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)
Sunday, July 31, 2011
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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