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uwuwotsdps42069 OP t1_j4wbr2r wrote

Reply to comment by degggendorf in Electrical costs are obscene. by uwuwotsdps42069

Propane + forced air heat, propane stove.

Well water

Barely keep any lights on, heat never goes above 66. Don’t use a ton of water. Gone 10+ hours a day. TV runs for maybe a couple hours.

Where does the power go? /shrug

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dupattaluella t1_j4wiwfu wrote

Have you asked the electric company to come look at your meter? Maybe there is something wrong which is causing it to seem like you're using more than you are.

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uwuwotsdps42069 OP t1_j4wjlbw wrote

Yeah that’s what I’m trying to figure out how to do, without calling them since I’m working.

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Maitaiyah t1_j4wqvtt wrote

I did this recently. My electric bills became high when we moved. Neighbors (duplex) and surrounding neighbors bills would be under $100 with pools, hot tubs, etc. running. Our bill would be nearly $300 with no pools, hot tubs, etc.

They came out and had me shut off my electric to the house. Said they didn't understand why my bill was so high, but perhaps the landlord was willing to tear down the walls to make sure the electric wasn't being run from my apartment to the next apartment.

Said good luck! And left. We could have a second company come out and test the electric, at our cost.

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uwuwotsdps42069 OP t1_j4wx01e wrote

Not to laugh at your misfortune, but lol. Isn’t that just Classic utility behavior? I just got off the phone with RIE and they told me that I can switch providers.

I could practically hear this going on over the phone

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Maitaiyah t1_j4x0t93 wrote

I'll allow your laughs! We are in the same situation.

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[deleted] t1_j4x1d74 wrote

RIE makes all its money from delivery (which are where much of the super high charges live). They make little to none off of actual production/generation.

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Status_Silver_5114 t1_j4wyv0x wrote

Yeah. But isn’t that only part of the bill? We have a different provider (green solutions) but it’s still RIE getting a big fat chunk of that.

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degggendorf t1_j4x6tsi wrote

Yes, RIE has a monopoly on distribution, but we can choose our supplier.

Because of RIE's semi-monopoly, there's a Public Utility Council that is supposed to oversee and regulate the amount of profit RIE is allowed to make on the distribution. It was previously 5% profit, but I think it was recently increased to 7.5%, but they don't make it easy to find that rate for some reason.......

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uwuwotsdps42069 OP t1_j4x06el wrote

Probably. My buddy’s brother (what an RI statement) works for one of those companies that “save people money” by helping them switch suppliers, and he said it’s all bullshit.

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Status_Silver_5114 t1_j4x0tzl wrote

Well you can switch suppliers so you can pick a greener mix these guysand get a tax write off as well) but yes there are some less than scrupulous folks out there (is it Arcadia that’s basically the ponzi or are they not around anymore)?

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degggendorf t1_j4x727k wrote

> is it Arcadia that’s basically the ponzi or are they not around anymore

They are around and I use them. I don't know about being a ponzi though, it's more like arbitrage with renewable energy credits which is its own form of semi-scummy, but it's also the best option I've been able to find.

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drnick5 t1_j4yg1g4 wrote

Arcadia is a scheme. Everytime I've looked they make you sign a 1 year deal. But, power adjusts every 6 months with RI energy So Arcadia sends out mailers just after the rate jumps for the winter in October. Saying "your power company just raised your rate! Sign up with us for 4 cents less per kWh!". But what they don't tell you is that rate is locked in for a year. So when April rolls around and RI energy lowers the rate, you'll end up paying Arcadia more.
It's all a sham.

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degggendorf t1_j4yltt1 wrote

That's not how it is for me. No commitment, and I pay the current RIE rate minus 10% every month. I'm signed up with a community solar project though; do they have a different program like you're describing?

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drnick5 t1_j4ymui9 wrote

That's good to hear! It's very possible things changed. I haven't looked in a couple of years now. Is there a maximum Kwh you can use per month? Are there other fees involved? I'm guessing you still pay the distribution and transmission and all the other fees to RI energy but don't pay for generation charges as that's coming from Arcadia?

Would it be possible to see a power bill with your personal info redacted?

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degggendorf t1_j4yo5am wrote

>Is there a maximum Kwh you can use per month?

Not that I'm aware of

>Are there other fees involved?

Nope, just straight RIE bill -10%

>I'm guessing you still pay the distribution and transmission and all the other fees to RI energy but don't pay for generation charges as that's coming from Arcadia?

