What Is Your Cost Per Kilowatt Hour For Electricity?

[toggleswitch2]

You say to-MAY-to, I say to-MAH-to. Or in Greek the expression is "His name is not John, it's Johnny".

You say the third hole in an American dryer outlet is a neutral, I say it is a ground. It actually functions as both.

In my city the ground and the neutral are cross-connected in the main-circuit breaker box. This is to ensure that the neutral, although carrying current, has a (very near) zero measured voltage to ground/earth.

When only three prongs and conductors are used the dryer's neutral and ground share a condutor and prong,and indeed the
frame of the machine (per old code in my area) is connected to the third conductor.

The only places in homes I have seen a shared neutral/ground are older connectons of electric stoves and electric dryers.

oh and (larger) Nirht American electric hot water heaters have no need for a neutral either- they are strictly 208/220v and don't use 110v at all.

 

[sudsmaster]

I understand, but treating a neutral as a ground can be dangerous, in the case where the bonding at the panel fails or there is a break in the neutral before the panel. Then the wire gets hot whenever the switch on the appliance is on.

Polarized two prong plugs were introduced in order to try to make things safer, by ensuring that the hot wire in 110 volt devices was always easily identifiable - but a neutral still carries just as much current as the hot when the device is on. A ground wire is not supposed to carry any current except when there is a short to chassis/cabinet/ground in the system.

 

[westyslantfront]

On my monthly bill from TEP or Tucson Electric Power, there is a variable charge of about $5.00 per month that is called
"Green Service Charges". On calling TEP, they gave a totally
unintelligible explanation as to what "Green Service Charges" are for. Sounds like another green rip off to me. I am also awaiting the "Carbon Charges". So who is benefitting from this?

Ross

 

[mistereric]

CJP&L

Central Jersey Power & Light for march charged me $0.16 for a KWH. Includes both generation and delivery.

Cooler months are about $35, with a gas dryer, water heater, stove and furnace. Usually line dry in good weather.

 

[westie2]

My city owns all the power lines and substations and buys the electricity.

If you have gas and electric the rate year round is .07546 per KWH

If you are total electric you rate is:

.07453 summer months and .03427 for winter months.

Our tash pickup rate is dropping starting this month (June) by $2.50 or more for homes and much more for commerical due to our trash being taken to Tulsa, Oklahoma to be burnt to create steam for power and for use in buildings.

 

[twintubdexter]

OINK!

I waited to get my latest electric bill before looking at everyone's rates. Here in the desert we pay .08 for the first 352 kWh, .11 for the next 100 kWh, and the following 3 tiers are all at .19 for "winter" rates. You are allowed slightly more power at the lower rates for the summer. We had a very warm period last month with some triple digit temps. How convenient to still be in the winter category. Southern California Edison must think all that sand out there is snow. With two central air systems (replaced last year with energy star stuff plus this fairly new home is very energy efficient) I managed to use a whopping 1,837 kWh. The charge along with all the extras was $318. I feel like a real energy pig. When I was a kid in the SF Bay Area, Pacific Gas & Electric wanted you to have electric everything. The rate structure was reversed, the more power you used the lower the cost per kWh, but then doctors made house calls too.

 

[sudsmaster]

Joe,

Have you thought of photovoltaic panels on your roofing? Palm Springs sounds like an ideal place for that sort of thing... if you can afford the capital outlay that is.

 

[frigilux]

Joe---Traditionally, in my area of the country (Minnesota), a person wanted all natural gas appliances, because gas was considerably cheaper than electricity. This is especially true of furnaces and water heaters, which are the biggest energy users during most of the year. That has certainly changed!

When I bought my house 7 years ago, my "Even Pay" monthly charge for natural gas was $49 dollars. That amount has been bumped up nearly every year, to my current charge of $132 per month. And I keep my house at 64 degrees during the winter.

 

[launderess]

Miele Washing Machines for North America

Some early models, could run on either 120v/220v, or 120v only.

