica Public Service moves to replace the very reliable analog (rotating disk) meters with the newer electronic meter, which allows for easier data collection of the power consumption of the customer, there could be “problems” ahead for the customer.
The old rotating disk and dial meter as they are known was built to ANSI C12.1 standard and has recording error of around 4% (i.e. +/- 2). What this really means is that the meter could record anywhere between 2% higher or 2% lower than your actual consumption.
The new electronic electrical meters used for residential customers however are built to ANSI C12.20 and rated at class 0.5 which has an error of only 1% (i.e. +/- 1). While this is good for the utility company it could mean “bad” news for the consumer, simply because its more accurate.
In addition to the above , while the analog meter was only able to measure electricity down to 0.3A (66W) on a 220V supply, these new digital meters are able to measure electricity down to 0.1A (22W). Think of it this way your old meter would allow 3 x 22W fluorescent bulbs to run and would not be able to record this, however with the digital meter only 1 bulb could be on before this new meter will detects its on.
Electromechanical (Analog) metering issues.
As can be seen from the graph below (courtesy of EPRI) the analog meter shows loss of registration over time and this is outside of the intrinsic error of +/- 2% in the design of the meter.
Now if you have a meter for say ten years it could be recording at say 99.2 % of your actual consumption and when the error is added this could be as low as 97.2% of the actual consumption.
These analog meters “slowdown” over time due to aging, dirt, insect and other types of debris resulting in the meter under recording your consumption. Now if you have a meter, which has been under-recording for sometime, you could be in for a shocker when these new and more accurate digital meters are installed.
See this additional graph below again provide by EPRI which shows that in a sampling of over 400,000 meters in the states approx 0.3% of the “population” have meters recording between 10 –20% lower registration that they should i.e. they were recording only 80 –90% of the electricity consumed.
This problem shown here however disappears with the installation of the new electronic meter and therefore the residential customer so affected, sees an immediate increase in not only his consumption but also his bill. ( Between 10 – 20% increase would be observed)
In time of rising energy cost in Jamaica this is a double blow as with the ever increasing cost of fuel, the change in our bills are more pronounced as a 5% increase in consumption could result in an increase of greater than 5% based on the every increasing fuel charge component of our bills.
Voltage instability & Transients.
Electronics are very susceptible to surges, spikes, transients and harmonics. The ANSI C21.1 metering standards specifies the magnitude and amount of surges these meters are expected to withstand, so as to address this problem, which was never an issue with analog meters, which had an air gap, which was used to dissipate these energies.
The big question is apart from the design mandate by ANIS C12.1 and ANSI C 12.20 does the JPS uses any additional circuit protection to avoid damage to these meters, which could affect their readings.
So having said all the above, what can we do about it?
Not much really, the best way as I have said on a number of occasions is energy conservation as well as being aware of your meter readings i.e. read the and record your own meter reading as close as possible to when the JPS meter reader usually comes.
I am asking readers to assist me with some information.
For those who currently have a digital meter can you provide the following on this blog:
- Make/Manufacturer of the meter.
- Date of manufacturer
- Any additional information that is recorded on the meter.
Note : I do NOT need your meter number
Sunday, July 31, 2011
You can save on your light bill, if you " unda stan it"
In todays gleaner link
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20110731/lead/lead12.html
Too many of us have not taken the time to understand our bills and end up paying more to JPS that we should.
Today I will focus on what some manufacturers were complaining about today and that is Demand ( Kva/KW).
Let me explain the KVA demand portion of the bill for those who have not taken the time to unda stand dem bill.
Firstly for industrial customers there are 5 components to your bill.
1. KWH consumption i.e. energy use over time. (Energy charge)
2. Demand charges KW or KVA. KVA is used when you are being charged for low power factor.
3. Fuel charge (IPP)
4. Exchange rate adjustment
5. Customer charge.
KVA Demand Charge.