I only directly pay Arcadia and they handle everything in the background (too much in the background for be, I'd prefer to know more about just how it works). As I understand it, they buy the REC from the solar farm, sell it to RIE, keep some of the difference for themselves, and my payment covers the rest.

>Would it be possible to see a power bill with your personal info redacted?

Sure, I'll grab a copy when I'm on the computer tomorrow. Feel free to remind me if I forget.

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drnick5 t1_j4yolj8 wrote

Thanks for the answers! I appreciate the quick follow up!

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degggendorf t1_j501nge wrote

Here's the statement I get from Arcadia: https://imgur.com/a/psrQEtt

And here's what it looks like from RIE: https://imgur.com/a/HTTdJvJ

Those credits on the account belong to Arcadia, and have been building up since peak solar production over the summer, like if you had solar on your house and were producing more than you consumed. But because it's a community solar project, those credits belong to the solar farm (via Arcadia). So for this month, my $112 payment on a $124 bill went straight to Arcadia and the solar farm, because I/they/we don't owe RIE anything. In other months, my payment would get split between paying a "real" bill with RIE, and going to the solar farm.

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drnick5 t1_j50a3zy wrote

Interesting! This is definitely a different program than what they had before, unless I'm confusing them with another "alternative energy provider" but if I remember last I looked a few years go, they only had wind energy, and it was a locked in rate for the year.

My math at your rate for this month shows you paying 0.2998 cents per KwH factoring in all fees. Using my latest bill, I'm paying about 0.3031 per KwH. So it does seem to be cheaper.

The Data nerd and skeptic in me would love to see this tracked for a full year to make sure it actually is a savings, but it seems great!

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degggendorf t1_j50br84 wrote

> The Data nerd and skeptic in me would love to see this tracked for a full year to make sure it actually is a savings, but it seems great!

The math is always the total RIE charges minus 10%. They don't really have their own separate rate, it's always 10% less than whatever supply+delivery I'd pay RIE.

There are other community solar projects in the state, run by other intermediary companies like Arcadia. I am not sure if any other companies offer a better deal than capturing only 10% savings. I really should look into it more.

This is the official RI OER page for community solar: https://risolarmarketplace.com/

And this is the .gov site with general info and FAQs on the program: https://energy.ri.gov/renewable-energy/solar/community-solar

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drnick5 t1_j50dabc wrote

My only thought, is what happens if they have a low production year. and don't generate enough KwH to give out to their subscribers? I'm going to assume they have some sort of language in their contract to cover their ass.

Still, it does seem like a good deal!

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degggendorf t1_j50fafp wrote

I am not sure what legally binding stuff there is, but the advertised promise was that I will never pay more than RIE charges.

I don't think there's any real way for it to cost more...even if the solar farm output is 0 kWh, then I'm just getting supplied with the default RIE generation mix at the RIE rates.

Which might be something I should clarify...Arcadia is not actually my energy supplier. They are an intermediary that manages community solar projects that buys cheaper solar power from farms, sells it to RIE at market rates, and passes a portion of that savings to the consumer. On paper, my supplier is still RIE.

They are distinct from alternative suppliers like you'd find on this list: https://www.ri.gov/app/dpuc/empowerri/rate_card

edit: it looks like the "smart energy" supplier fits your earlier description...slightly lower advertised rate right now, but a 6 month commitment that will extend into next quarter's RIE rate update which will almost certainly be lower than current...so if you signed up with them, you'd have a slightly-lower rate for now, then be stuck with a higher rate later.

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dupattaluella t1_j4wlu7t wrote

You're probably going to have to call them. Do you get breaks during the day?

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uwuwotsdps42069 OP t1_j4wmhky wrote

I do taxes, so no not during this time of year lol

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dupattaluella t1_j4wna6r wrote

Are you paid hourly or are you salaried?

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uwuwotsdps42069 OP t1_j4wno3c wrote

Salary lol

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Yogurtsamples t1_j4wws9m wrote

Even salaried employees get bathroom and lunch breaks. Last time I called Rhode Island energy I got through in a few minutes and it was like 7pm on a Friday and it was a question about my bill. I think you’ll find time.

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uwuwotsdps42069 OP t1_j4wxrjh wrote

Yeah I was able to squeeze in a Call to them a little while ago. Was expecting a much longer wait time on hold.

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dupattaluella t1_j4wph6f wrote

Then, yeah, you're screwed for now. Maybe your boss would understand and give you time off if you explained the issue. Otherwise, you'll have to wait.

