| People just can't seem to get past the notion that consumer electricity rates must be constant 24/7 despite enormous expense to make that happen. Time of Use pricing exists in Portland. But it hasn't been done right. Even the utility itself admits: Time of Use is best if you use most of your electricity late at night or on weekends. If not, you will not benefit from this plan. So, unless you want to charge an EV at night, or have "concrete batteries", variable pricing here is dumb. When I discussed the perverse pricing with someone here whose job is literally to promote EVs, that person agreed, saying more or less: "Yeah, I looked into this for myself. I might be able to save $5/month and I might have to pay an extra $35/month." Current fixed price electricity here is 7.2 ¢ per kWh. (plus other charges such as distribution cost). Switch to time of use and pay 14.6 ¢ per kWh between 6 AM and 3 PM, and again between 8 PM and 10 PM. At the peak between 3 PM and 8 PM pay 20 ¢ per kWh. The cheap rate is 4.2 ¢ per kWh, between 10 PM and 6 AM weekdays, and all day on Sunday. Hmmm ... let me see. I can pay 7.2 ¢ all the time ... or I can pay 14.6 ¢ or 20.0 ¢ most of the time ... and get cheap prices when my demand is lowest. Fixed price is a no-brainer decision for most people. They don't give a fuck about the "enormous expense to make that happen"; most people will choose the plan that costs them less per month. https://www.portlandgeneral.com/residential/power-choices/ti... |