JPS must make available to you that instantaneous demand when you need it and as such must have the generation capacity to meet this even if you only need it for a short period of time.
JPS measures your demand using a demand meter, which records your demand in 15 or 30 min periods and notes the highest demand in this period.
Now lets say today your demand if 500 Kva then for the rest the month its 250KVA, what you will get billed for is 500KVA for this month and not 250kva even though that was what you registered for 29 out of 30 days.
Now its gets worst as JPS uses (most utility uses this) what is called a ratchet clause, which means for the next 5 months your demand charges will by 80% of the highest demand recorded or the highest demand record during the month in question which ever is higher.
e.g. July highest Demand registered is 500kva one day.
August highest demand register is 250kva
Sept highest demand is 100Kva.
What you will get billed for in July is 500kva
Aug you get billed for 500x 0.80 = 400va
Sept = 400 kva.
Now if in November you hit 600KVA, you get billed for 600 Kva and 80% of 600 Kva for the next 5 months starting in December.
Only who unda stand jps bill can cross over d river to get savings if u nuh unstand it st tamas pand must get u.
Correction : (I made a correction to the above based on the 2010 tariff structure as approved by the OUR, the % of demand charges is 80% vs the 85% previously stated and is in effect for 5months instead of 11 months as previously stated)
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20110731/lead/lead12.html
Too many of us have not taken the time to understand our bills and end up paying more to JPS that we should.
Today I will focus on what some manufacturers were complaining about today and that is Demand ( Kva/KW).
Let me explain the KVA demand portion of the bill for those who have not taken the time to unda stand dem bill.
Firstly for industrial customers there are 5 components to your bill.
1. KWH consumption i.e. energy use over time. (Energy charge)
2. Demand charges KW or KVA. KVA is used when you are being charged for low power factor.
3. Fuel charge (IPP)
4. Exchange rate adjustment
5. Customer charge.
KVA Demand Charge.
JPS must make available to you that instantaneous demand when you need it and as such must have the generation capacity to meet this even if you only need it for a short period of time.
JPS measures your demand using a demand meter, which records your demand in 15 or 30 min periods and notes the highest demand in this period.
Now lets say today your demand if 500 Kva then for the rest the month its 250KVA, what you will get billed for is 500KVA for this month and not 250kva even though that was what you registered for 29 out of 30 days.
Now its gets worst as JPS uses (most utility uses this) what is called a ratchet clause, which means for the next 5 months your demand charges will by 80% of the highest demand recorded or the highest demand record during the month in question which ever is higher.
e.g. July highest Demand registered is 500kva one day.
August highest demand register is 250kva
Sept highest demand is 100Kva.
What you will get billed for in July is 500kva
Aug you get billed for 500x 0.80 = 400va
Sept = 400 kva.
Now if in November you hit 600KVA, you get billed for 600 Kva and 80% of 600 Kva for the next 5 months starting in December.
Only who unda stand jps bill can cross over d river to get savings if u nuh unstand it st tamas pand must get u.
Correction : (I made a correction to the above based on the 2010 tariff structure as approved by the OUR, the % of demand charges is 80% vs the 85% previously stated and is in effect for 5months instead of 11 months as previously stated)
Saturday, July 16, 2011
National Water Commission and your Water Bill
Have you ever wondered why you continue to get a high water bill even though you have no water running through your pipe.
You write the water commission and they tell you, that is what the meter registered and as such you will have to pay up or the services will be disconnected. As much as it seems you are being taken for a ride, the fact is the water commission is correct and you will have to pay what has been billed as recorded by your meter.
First posted Jan 10, 2010
Recently many Jamaicans have been complaining about the huge increases in their water bill since the new water bill has been introduced.
At the same time many are complaining of up to a 3-fold increase in their bills during the period when they had no water, and are livid with the NWC.
Who is to be blamed for the problem, is it that the NWC is ripping off people, or it that people are burning a hole in their own pockets, due to lack of understanding on the provision of water.