By the time the 1900 series came along, all Miele washing machines for sale in North America were 120v/220v. This is because some parts such as the pump, ran on 120v power, whilst 220v was required for the heater (normally two 1500 watt elements, for 3000 watts total power. Motors could either be 220v or 120v. Am told some Miele washing machines had or have transformers in them, but do not quote me on this.

Miele never sold a "European style" wired washing machine for North America, that is one which would run on pure 220v power, which is why one cannot run these Miele units on a step-up converter. However other Miele 220v appliances such as the ironer can be run on 220v power from a converter, long as one has the thing plugged into a proper circut, and it is large enough to provide about 3KW of power.

Miele now only sells 120v (110v if one likes), washing machines for the USA market, however IIRC, the heating element is under 1200watts.

 

[seamusuk]

One for Toggles

A Keymeter and charging "Key"

 

[seamusuk]

Nice tidy wiring lol!!

Its so complicated looking because its a "twin contactor" meter- ie it has a normal output and an off peak only/storage heating one. The off peak rate(under half the normal rate) applies for 7 hours overnight/early morning and applies to all power used - can you guess when my dryer gets used lol!!

Seamus

 

[sudsmaster]

Thanks Launderess. This helps explain why folks who wire up older Mieles to run on 3 prong American 220 dryer outlets, use the two hots and the neutral, and disregard or re-route the ground wire to a water pipe or conduit ground.

 

[twintubdexter]

sudsmaster & friends

I have considered solar panels since the roof and position of my house couldn't be better. I have friends who have solar power but because of the high demand for air conditioning during the summer (they have 3 central systems) the panels only make a dent in their bill. The winter months are a different story. In addition, by the time I recoup my costs I'd probably be in the bone orchard (cemetary.)

But...I discovered old man Edison made an error on that $318 bill I received. The revised bill is for half the amount. I sure wouldn't want to scare away all the guys and gals who are thinking about moving to Palm Springs. And remember, even when we're in the dead of winter my natural gas bill (2 forced-air furnaces, the water heater, the dryer, the cooktop, the BBQ and sometimes the spa) rarely goes over $50, it was $16 last month. So ya'all come on down.

always choose the twin tub

 

[launderess]

Sudsmaster

In theory many vintage and modern European 220v front loaders would run on US "two wire" 220v, versus the one found in the UK and EU. Main problem obiously is the cycles. IIRC Miele uses motors that will run on either 50hz or 60hz for units shipped to North America.

L.

 

[seamusuk]

Forgot to say...

The black box to the left of the meter contains the main service fuse- this is sealed by the supply company and I believe it rated at 80A. The green/yellow conductor attached to it is the Earth/Ground connection.

Seamus

 

[sudsmaster]

Joe,

$160 is a lot, but nowhere near as bad as $320! I don't have AC for 50 weeks of the year, and my electric bill is generally about $90/month, winter or summer. I blame the fish pond pump for a big chunk of that, but I have a soft spot for those fish . As it is I run the two-speed pump (spa pump) at the lower speed, but I reckon it still uses about 150 watts, or about the same monthly cost as a not so efficient fridge (about 1310 KWh/yr). I'd look for a more efficient pump but the way the system is set up now, I need the higher speed of the current pump to backflush the primary filter.

 

[appnut]

$113.54 for 718 kwh works out to be 15.81 cents/kwh

 

[toggleswitch2]

220v in Europe:
Black (now blue) and red (now brown)
One wire will give you 220v to ground/earth.
The other 0v (or near it) to ground/earth.

220 in North America:
Black and red.
One wire will give you 110v to ground/earth
The other wire will give you 110v to ground earth.
Putting an electrical load between them; the load is getting 220v.

Fuses/circuit-breakers and switches for American 220v are best/safest, and in most cases, required to be double-pole. (i.e. found on both "hots" and simultaneous-acting.)