Southern California electricity costs are out of whack!
February 26, 2007 | Economy | 
1 comment
In 2006 cost of electricity for the average homeowner went sky high. As a result of deregulation homeowners were put into a rate structure that is completely biased and inaccurate.
The new 5 tier billing system concludes that 580 kilowatt hours is considered average of all SCE customers and uses this as its baseline for establishing what each user pays. Those who use less stay at the $.139 per KWH which is a very small minority. Those who stay within the baseline quota are charged $.159 per KWH which is a 15% increase. However, those with a normal household of 2 adults and 2 children have found it impossible to achieve this and pay as high as $.254 per KWH! That is nearly double what is was last year!
The problem is the baseline quota. It is unrealistic for the average homeowner. It may very well be the average consumption of all SCE customers is 580 KWH but that will include a plethora of small 1 bedroom apartments with minimal square footage…up to one fourth the size of a normal home. It has skewed the results heavily and put an unfair burden on homeowners.
I speak from direct experience. I own a 2500sf home and had my bill double. I do not own a pool or a spa, have gas appliances and heating yet still have found it impossible to come close to the quota. My bill last summer averaged about $750 per month. Even in the winter I average about $300 a month. We have tried everything you can imagine to cut back but the quota is impossible to achieve for a homeowner.
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Honestly I don’t find it hard at all. We have a 1700 sq. ft. house with 4 occupants (2 adults, 2 teens). Our electric bill has never been over $100. I expect this year we will average about 389 KWHs per month.
I don’t think we are doing anything all that special. We use CFL lightbulbs but our electronics are typical.