Air in an inherent part of the water supply process and you will notice that when too much air is forced into the water supply you get hammering which could damage your water supply system. ( That white stuff you see in your water which you call chlorine is actually dissolved gases sucked in or deliberate let in by your water supplier)
I have made the observation that the NWC actually makes more money during periods of water lock-off than when there is a constant supply of water, due mainly to the fact that the consumer do not understand how their water supply system works.
For those who are metered, the meter will move as fluid (water) or air passes through the meter. The meter in turns gives any approximate measure as to the amount of fluid that is consumed by the home owner and you pay for what is registered on the meter.
What most householders are not aware of is that the water meter spins as much as 4-5 times as fast when a pipe is open and there is no water flow that when water is actually flowing.
Let me explain this a little more. The meter needles turns a rate at which approximates to the fluid flows past the meter actuator. Therefore the more you open your pipe the greater the rate of flow of the water(air), hence the faster the meter turns resulting in big changes in the meter reading in short period of time.
So at low flow rate of say 5 gallons per minute (gpm) means you would have used 5 gallons in one minute and hence you are billed for that.
If you increase the rate of flow to 10gpm, then you would have used 10 gallons in the same minute and hence you are billed for 10 gallons.
Here is the where the water commission rips into you. When you leave that pipe open to ensure you know when water has arrived, you end up being billed for “air” which is flowing through the pipe at a rate which is up to 4 times greater than when you actually have water flowing through the same pipe.
So lets say the max rate of flow from your pipe when fully opened is 10gpm with water, with air that works out to be 40 gpm !!!
So at a rate of $1 per gallon, you would pay $10 per minute when you have water and an amazing $40 per minute without water.
How do you stop them.
1. Keep your pipes off during the period of water lock off, do NOT leave them open.
2. Keep your toilet tank full. This is the area that you are likely to pay dearly as an empty tank will have the float ball down, thus allowing a constant flow of air into the tank, which you will be billed for, the flow stops when the tank is filled with water.
3. If you have a water tank connected to your mains with a float valve, shut off that valve when water is locked off. It operates on the very same principle as the toilet and combined they will “kill” you. The problem here is that you would like to get your tank full as soon as the water is back, so you will have to decide which is the most cost-effective method for you. If you place a fluid non-return valve on your inlet line it could reduce the airflow, as these values typically need fluid to get it to open.
So the next time you get a big bill and you where out of water, just remember that you paid for a whole lot of air, and NWC will move to collect
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZvi37aF89Q
This is the other video that is worth viewing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV32AdruH0o
You write the water commission and they tell you, that is what the meter registered and as such you will have to pay up or the services will be disconnected. As much as it seems you are being taken for a ride, the fact is the water commission is correct and you will have to pay what has been billed as recorded by your meter.
First posted Jan 10, 2010
Recently many Jamaicans have been complaining about the huge increases in their water bill since the new water bill has been introduced.
At the same time many are complaining of up to a 3-fold increase in their bills during the period when they had no water, and are livid with the NWC.
Who is to be blamed for the problem, is it that the NWC is ripping off people, or it that people are burning a hole in their own pockets, due to lack of understanding on the provision of water.
Air in an inherent part of the water supply process and you will notice that when too much air is forced into the water supply you get hammering which could damage your water supply system. ( That white stuff you see in your water which you call chlorine is actually dissolved gases sucked in or deliberate let in by your water supplier)
I have made the observation that the NWC actually makes more money during periods of water lock-off than when there is a constant supply of water, due mainly to the fact that the consumer do not understand how their water supply system works.
For those who are metered, the meter will move as fluid (water) or air passes through the meter. The meter in turns gives any approximate measure as to the amount of fluid that is consumed by the home owner and you pay for what is registered on the meter.
What most householders are not aware of is that the water meter spins as much as 4-5 times as fast when a pipe is open and there is no water flow that when water is actually flowing.
