what on earth does electricity cost near you?

[Diggin It]

Who knew the lions share of electricity is distribution and no longer generation?

I can easily see that. Poles and wire aren't cheap. Add in all the technology involved in remote reading and system monitoring, plus the potential replacement parts they need to have on hand. Then the cost of road equipment (those boom trucks ain't cheap either), staffing and training, plus insurance for everything above.


Our power has gone out a few times in recent months due to storms. Those crews get out into the thick of it and have brought our power back in a few hours in the middle of the night while the storm is still happening.


I have no idea what a journeyman lineman makes these days, but I'm pretty sure it's a bit more than minimum wage.

 

[DarkBlack]

I can easily see that. Poles and wire aren't cheap.

Not trying to be a wise guy, but wood poles, actually are cheap. The absolute cheapest.
Hence, we have so many disruptive outages, which wouldn’t have happened if more money was spent on buried lines

 

[ponytug]

I can easily see that. Poles and wire aren't cheap. Add in all the technology involved in remote reading and system monitoring, plus the potential replacement parts they need to have on hand. Then the cost of road equipment (those boom trucks ain't cheap either), staffing and training, plus insurance for everything above.


Our power has gone out a few times in recent months due to storms. Those crews get out into the thick of it and have brought our power back in a few hours in the middle of the night while the storm is still happening.


I have no idea what a journeyman lineman makes these days, but I'm pretty sure it's a bit more than minimum wage.

Around here starting is $120k/yr, plus overtime. As they are locally chronically short staffed, the average is $225k-ish.

Then again on the job risks are more than paper cuts...

 

[DarkBlack]

I have no idea what a journeyman lineman makes these days, but I'm pretty sure it's a bit more than minimum wage.

You should look it up. Im curious..
In NH, a licensed journeyman makes a lot better wage than minimum wage.

 

[KennyG]

Not trying to be a wise guy, but wood poles, actually are cheap. The absolute cheapest.
Hence, we have so many disruptive outages, which wouldn’t have happened if more money was spent on buried lines

Buried lines are great in a subdivision with a few dozen houses. The problem is main lines that carry a high current. That generates a lot of heat and underground lines eventually overheat unless you provide cooling or increase the wire size.

 

[DarkBlack]

Buried lines are great in a subdivision with a few dozen houses. The problem is main lines that carry a high current. That generates a lot of heat and underground lines eventually overheat unless you provide cooling or increase the wire size.

Seriously? Buried lines Can carry a lot more than the power for a few dozen houses.
That’s

 

[newbury]

Heat to 60 and cool to 80.

Well I thought I had posted more than that quote in this thread, but didn't find it in the first 200 posts..
I've one house in the TVA region.
Our residential rates just climbed again.
There is now a flat monthly rat of $19.58 and then it's $0.11667 per KWH.

Tombigbee’s historic rate increases are set out below
• 10/01/03- 2.31%
• 10/01/05- 1.55%
• 10/01/06- 2.01%
• 10/01/08- 2.46%
• 10/01/09- 1.32%
• 10/01/18- 1.51%
• 10/01/22- 0.50%
• 10/01/23 – 4.0%
• 10/01/24 – 1.5%

With rates like that alternative energy has to be awful cheap, including maintenance.
Thankfully my cost of living increase on my CSRS retirement have far outpaced the rising cost of electricity. Taxes on land are not too bad either.

 

[KennyG]

Seriously? Buried lines Can carry a lot more than the power for a few dozen houses.
That’s

You can put any amount of power through and underground line, but the cost goes up drastically as you increase the capacity. The lines have to be larger, the insulation is much more expensive, and a certain point, the lines need to be in some type of conduit that provides cooling.

 

[Diggin It]

This area is heavily wooded in some areas and lines cross multiple roads, rivers and streams. Underground ain't happenin'.

 

[Looking4new]

The same goes for here. My juice is underground from the pole to the house. I am a full acre back from the road behind an acre of forest.

 

[ultrarunner]

In 1977 utility was paid to underground some distance to new home.

The last 5 years 3 breaks Utility repaired but last time I will need to replace as line is failing…

 

[dfkrug]

In 1977 utility was paid to underground some distance to new home.

The last 5 years 3 breaks Utility repaired but last time I will need to replace as line is failing…

What do you suppose caused the break inside the conduit? I assume copper and not aluminum.

 

[grsthegreat]

Back in 1977 they generally didnt use conduit. It was direct burial.

 

[dfkrug]

Back in 1977 they generally didnt use conduit. It was direct burial.

That would explain a breakage.

Primary distribution (12KV) around the Bay Area is mostly aluminum AFAIK, but copper secondaries (240V). Were both Al and Cu direct-buried for both primaries and secondaries?

 

[Portuguese Farmer]

78€ monthly

 

[JeepHead]

We pay roughly $120 a month for electric 1800sf home, 4 people, but we have gas furnace, water heater, and fireplace. That includes all the electric that my shop uses which I am working in every day of the week.

 

[dodge man]

We just got our bill, an all electric home with geothermal. Our bill was $183, which if you add in all the fees comes out to $0.20 a kWh. The “facility charge” is $75 which I think is the same every month. We used 886 kWh that billing period with the heat not running a lot. We were also gone a week on vacation this last month too.

 

[Windblown]

2700sq ft house. Just me and the dog anymore. Gas for the stove and supplementary heat if needed during the winter. Heat pump. Woodstove. It's spring so not a lot of heat or AC required. April bill was $105.45 for 622kw used, roughly 17 cents per KW.

 

[ultrarunner]

Seeing 20 cents and less kW pricing that is about 1/3 of my California rate is still eye opening.

 

[LouNY]

Dang we used 1232 KWH last month at 20.6 cents per kwh.