05-05-2010, 06:21 PM
Sometime during the summer, Ontario is rolling out Smart Metering for electric services. What does that mean? It means that instead of being charged for the amount of electricity we use, the electric company will instead charge us:
$ = (the amount we use) X (time of day bonus multiplier).
Essentially, if you want to use electricity during a "peak hour", your electricity will cost more. So, if you use 1kWh between 2am and 3am it will cost the base price, but if you use 1kWh between 6am and midnight it'll cost (base price)x2.
The reasoning is that "the grid" this apparently sickly dying beast, is under so much burden during "peak hours" that they decided they will now penalize people using electricity during those times.
Yes, obviously, this is, once again, a rate hike disguised by an environmental facade.
Here's some background for those of you who forgot about how electric pricing enraged me last summer:
Basically, for as long as I can remember everyone has been on some kind of mission to use less electricity in order to save the environment. Then, during the cooler than usual summer of 2009 something magical happened. No one really had to use air conditioning.... Therefore, energy usage was lower than usual in Ontario.
Great, less electricity, less strain on "the grid", right? Wrong.
There was a statement made that rates would be promptly increased because they didn't make enough money. People using less electricity = less electricity sold = less revenue, less tax dollars, less less less. So they upped rates, because we weren't consuming enough electricity during the summer.
So, fast forward to this year. Now, the word is that "the grid" would really benefit if from some relief during "peak hours". "Peak hours" refers to times of the day when people are awake. So, basically, they're just upping rates again.
Now, interestingly enough, what uses most of the electricity? Especially during peak hours? Businesses. Want to know when the "smart metering" comes into effect? It's simple really. Roughly the same time when HST (read the fistlog) hits the system. You remember HST, it's a tax shift. Businesses get a small tax break on $500k capital investments, and the price of everything normal people have to buy (gym memberships, petroleum, groceries, cable, internet, cell phone, all services, etc.) gets increased.
So, when Smart Metering and HST both hit, the following will happen:
- people will pay marginally more for electricity
- businesses will pay staggeringly more for electricity
- businesses will pay less for capital investments
- people will pay staggeringly more for everyday purchases on goods and services
I can almost guess what's going to happen. Basically they're going to make some announcement to the tune of "oh no, people aren't using enough electricity during peak hours, we'll just have to raise the rate of the non-peak hour period too".
Freaking make up your minds you faux-environmentalist marketing bastards. Is the grid dying? Does it need to be used more? Less? During what hours does it need to be used more? For those of you who haven't noticed, I'm referring to "the grid" in the same way people mockingly refer to "the economy" when discussing the RETARDERY that went on in North America these past two years. (See South Park episode MartgueritaVille.)
No one knows if we're supposed to be using electricity, or not. Think about it, governments would get RAPED if they didn't get the tax off of electric services. Same deal with gasoline. If we suddenly didn't need fossil fuels the government would be RAAAAAAPED.
Maybe that's why people are having such a hard time accepting things like wind turbines. Like seriously, didn't think it would happen but environmental groups are rallying people *against* wind turbines.
Why? You may ask. Because it ruins NATURE! Apparently it makes migrating birds confused, and somehow does something to fish (if we're talking about the ones standing in lakes.)
So somehow, people have figured out how to turn people into modern-day witch hunters, scared for no apparent reason of something that is supposed to be helping us out.
What we really need is more nuclear power, but as soon as you say "nuclear" people think you're making aliens or something.
Anyway, I'm tired of this topic for now. In short: everything is retarded.
$ = (the amount we use) X (time of day bonus multiplier).
Essentially, if you want to use electricity during a "peak hour", your electricity will cost more. So, if you use 1kWh between 2am and 3am it will cost the base price, but if you use 1kWh between 6am and midnight it'll cost (base price)x2.
The reasoning is that "the grid" this apparently sickly dying beast, is under so much burden during "peak hours" that they decided they will now penalize people using electricity during those times.
Yes, obviously, this is, once again, a rate hike disguised by an environmental facade.
Here's some background for those of you who forgot about how electric pricing enraged me last summer:
Basically, for as long as I can remember everyone has been on some kind of mission to use less electricity in order to save the environment. Then, during the cooler than usual summer of 2009 something magical happened. No one really had to use air conditioning.... Therefore, energy usage was lower than usual in Ontario.
Great, less electricity, less strain on "the grid", right? Wrong.
There was a statement made that rates would be promptly increased because they didn't make enough money. People using less electricity = less electricity sold = less revenue, less tax dollars, less less less. So they upped rates, because we weren't consuming enough electricity during the summer.
So, fast forward to this year. Now, the word is that "the grid" would really benefit if from some relief during "peak hours". "Peak hours" refers to times of the day when people are awake. So, basically, they're just upping rates again.
Now, interestingly enough, what uses most of the electricity? Especially during peak hours? Businesses. Want to know when the "smart metering" comes into effect? It's simple really. Roughly the same time when HST (read the fistlog) hits the system. You remember HST, it's a tax shift. Businesses get a small tax break on $500k capital investments, and the price of everything normal people have to buy (gym memberships, petroleum, groceries, cable, internet, cell phone, all services, etc.) gets increased.
So, when Smart Metering and HST both hit, the following will happen:
- people will pay marginally more for electricity
- businesses will pay staggeringly more for electricity
- businesses will pay less for capital investments
- people will pay staggeringly more for everyday purchases on goods and services
I can almost guess what's going to happen. Basically they're going to make some announcement to the tune of "oh no, people aren't using enough electricity during peak hours, we'll just have to raise the rate of the non-peak hour period too".
Freaking make up your minds you faux-environmentalist marketing bastards. Is the grid dying? Does it need to be used more? Less? During what hours does it need to be used more? For those of you who haven't noticed, I'm referring to "the grid" in the same way people mockingly refer to "the economy" when discussing the RETARDERY that went on in North America these past two years. (See South Park episode MartgueritaVille.)
No one knows if we're supposed to be using electricity, or not. Think about it, governments would get RAPED if they didn't get the tax off of electric services. Same deal with gasoline. If we suddenly didn't need fossil fuels the government would be RAAAAAAPED.
Maybe that's why people are having such a hard time accepting things like wind turbines. Like seriously, didn't think it would happen but environmental groups are rallying people *against* wind turbines.
Why? You may ask. Because it ruins NATURE! Apparently it makes migrating birds confused, and somehow does something to fish (if we're talking about the ones standing in lakes.)
So somehow, people have figured out how to turn people into modern-day witch hunters, scared for no apparent reason of something that is supposed to be helping us out.
What we really need is more nuclear power, but as soon as you say "nuclear" people think you're making aliens or something.
Anyway, I'm tired of this topic for now. In short: everything is retarded.