Let me explain this a little more. The meter needles turns a rate at which approximates to the fluid flows past the meter actuator. Therefore the more you open your pipe the greater the rate of flow of the water(air), hence the faster the meter turns resulting in big changes in the meter reading in short period of time.
So at low flow rate of say 5 gallons per minute (gpm) means you would have used 5 gallons in one minute and hence you are billed for that.
If you increase the rate of flow to 10gpm, then you would have used 10 gallons in the same minute and hence you are billed for 10 gallons.
Here is the where the water commission rips into you. When you leave that pipe open to ensure you know when water has arrived, you end up being billed for “air” which is flowing through the pipe at a rate which is up to 4 times greater than when you actually have water flowing through the same pipe.
So lets say the max rate of flow from your pipe when fully opened is 10gpm with water, with air that works out to be 40 gpm !!!
So at a rate of $1 per gallon, you would pay $10 per minute when you have water and an amazing $40 per minute without water.
How do you stop them.
1. Keep your pipes off during the period of water lock off, do NOT leave them open.
2. Keep your toilet tank full. This is the area that you are likely to pay dearly as an empty tank will have the float ball down, thus allowing a constant flow of air into the tank, which you will be billed for, the flow stops when the tank is filled with water.
3. If you have a water tank connected to your mains with a float valve, shut off that valve when water is locked off. It operates on the very same principle as the toilet and combined they will “kill” you. The problem here is that you would like to get your tank full as soon as the water is back, so you will have to decide which is the most cost-effective method for you. If you place a fluid non-return valve on your inlet line it could reduce the airflow, as these values typically need fluid to get it to open.
So the next time you get a big bill and you where out of water, just remember that you paid for a whole lot of air, and NWC will move to collect
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZvi37aF89Q
This is the other video that is worth viewing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV32AdruH0o
High energy cost means energy conservation scams
With the high cost of electricity we will see many individuals and companies offering some “magic” device or black boxes which are designed to save you energy.
We have checked out some of these devices and even though the principles suggested by some actually are valid, none of then is designed to save the residential customer any electricity, in fact some were found to actually increase your light bill.
Lets list a few of these devices and cost in US$
WattsZDog Power Saver 1200. This is reported to saving 10 – 35% in your electricity cost. Price US$220.00 (J$18,920) or close to $30,000 when you add shipping ,duty and mark up.
The fact is if you decide to purchase this device you will not save a dime and would have lost all your money, why do I suggest this.
The device is said to store energy that would have otherwise been wasted by your induction motor which are typically used for your washing machines, pumps etc.
The device picture above is seen to reduce the overall amps of your power supply system and there is the trick, as a reduction in amps(current) does not mean a reduction in your Kwh usage and here is why.
In a power supply system you have the following, Volts (V), Current (A), Power Factor (pf), KW , KVA & KVAR.
KW = Kilowatts and is what you pay for per unit of time (h) to give you kwh.
KVA= KiloVolt Ampere or Apparent Power
KVAR = KiloVoltamp Reactive = Reactive Power.
To avoid become too technical we will limit our focus to KVA, KW, V, I and PF
Power Factor is the angle between apparent power and real power and is mathematically shows as follows KW/KVA = PF or KW = KVA x pf
Now KVA = V x I /1000 ( K = 1000).
Assumptions for your power system
Volt = 120
Current = 5a
Power Factor pf = 0.80
KW = V x I x pf = 120 x 5 x 0.80 = 480w 0r 480/1000 = 0.480 kw
Now lets say you install one of these devices above and your current moves from 5A to 4.5A does that mean you are now saving 10% in your electricity cost, if you think so you are dead wrong, here is why.
Volts = 120
Current = 4.5A
Power Factor has moved up and would now be 0.88
.480 = 120 x 4.5 x PF >> PF = .480/(120 x 4.5) = 0.88
KW = V x A x PF ( KW is constant), so your power factor is what the boxes above changes resulting in a lower current being registered. Many persons are mislead to believe that once your current reading goes down you are automatically saving energy, but that is plain wrong.
