Electruic rates in Maine (Bangor, Eastport: insurance, buy, prices)

[starwalker]

I don't use my dryer except in a real emergency... maybe once a month or so, on heat and no more than once a week just on air, to help remove pet hair from my work clothes.

Despite having the same number and type of electric appliances as in NC (fridge, freezer, hot water heater are the biggies) turning off things when not in use, etc. our bill here is seldom below $100 a month and in NC it was never more than around $50, even when running a woefully inefficient heat pump heater or several small window AC units.

Our freezer and fridge, the same size as in NC, are even new energy efficient ones, too...

[Three Wolves In Snow]

Originally Posted by Bydand

Is that the electricity rate or the delivery rate? Maine power companies list those separately, so be careful you are looking at the true cost per Kw/H and not just one part.

THAT'S what that is! I couldn't figure out why I had two charges on my bills. I started to think they were billing me for what they thought I was going to use. Didn't make a lick of sense.

Electricity is higher here than it was when I lived in Seattle but seems much cheaper than it was when I lived in Miami.

But that split up charge thing throws me off. Even if I'm not really getting ripped off, (which I probably am), it makes me FEEL like I'm getting ripped off.

[Three Wolves In Snow]

Originally Posted by starwalker

I don't use my dryer except in a real emergency... maybe once a month or so, on heat and no more than once a week just on air, to help remove pet hair from my work clothes.

Despite having the same number and type of electric appliances as in NC (fridge, freezer, hot water heater are the biggies) turning off things when not in use, etc. our bill here is seldom below $100 a month and in NC it was never more than around $50, even when running a woefully inefficient heat pump heater or several small window AC units.

Our freezer and fridge, the same size as in NC, are even new energy efficient ones, too...

That's strange. I run the washer and dryer about twice a month, three loads a piece each time, I had an a/c in the summer, (mostly for the ambiance...I lived in Miami for 6 years, what do you expect), and then when it started to get a little chilly, the space heater was on for a couple months. I do the dishes in hot water and let it run while I do them, (daily), I take long showers with, again, hot water, I have an aquarium going with two heaters, a filter, an air stone, two lights, 24/7 (except the lights get turned out after 12 hours), I have the t.v. on all day long whether I'm there or not, I have a fan in my bedroom going, all day long, whether I'm there or not, I'm charging a million things at once, the laptop gets plugged in and on any time I'm home and I have a 7 cu ft chest freezer plugged in and on, 24/7 as well as the fridge as well as nightlights all over the house that stay on, 24/7 because once the lights DO go out, I like the low lighting.

And yet my bill is around $40-50 a month.

[bangorme]

Originally Posted by kellysmith

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In Maine if you are on Bangor Hydro it will cost you 8.33 cents for delivery.

MPUC: Electricity: Delivery Rates

Unless someone is paying you to take their power, I don't see how you get it delivered for 8.2 cents.

MPUC: Standard Offer Rates for Bangor Hydro Electric

From these prices it would appear you will pay Bangor hydro 8.2 cents for the power and 8.33 for delivery. PA looks to be about 8 cents total, so I think you will find you bill in Maine about double for the same amount of power.

Do we have a choice in Bangor? Anyone know how to find out our choices?

[Zarathu]

Apparently there are four biggie investor owned companies, and several smaller cooperatives: Maine Public Service, Eastern Maine Electyric Cooperative(including Corinth), Bangor Hydro Electric, and Central Maine Power. All of these own the power distribution lines, and you have to pay for the delivery from them. But you can choose a generation company from among a whole bunch for each in your area. These prices may be more or less than the the main company. Bangor Electric's deliver rate is about $.0622 per kw/h + .082= $.144 total. This is just slightly hgiher than PA's rates.

You can choose your supplier or go with the actual power company of the delivery. Most of the suppliers can't gbet close to the price of the company, at least with Bangor Hydro.

Corinth is served by Eastern Maine Electric Cooperative and the delivery cost $.0760 , and the standard offer rate is $.0915= for a total rate of $0.1675

Bangor Electric has a delivery rate of $.062, and a generation rate of $.082 for a total of $.144.

Muck around here: MPUC: Electricity

[bangorme]

According to their website, Electricity Maine offer this rate:
Residential & Small Business
Electricity Supply Offer Rate:
7.99 cents / kWh

This appears to be a little cheaper than the standard rate. I couldn't find any other suppliers for Bangor Hydro customers.

[taiinuk12]

The rate does not bother me, but when i called for tree branch near the electric wire, i have to pay to have them cut. i have the trench dug and ask them to drop the wire and reconnect to house, they said they don't do that, they can have some one do it, i have to pay for new wire and all parts needed. i have the same thing done in Miami, FPL charged me 2 man hour $100 per hour, here in Maine in end up cost almost $3000.00 for the exact same job, both under 100 feet from the house, not including digging trench.

[Zarathu]

Is the tree branch sitting on your electric wire? Or is it near the wire.

If its near the wire, and you have electric service, then there is no reason why Bangor should have to pay for your elected choice of avoiding some future outage that may never happen. As to digging a hole for you, everyone will have to pay for that little service which means digging a 5 foot deep trench with a backhoe, runing wire that costs 10 bucks a foot in the hole, all for something that you simply want to have done, but which is not necessary for you to have electrical power.

[RiverBird]

Originally Posted by Zarathu

Anyways, I looked up the killiwatt hour cost according tgo the Maine PUC from october 2011 to march 2012, and found it to be a whopping $0.082 per kw/h.

Then I looked up the rates in PA that I've been paying for years and found that they were only $0.89 per kw/h.

Zarathu, you made it, congratulations!!!

.08 cents is far, far less than .89 cents...don't get what you're saying...???

[RiverBird]

Originally Posted by kellysmith

From what I see, I think you've misplaced a decimal with the PA rates.

http://www.oca.state.pa.us/Industry/.../ElecGuide.pdf

Most seem to run around 8 cents per kwh.

In Maine if you are on Bangor Hydro it will cost you 8.33 cents for delivery.

MPUC: Electricity: Delivery Rates

Unless someone is paying you to take their power, I don't see how you get it delivered for 8.2 cents.

MPUC: Standard Offer Rates for Bangor Hydro Electric

From these prices it would appear you will pay Bangor hydro 8.2 cents for the power and 8.33 for delivery. PA looks to be about 8 cents total, so I think you will find you bill in Maine about double for the same amount of power.

Yes, the rate is closer to what I pay in Mass. Hence, I do not use a dryer. Any appliance that heats up--cook stove, water heater, dryer, oven, iron, electric heater, is going to cost bigtime.

I have heated my house 90% with wood for many years. I do my wash at night and hang it up on racks in the same room at night, perfectly dry by morning and much needed moisture to the air as a bonus. In summer, the racks are on the deck. In prolonged periods of rain, I wash the fewest clothes possible and bring a basket to the local laundromat to dry. I use my dryer only for maybe 3 min. to take wrinkles out of already dried jeans. You will find you don't really need a dryer if you work it this way. I buy a lot of cotton "stretch" fabrics in pants esp, these dry soft and keep their shape. Hang up washed clothes on hangers immediately out of the washer. My mother raised 4 kids and never had a dryer in her life, by choice. Of all the appliances to be had, a dryer (and dishwasher, imo) are the least needed. Great $ savings, and self-reliance in an age of power outages and high costs.

Edited to add: my previous location rate was a total of 18 cents including delivery. It is now 14 cents total. In some places there may still be a zone of time usage (late night) where the cost is less.