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cheekiewalrus t1_j4yhc1l wrote

Literally just had this problem with our gas meter. Company admitted to guessing, came out and fixed the meter and cut the bill by 2/3rds.

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degggendorf t1_j4wfee8 wrote

Dang yeah idk, it does seem like a lot of electricity disappearing. I work from home and have a couple always-on PCs and media server.

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uwuwotsdps42069 OP t1_j4wmbmk wrote

Yeah I work from home once a week, sometimes twice. And even then, laptop, dock, two monitors, and one set of lights. It’s not like I’m mining crypto or something lol.

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degggendorf t1_j4wnllu wrote

The good news is that presumably your solar array is sized for your current use, so once it's up and running, you can find and plug those holes to use less and sell more back to RIE!

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uwuwotsdps42069 OP t1_j4wo6mw wrote

Yeah I’m projected for 100% offset so I’m looking forward to them being switched on.

I wish they made digital gauges for the breaker panel so I could see how much draw was going to each circuit. Then I could really go and hunt down the problem.

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degggendorf t1_j4wq0lx wrote

They do!!! https://www.energysage.com/energy-products/energy-monitors/

They just clamp around the wire in your panel so you can read each circuit's current without having to actually change any wiring.

Or for even cheaper to just help you go hunting leakages instead of a more permanent install to monitor over time, a clamp meter like this $15 Harbor Freight one would work: https://www.harborfreight.com/digital-clamp-meter-96308.html

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uwuwotsdps42069 OP t1_j4wx68t wrote

Wow thanks you saved me a bunch of trouble searching!

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sbaz86 t1_j4x75q9 wrote

As an electrician, be careful over there. If you make a mistake, you can’t just say sorry and get to retry.

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uwuwotsdps42069 OP t1_j50gqzw wrote

Thanks! I have no plans to zap myself lol. My father used to do electrical on military planes so I’ll have him dust off his tools and come help.

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Nevvermind183 t1_j4wmw54 wrote

Do you have a sump pump always running or dehumidifiers?

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uwuwotsdps42069 OP t1_j4wnv31 wrote

I have a dehumidifier in the basement that I shut off and unplug around oct/Nov every year once it begins to cool.

My suspicion is that my well pump may be running a lot but I have no way of telling.

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wenestvedt t1_j4wr999 wrote

If it plugs in (and isn't hard-wired), you could buy a Kill-A-Watt device and find out for sure.

Some local libraries have them -- see if yours does, then it would be free!

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degggendorf t1_j4x7dz3 wrote

> f it plugs in (and isn't hard-wired)

It legally should be hardwired.

But there are non-contact clamp meters that can measure current without having to change any wiring.

e.g. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Klein-Tools-400-Amp-AC-DC-Digital-Clamp-Meter-Auto-Ranging-CL390/312649921

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wenestvedt t1_j4xb50z wrote

> It legally should be hardwired.

This is a good point. And yet I just stand silently and point at: LANDLORDS.

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degggendorf t1_j4xeemu wrote

Hah, fair. But op said they're installing solar, so I'm guessing they own the building.

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wenestvedt t1_j4xxogl wrote

Oh, totally right! :7)

Honestly, either kind of power meter is a great tool for understanding your energy use.

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Nevvermind183 t1_j4wzjkh wrote

Might be. I have a 3500sqft house with a barn with a loft apartment basically that I use as an office for work every day and my electric bill is around 450 too, but I know I use a lot.

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MT_Photos t1_j4wjobk wrote

Do you have a lot of devices that are constantly drawing electricity even when they're not powered on? Some may be plugged in and not powered on but still adding to your usage

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uwuwotsdps42069 OP t1_j4wkh87 wrote

I mean maybe? Some phone chargers, a computer, a couple tvs. Router, printer. Usual stuff really.

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GotenRocko t1_j4wsdrb wrote

Don't look at the price, compare kwh used to last year. If it's the same amount of electricity then you don't have a problem device it's just the increase in the rate.

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Imaskeet t1_j4xjrih wrote

>Well water

Check for a broken well pump. Those are known for consuming a ton of energy if they malfunction/break.

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uwuwotsdps42069 OP t1_j4xrzgl wrote

That is next on the list!

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clambo14 t1_j4yert3 wrote

You can check the well pump by opening its breaker and watching the pressure gauge to see how long it take pressure to draw down with no faucets on. Toilet and faucet leaks could be a cause - faucets will be obvious, and toilets can be isolated by turning off their water supply valves and watching the tanks.

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