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    Georgia Power Launches New Time of Use (TOU) Residential Options

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    admin
    Published on 02-17-2010 09:46 PM
    6 Comments Comments
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    Last month I got a letter from Georgia Power offering a Time of Use option. Here's how it works:

    October through May, you pay just under 4 cents per kWh
    June through September, Monday through Friday, 2PM to 7PM, you pay just over 17.5 cents per kWh
    Off peak times (nights and weekends), you pay just under 4 cents per kWh

    Details of Time of Use Program

    Here is my take:

    The winter months are about the same for the standard program or the time of use. The standard program is 4.5 cents for the first 650kWh and under 4 cents after that.

    The summer months depend on your habits. The standard program is 4.5 cents for the first 650kWh and then it jumps to 7.5 cents. Your average cost per kWh will end up somewhere in between there depending on how much electricity you use (the more you use during those months, they higher your average cost will be).

    Details of the Standard GA Power Plan

    The "peak" times in the summer are only 5 hours per day, 5 days per week, for 4 months out of the year. Not very many hours. But they're the most expensive hours of the year. Most of your electricity cost comes from your air conditioning. An easy rough way to calculate your A/C expense if you have gas heat is to compare your summer electricity bills to your winter electricity bills. And 2PM to 7PM in the summer are the most expensive hours of the day to run the A/C. The Time of Use program works well if you work during the day and can turn lights off and scale back the A/C. Then turn it back on at 7PM. Otherwise, you're likely to break even or lose with this new deal.

    I can't tell you for sure which plan is best for you. Georgia Power did a good job making both plans fairly even. But I think it is interesting what they're doing. They reach maximum capacity during those hours in the summer, when businesses are all running and A/Cs are cranked up high everywhere. Rather than build new power plants to support demand, why not give incentives to people who can shift their usage to times when the power plants aren't at capacity.

    After lots of assumptions and analysis, I signed up for the program (and agreed to stay on it for 12 months). I think I will save money or at least not lose, but I did it as much out of curiosity as anything. I'll keep you posted on my findings this summer.

    I think in the future though, this program will become the standard, rather than an option. Georgia Power is installing Smart Meters throughout their territories which will make it possible for them to charge everyone the Time of Use rates. I guess in the meantime, we should all think about ways to shift electricity usage to "off peak" hours.
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    1. Electricity
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    Comments 6 Comments
    1. admin's Avatar
      GA Power just sent me another invitation for Nights and Weekends for an apartment I used to live in. But instead of giving me information about my current usage (kwh by hour/day), they just tell me that I can save if I shift more usage towards off-peak hours. If I already have a smart meter and they can bill me based on how much electricity I use each hour of each day, why can't they share that information with me? Then I'd know if it's feasible to shift enough electricity to off-peak hours for me to actually save money.

      Georgia Power, there are free sites that work with the smart meters to show users how much electricity they are using and when. How long until you get on that program and give us the info we need???

      Have you signed up for Georgia Power's Nights and Weekends program? Have you signed up for a similar program in your area? Post your experience! We'd like to hear how your bills have been affected, how you've shifted your usage, and how the nights and weekends program compares to your electric company's standard program.
      Reply
    1. sugarmilljill's Avatar
      I was so interested in this program! Thanks for going to the trouble of posting your experience with this and I'll stay tuned. I appreciated that GA Power was trying to take some kind of measure to encourage conservation.Then I wasn't sure I even had the information I needed to find out if enrolling would be worthwhile for me. The program is a lot more complicated than it needs to be.

      Why doesn't GA Power simply charge less for off-peak usage so people have an incentive to run their dishwashers and washing machines at night when the power costs less? Or do they already do that? Seems so obvious!
      Reply
    1. adam's Avatar
      Quote Originally Posted by sugarmilljill View Post
      I was so interested in this program! Thanks for going to the trouble of posting your experience with this and I'll stay tuned. I appreciated that GA Power was trying to take some kind of measure to encourage conservation.Then I wasn't sure I even had the information I needed to find out if enrolling would be worthwhile for me. The program is a lot more complicated than it needs to be.

      Why doesn't GA Power simply charge less for off-peak usage so people have an incentive to run their dishwashers and washing machines at night when the power costs less? Or do they already do that? Seems so obvious!
      Sugarmilljill: GA Power does what you're talking about. That's the Nights and Weekends program. But not everyone can sign up. You have to have a smart meter which can distinguish between daytime use and night-time use. Get ready. This is going to be more of the norm than the option!
      Reply
    1. Unlichiller's Avatar
      What's Happening i am new on here, I came accross this message board I have found It incredibly accessible and it's helped me out so much. I should be able to give something back & help other users like it has helped me.

      Thanks, Catch You Around
      Reply
    1. admin's Avatar
      Quote Originally Posted by Unlichiller View Post
      What's Happening i am new on here, I came accross this message board I have found It incredibly accessible and it's helped me out so much. I should be able to give something back & help other users like it has helped me.

      Thanks, Catch You Around
      Unlichiller, check out my new article, which contains actual results from the Nights and Weekends program with comparisons to the standard GA Power plan that most people are on. I think you'll be interested to see how much I saved by switching!

      Link Here
      Reply
    1. Unlichiller's Avatar
      Howdy im new here, I came upon this chat board I have found It extremely accessible and it has helped me so much. I should be able to give something back and support other users like its helped me.

      Thanks, See You Later
      Reply