Sat Mar 09, 2019 12:39 am
I appreciate the reply and information.
The CPUC does exactly what they are told by the utility lobby. This is not a conspiracy, but fact. The largest lobbyists in California are always the utilities. The state’s three big electric utilities together more than doubled their spending on lobbying during 2018. The increase was driven largely by Pacific Gas & Electric, which spent $2.2 million on lobbying — triple what it spent in 2017. Edison, which provides power to much of Southern California, spent $1.3 million lobbying in the first half of 2018 alone —double what it spent in 2017.
Why is it so important for the utilities to lobby the state commissions and politicians so aggressively? So they can maintain their profits and keep the wheel spinning on their industry as renewable energy continues to try to make progress.
That said, it is what it is. We get the government we deserve.
Back on point: I average about 300-400 kwh monthly pulling from the grid. My system generates 30-35 kwh per day in the summer. I have an energy intensive well that supports my 2 acres of irrigation, and a pool. The irrigation, pool, and car charging occurs between 12a-5a. We have altered our lifestyle to avoid energy use between 4p-9p, but some consumption is unavoidable (A/C in August, evening cooking, etc). Does the Tier plan make more sense?
The TOU has been workable, but SDGE keeps moving the goal posts to the point where they will soon shut out any potential savings for solar owners. Shifting the time of use peak period to 4p-9p took the solar customers out of the game. And eventually, SDGE will make the tier pricing so intolerable, everyone will have to jump to TOU.
I appreciate your reference to batteries. The consumer will invest to mitigate the ever increasing electric costs - SDGE will then respond accordingly to that countermeasure. There was public outcry last summer when all the tier based customers blew out their power bills. Local news coverage was pervasive, with hand wringing, shock, and dismay across the board. But nothing changed. SDGE just waited it out and soon it was below the fold.
I looked back at my Tier pricing from 2017 and the rates have increased substantially in the 2019 tables.
It must be nice to run a business (monopoly) with unconstrained price inelasticity. Again, because SDGE answers to no one.