The result of installing one of these devices will actually drive the cost of your electricity up as the devices shown here in the pictures consumes energy which is wasted as heat in the device, which you will have to pay for.
So instead of saving money you will endup not only spending $30k for a black box but you will in fact see an increase in your electricity bill. There are some folks who will swear they have saved , but what occurs in that by virtue of installation of the device, persons then go change there energy usage pattern, resulting in lower bills.
The reduction is by virtue of their action and has nothing to do with the device which was installed.
So don’t spend your money on anyone of these instead use common sense to reduce your electricity bill. I will be providing you such tips as we go along as well as some other ideas to keep your usage and actual utility bill down.
People either save or waste energy !!
We have checked out some of these devices and even though the principles suggested by some actually are valid, none of then is designed to save the residential customer any electricity, in fact some were found to actually increase your light bill.
Lets list a few of these devices and cost in US$
WattsZDog Power Saver 1200. This is reported to saving 10 – 35% in your electricity cost. Price US$220.00 (J$18,920) or close to $30,000 when you add shipping ,duty and mark up.
The fact is if you decide to purchase this device you will not save a dime and would have lost all your money, why do I suggest this.
The device is said to store energy that would have otherwise been wasted by your induction motor which are typically used for your washing machines, pumps etc.
The device picture above is seen to reduce the overall amps of your power supply system and there is the trick, as a reduction in amps(current) does not mean a reduction in your Kwh usage and here is why.
In a power supply system you have the following, Volts (V), Current (A), Power Factor (pf), KW , KVA & KVAR.
KW = Kilowatts and is what you pay for per unit of time (h) to give you kwh.
KVA= KiloVolt Ampere or Apparent Power
KVAR = KiloVoltamp Reactive = Reactive Power.
To avoid become too technical we will limit our focus to KVA, KW, V, I and PF
Power Factor is the angle between apparent power and real power and is mathematically shows as follows KW/KVA = PF or KW = KVA x pf
Now KVA = V x I /1000 ( K = 1000).
Assumptions for your power system
Volt = 120
Current = 5a
Power Factor pf = 0.80
KW = V x I x pf = 120 x 5 x 0.80 = 480w 0r 480/1000 = 0.480 kw
Now lets say you install one of these devices above and your current moves from 5A to 4.5A does that mean you are now saving 10% in your electricity cost, if you think so you are dead wrong, here is why.
Volts = 120
Current = 4.5A
Power Factor has moved up and would now be 0.88
.480 = 120 x 4.5 x PF >> PF = .480/(120 x 4.5) = 0.88
KW = V x A x PF ( KW is constant), so your power factor is what the boxes above changes resulting in a lower current being registered. Many persons are mislead to believe that once your current reading goes down you are automatically saving energy, but that is plain wrong.
The result of installing one of these devices will actually drive the cost of your electricity up as the devices shown here in the pictures consumes energy which is wasted as heat in the device, which you will have to pay for.
So instead of saving money you will endup not only spending $30k for a black box but you will in fact see an increase in your electricity bill. There are some folks who will swear they have saved , but what occurs in that by virtue of installation of the device, persons then go change there energy usage pattern, resulting in lower bills.
The reduction is by virtue of their action and has nothing to do with the device which was installed.
So don’t spend your money on anyone of these instead use common sense to reduce your electricity bill. I will be providing you such tips as we go along as well as some other ideas to keep your usage and actual utility bill down.
People either save or waste energy !!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Energy Conservation Methods
With the increasing cost on energy in Jamaica, it is imperative that we make changes in our life style in order to reduce our overall consumption and hence energy bills. I have listed below some practical steps which have proven to work. Now with everything in life we have choices, we either continue what we are doing today and continue to cry at our bills from JPS, our we can make some changes and stop putting more money that we absolutely have to in the hands of JPS.
