PG&E gouging its customers?

[Sunking]

While it is not a simple solution you can always move to a state where the electric rates are lower if your bill is so high you can't afford to pay it. IMO if your electric bill is high then just about every service and product is also high.

Very very true. In CA I cannot think of one product or service that is less expensive than anywhere else. Well I know a few states have higher electric rates, but those states have the same mindset and politics. Heck last time I was in CA a year ago even McDonalds prices are higher than any other state. Just cannot picture myself in a state you have to pay income tax. Hell today where I live I pay no income tax of any kind and medical is dirt cheap.

[Steve C]

10-12 years until retirement, then I'm outta California. Wish I could afford to go NOW! I completely understand the need for taxes and am willing to pay my fair share. But, with exuberant utility charges, state income tax, Jerry Browns random taxes hikes, etc., it's just too much. Not to mention the politics...which is for a different forum entirely!

[reader2580]

Higher tier rates are found in states that their POCO's can't provide enough power during peak usage so they penalize anyone that uses more. Other states charge less per kWh the more you use because they have a lot of power generation and again others charge the same no matter how much you use.

It doesn't seem to stop most people from running their air conditioner and paying the second or even third tier rates. They just budget for it and a lot of them complain about how high their electric bill is.

A co-worker moved from Minneapolis to Phoenix. He was mentioning that his first electric bill last summer was over $400 and he doesn't have a large house. Even my worst winter heating bill has not even been close to that much. (I don't know if he has tiered rates.)

[J.P.M.]

It doesn't seem to stop most people from running their air conditioner and paying the second or even third tier rates. They just budget for it and a lot of them complain about how high their electric bill is.

A co-worker moved from Minneapolis to Phoenix. He was mentioning that his first electric bill last summer was over $400 and he doesn't have a large house. Even my worst winter heating bill has not even been close to that much. (I don't know if he has tiered rates.)

You want nice, you pay nice.

[jflorey2]

Very very true. In CA I cannot think of one product or service that is less expensive than anywhere else.

Surfing. Good beer. That's about it.

[Kuma]

That is a minimum bill, not a fixed service charge. It was reapproved by the statewide rate reform, not net metering. It applies to all customers, not just solar.

NEM 2 did establish a fee for new solar interconnects.

It is a "daily service charge" of .33 cents per day for NEM 2. It is not a fixed monthly rate. Yes, as previously mentioned, $145 connect fee.

[Sunking]

Surfing. Good beer. That's about it.

Surfing I will give to you. Quit drinking beer long time ago, but when I did, beer was expensive in CA partly due to taxes. But I will say I still enjoy going to CA for vacation. Favorite spot is Morro Bay area. Me and my golf buddies would go to Los Osis. They call that area Poor Man's Pebble Beach.

[J.P.M.]

It is a "daily service charge" of .33 cents per day for NEM 2. It is not a fixed monthly rate. Yes, as previously mentioned, $145 connect fee.

The min. charge == ($120/yr.)/(365 days/yr.) = $10/month ~ = $0.329/day. That daily min. applies to all regular residential customers: tiered, T.O.U, solar, including NEM 1 And NEM 2, and non solar. The AB 327 mandate is $120/yr.

The pre AB 327 daily min. daily rate was $0.17/day, or about half as much, So, only about half the $120/yr. is new.

At this time, the "California Climate Credit" for most residential cust. amounts to about $60/yr., which, if you want to look at it that way, in effect, offsets the additional min. daily charge that AB 327 added.

For SDG & E residential customers special, somewhat lower rates for some disabled residential customers may apply.

There's nothing special about NEM 2 rates with respect to min. monthly charges. Most all residential tariff cust. get it the same.

For residential customers of the big 3 CA IOU POCOS, NEM 2 is not as sweet as NEM 1 due to some portions of the total rates being disallowed with respect to credit for net metering. At this time, at least for SDG & E and probably similarly for the SCE and PG & E customers, that makes NEM 1 a better deal than NEM 2 by about $0.0174/kWh for SDG & E.

BTW, that take away is down from last Aug. when it was $0.0196/kWh., putting NEM 2 a bit closer to NEM 1 in terms of making a PV system cost effective, NEM 1 being the older, sweeter, but unfortunately now closed deal.

[J.P.M.]

Surfing I will give to you. Quit drinking beer long time ago, but when I did, beer was expensive in CA partly due to taxes. But I will say I still enjoy going to CA for vacation. Favorite spot is Morro Bay area. Me and my golf buddies would go to Los Osis. They call that area Poor Man's Pebble Beach.

