This has taken a long while, but we finally got a bill that put everything into understanding. I don't see how the power company still manages to do their bullshit games, but whatever. Ultimately, we are helping the environment, if just a tiny bit, so I won't feel too bad as I lube my own ass for the way Austin Electric does its customers.
First off, we are in a large city, how come we have no competition between different electric companies? My folks live in a shitty little town where the students share textbooks in school, yet they can choose from five power companies out there in the freaking desert. There are more mesquite and Cacti than people, yet they get choices? That makes Austin Electric a monopoly, and I wouldn't care, except that in the summer my light bills travel up and over the $600 mark and usually we see a $700 one for August. This was one of the main reasons I signed up for the solar pitch, oh yeah, and I care for the planet.
So the bill we just got is just electric, they have separated the water, wastewater, sewer, and trash to another bill. The bill we saw for the rest of the services was $175 or so and I believe that is high, but we do have two extra people living with us. Today, we got a bill for the light that was $163 and change. We are already committed to paying the solar company an additional $315 for the solar panels. If we add all those numbers, we get $653. That is not what I wanted, but ehh, we are only locked into this for twelve years, then we'll get thirteen years of free solar power. The things have a 25 year warranty, so some day, if I live that long, I may see a discount.
The bill today said that for the month, the solar panels produced 2675KWh versus our house using a total of 3375KWh. When we bought the panels we were told they would produce 85% of our power, the current calculation amounts to about 79%, which is close. I wouldn't argue with anybody we are good about saving electricity, Boy has about 15 things plugged into the wall in his room, Chubs is about the same with all their game systems.
I don't like that the electric company is still using the total power used at 3375, so we goal the way to tier 5 and every tier charges considerably more. For example, if you used up to 500KWh, you would only be charged at like .012345, which is like 1 cent a KWh. Going up to tier 2, gets you to 1000KWh, and that gets charged at .03345, or about 3 cents a KWh, and on and on. After all that, then they take a solar power rebate, this month was $271 based on the 2675KWh produced and a cost of .10 a KWh. Sounds good and I would have come out ahead, but then they have a summer additional charge of $94, and a good neighbor charge of $45 (does that help my neighbors? Fuck that, nobody pays my light bill), and another one for $19. If these additional charges weren't added, I would have come out zero on the power from Austin Energy. I am hoping, that extra $94 goes away once summer ends, in September.
I am not currently happy about getting involved with the solar company. It took almost a year, last August is when we started talking to them. If they would have just sent a dude, I would have told him to beat it, it's what I get for being more patient with the females, specially if they are cute.
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