1. Firstly make sure you are not being taken for a ride by the meter reading which means you absolutely must learn how to read your meter. You want to pay only for what you consume, not just what the meter reader stay from out your gate and record.
2. The item in your home which consumes the most electricity is more than likely your refrigerator which runs 24hrs per day. This is one of your biggest opportunity for energy savings.
Quite a bit of refrigerator comes with a moisture control switch, it has two position, one which says " reduce moisture" and the other says " energy savings". This switch is meant to reduce moisture by the door and between the freezer and refrigerator door.
Switching off this on your refrigerator can save up to 1Kwh per day or 30kwh/mth.
3. Your water heater (30/40 gals) are rated between 4kw and 4.5kw which means they consume around 4kwh. Now lets say the heater is powered 24hrs per day, it does not mean it consumes 24 x 4kwh, but instead the cumulative time the heater runs would probably be 25 % of the 24hrs per day. Your water heater is operated via a thermostat, which shuts off the heating element when the preset temperature setting is reached. Typically this is factory set to 120 deg F.
So your 40Gal heater would probably consume 0.25 x 24 x 4 = 24 Khw/day or 720Kwh/mth
First I used to switch on my heater in the early morning before I go for a shower, then switch it off immediately after showering. It would not then be switched on until around dinner time to allow for hot water for washing the dishes and showering.
Even with that I would forget and so I simply turned if off permanently, so I never have to worry about it.
WATER HEATER CONSUMPTION = 0 Kwh/day.
Initially I thought how would I be able to bathe so early in cold water, but hey I got used to it.
How about hot water for dishes, well I did two things here. First during meal preparation there is quite a bit of heat that is lost from your stove via radiation and convection. To use this "waste" heat I place a pot containing water next to the burners that are on. The water absorbs the waste heat, which is good enough to rinse grease from the dishes. If no cooking is taking place a pot of water on the burner will be hot within two minutes which saves significant amount of energy when compared to electrical heating!
4. Air Conditioning is really nice to have and my 9000 BTU/hr unit really kept me cool between 10pm when I go to bed and 5am when I wake for work.
A 9000 Btu/hr unit is rated at approximately 2.6 Kwh so over the time that I am sleeping and needs the comfort of cool air I am consumption approx 9kwh per day. I am working on the fact that the compressor which consumes the most power runs 50% of the time. This could be higher if you lose temperature via, doors, windows, floor , roofing etc.
I switched off the darned thing and bought a standing fan which is rated at 65w or 0.065Kwh. In so doing I have moved my cooling from 270Kwh/ mth to only (0.065 x 7 x 30) 13.65 Kwh/mth.
5. TV, Dvd player, cable box and other electronic devices use vampire power or standby power. I plug all these into a surge protector and switch off that switch when I am not at home. The saving here is small and is around 7.5kwh per mth.
6. I replaced my desktop computer consisting of a 19" CRT monitor and CPU tower with a laptop computer, the desktop tower and monitor combined are rated in the region of 350w. The laptop consumer roughly 65W for a savings 81.5%. Now I needed a replacement PC and opted for a laptop instead ie I did not just purchase for energy savings. So my consumption per mth for computer moved from 52.5 Kwh to just 9.75 Kwh ie down by 42.75 kwh.
Folks the above methods have cut my bills by more than 50% and the fact is I have really not given up too much in order to keep more money in my pocket.
The question is are you willing to give up anything, in exchange for lower energy bills.
There is what you call the the "suffering price" ie the price are you willing to pay to keep JPS out of your pocket, that is your "suffering price".
Note: Wives love hot water and so you may take a beating for switching off (permanently) the heater.
What you can do here is to set back the thermostat on your heater from the factory setting on 120 deg F to between 99 -109 deg F, most people will not be able to tell the difference here.
What this does is allows you to reach your desired temperature ealier that at 120 def F, which allows your heater to switch off earlier this saving some energy.
Good luck.