Pay your money, take your choice. I'm not going back to the northeast cold, snow and clouds that accompany a 6 month winter, and in spite of extraordinary measures, warm, moist climates flare up my athlete's foot something fierce, knocking out places like FL (also known as God's waiting room) and places like Panama, etc. If I could abide the folks in NM, based on climate, sunshine and scenery, that'd be my choice after Death Valley, but SWMBO can't do low desert heat. So, I'm in the land of fruits & nuts and, 14+ yrs. into retirement, living the dream in the belly of the beast that many decry, and perhaps, if the state's population is any indication, many want to get to. The beach is 1/2 hr. away, the desert is 90 min. away, skiing is 90 min. away and my array produces about 80+ % as much energy as if the sky were cloudless all the time.

[SWFLA]

I have the perpetual jungle rot on my feet too. After realizing 12.5% pool bleach didn't do any good I tried ammonia works like a charm. And wear flip-flops all the time to air those dogs out.

[J.P.M.]

I have the perpetual jungle rot on my feet too. After realizing 12.5% pool bleach didn't do any good I tried ammonia works like a charm. And wear flip-flops all the time to air those dogs out.

FWIW, regimin after many years that seems to work for me in dry climates: Spray w/Lotrimin 2x/day, after wash 2X/day w/ Fels Naptha soap and sock changeout. Bare feet never touch anything except bed. CL doesn't work. NH3 doesn't work. All that is still pretty ineffectual in moist climates. Go figure.

[DanKegel]

(hateful spew removed)
What you speak of with respect to rate design starts as a matter of common sense.

Glad you agree.

It's odd, though: folks on this forum express opinions all the time, yet when I do the same, you tear into me as if simply expressing an opinion is a shocking abuse of free speech. You really need to tone down your hate.

[Sunking]

If I could abide the folks in NM, based on climate, sunshine and scenery, that'd be my choice

Santa Fe NM is real nice, own a vacation home there, or I should say my wife does. Very similar place I visit from time to time because I have a few relatives is Prescott AZ. Both are high dessert with moderate climates. Santa Fe does get some snow in winter, not so much in Prescott. Summers in both just dang nice.

As for Panama I mostly agree with you on humidity, and at lower elevations is just miserable year round heat and humidity. But I am at 6000 ASL south of the divide on the Pacific side. We have two weather forecast here. One for Wet Season of highs in the mid 80's, lows in the mid 60's with brief showers in the afternoon. And we have not so Wet Season of highs in the mid 80's, lows in the mid 60's with a chance of late afternoon showers. Now what I really like is we have no daylight savings time here and regardless of what time of year it is, we have 14 hours of daylight. You do not need a watch down here. If you now which way North is, you know what time it is. Between June and December daylight only varies 1 hour. Our showers are outside.

[J.P.M.]

Glad you agree.

It's odd, though: folks on this forum express opinions all the time, yet when I do the same, you tear into me as if simply expressing an opinion is a shocking abuse of free speech. You really need to tone down your hate.

I hate ignorance, especially when it's the self inflicted variety. I tear into your ignorant arrogance and one sided, usually simplistic, preconceived and ill informed ignorant statements masquerading as informed opinion, not you. IMO, most of your stuff is an example of how a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. Seems to me such stuff usually winds up embarrassing you to those who do know something about things you admittedly know little about. I don't tear into you, just your stuff that can get others into trouble if they take your stuff seriously. I simply call B.S. where I think I see it. Told you that a long time ago.

[J.P.M.]

Santa Fe NM is real nice, own a vacation home there, or I should say my wife does. Very similar place I visit from time to time because I have a few relatives is Prescott AZ. Both are high dessert with moderate climates. Santa Fe does get some snow in winter, not so much in Prescott. Summers in both just dang nice.

As for Panama I mostly agree with you on humidity, and at lower elevations is just miserable year round heat and humidity. But I am at 6000 ASL south of the divide on the Pacific side. We have two weather forecast here. One for Wet Season of highs in the mid 80's, lows in the mid 60's with brief showers in the afternoon. And we have not so Wet Season of highs in the mid 80's, lows in the mid 60's with a chance of late afternoon showers. Now what I really like is we have no daylight savings time here and regardless of what time of year it is, we have 14 hours of daylight. You do not need a watch down here. If you now which way North is, you know what time it is. Between June and December daylight only varies 1 hour. Our showers are outside.

Been to both Prescott & Santa Fe. Have friends in Santa Fe. FWIW, I'd take Prescott , but opinions vary.