1. Firstly make sure you are not being taken for a ride by the meter reading which means you absolutely must learn how to read your meter. You want to pay only for what you consume, not just what the meter reader stay from out your gate and record.
2. The item in your home which consumes the most electricity is more than likely your refrigerator which runs 24hrs per day. This is one of your biggest opportunity for energy savings.
Quite a bit of refrigerator comes with a moisture control switch, it has two position, one which says " reduce moisture" and the other says " energy savings". This switch is meant to reduce moisture by the door and between the freezer and refrigerator door.
Switching off this on your refrigerator can save up to 1Kwh per day or 30kwh/mth.
3. Your water heater (30/40 gals) are rated between 4kw and 4.5kw which means they consume around 4kwh. Now lets say the heater is powered 24hrs per day, it does not mean it consumes 24 x 4kwh, but instead the cumulative time the heater runs would probably be 25 % of the 24hrs per day. Your water heater is operated via a thermostat, which shuts off the heating element when the preset temperature setting is reached. Typically this is factory set to 120 deg F.
So your 40Gal heater would probably consume 0.25 x 24 x 4 = 24 Khw/day or 720Kwh/mth
First I used to switch on my heater in the early morning before I go for a shower, then switch it off immediately after showering. It would not then be switched on until around dinner time to allow for hot water for washing the dishes and showering.
Even with that I would forget and so I simply turned if off permanently, so I never have to worry about it.
WATER HEATER CONSUMPTION = 0 Kwh/day.
Initially I thought how would I be able to bathe so early in cold water, but hey I got used to it.
How about hot water for dishes, well I did two things here. First during meal preparation there is quite a bit of heat that is lost from your stove via radiation and convection. To use this "waste" heat I place a pot containing water next to the burners that are on. The water absorbs the waste heat, which is good enough to rinse grease from the dishes. If no cooking is taking place a pot of water on the burner will be hot within two minutes which saves significant amount of energy when compared to electrical heating!
4. Air Conditioning is really nice to have and my 9000 BTU/hr unit really kept me cool between 10pm when I go to bed and 5am when I wake for work.
A 9000 Btu/hr unit is rated at approximately 2.6 Kwh so over the time that I am sleeping and needs the comfort of cool air I am consumption approx 9kwh per day. I am working on the fact that the compressor which consumes the most power runs 50% of the time. This could be higher if you lose temperature via, doors, windows, floor , roofing etc.
I switched off the darned thing and bought a standing fan which is rated at 65w or 0.065Kwh. In so doing I have moved my cooling from 270Kwh/ mth to only (0.065 x 7 x 30) 13.65 Kwh/mth.
5. TV, Dvd player, cable box and other electronic devices use vampire power or standby power. I plug all these into a surge protector and switch off that switch when I am not at home. The saving here is small and is around 7.5kwh per mth.
6. I replaced my desktop computer consisting of a 19" CRT monitor and CPU tower with a laptop computer, the desktop tower and monitor combined are rated in the region of 350w. The laptop consumer roughly 65W for a savings 81.5%. Now I needed a replacement PC and opted for a laptop instead ie I did not just purchase for energy savings. So my consumption per mth for computer moved from 52.5 Kwh to just 9.75 Kwh ie down by 42.75 kwh.
Folks the above methods have cut my bills by more than 50% and the fact is I have really not given up too much in order to keep more money in my pocket.
The question is are you willing to give up anything, in exchange for lower energy bills.
There is what you call the the "suffering price" ie the price are you willing to pay to keep JPS out of your pocket, that is your "suffering price".
Note: Wives love hot water and so you may take a beating for switching off (permanently) the heater.
What you can do here is to set back the thermostat on your heater from the factory setting on 120 deg F to between 99 -109 deg F, most people will not be able to tell the difference here.
What this does is allows you to reach your desired temperature ealier that at 120 def F, which allows your heater to switch off earlier this saving some energy.
Good luck.
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