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Re: U-Verse and Electric Bill
@tracykelloggbrown wrote:
My bill went up about $50/month. I'm not sure how long I'll keep it because of this extra expense.
If your bill went up by $50 per month, it wasn't because of the U-Verse service.
I see this thread pop back to the top from time to time and I'm going to set the record straight on these misconceptions surrounding power use by electronics.
I got out my Kill-A-Watt meter and measured all components in the U-Verse system as follows. These power readings are with the equipment fully on and operating. (I also measured the power draw of the STB units in standby mode but there was no difference from when they were operating).
Motorola VIP1200 STB: 10 watts
Motorola VIP1225 DVR: 17 watts
2Wire 3800HGV-B Gateway: 9 watts
Let's assume a system of 1 gateway, 1 DVR, and 2 STBs operatiing 24/7 for a month, and an electrical power rate of 12 cents per kilowatt-hour:
Total power draw = 9 + 17 + 2*10 = 46 watts.
Total energy for 30 days = 30 * 24 * 46 / 1000 = 33.12 kilowatt-hours
Total charge = 0.12 * 33.12 = $3.97.
It costs $4 per month to operate this equipment. End of story.
People are so concerned these days with these "idle power sources" like plugged-in cell phone chargers & electronic equipment and are missing the big picture. A plugged in cell-phone charger draws about 1 watt which costs about 9 cents a month. They fail to realize that their home air conditioner burns the same amount of energy in about 11 minutes of operation yet they won't spend $40 on a programmable thermostat that would end up paying for itself in about 2 months and saving them $250 a year after that.
Diamond_Jim
Scholar
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194 Messages
13 years ago
That's $4 per month RUNNING 24/7!! That's 720 hours of usage based on a 30 day month. Normal viewing is probably less that half of that. Turn off the light you leave on in the closet and you'll save enough to pay for your Uverse equipment!
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SomeJoe7777
Expert
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9.4K Messages
13 years ago
The equipment (RG, DVR, STB) all use the same amount of power whether you're watching or not. SO the $4 is constant whether you watch TV a lot or a little.
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RCSMG
Expert
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23.3K Messages
13 years ago
Some people may see that $4 could be a big deal. I don't thumb my nose at anyone experiencing an increase in their electric bill. But by the same token there are ways they can offset the $4 increase. IMHO
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psbecker
Mentor
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41 Messages
13 years ago
Thanks for the info on wattage used by the various UVerse components. However, out here in Los Angeles, I am paying a total of about $.35 per kWh which is substantially higher than the $.12 you used, so that suggests that my cost is closer to $13 per month. Still nothing like the $50 some on this forum are mentioning, but it does illustrate that at the equivalent of $150 or thereabouts per year, UVerse electricity is not trivial. I expect that the other vendors produce similar numbers with their boxes so I do not see UVerse as being especially out of line.
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SomeJoe7777
Expert
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9.4K Messages
13 years ago
If you're paying $0.35 per kW-hr, you're getting raked over the coals.
Burbank, CA residential electric service shows an average of $0.146 per kW-hr for 1000 kW-hrs per month, less than half of what you're paying.
You need to shop around and see what you can find. You may not live in Burbank, but I can't imagine that any electric service out there could be too much higher than what they're charging.
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psbecker
Mentor
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41 Messages
13 years ago
SJ,
I agree that the average price for electricity can less than $.20 per KWH. However, there are a couple of things to consider. First, there are two electric companies which serve the Los Angeles area: Department of Water and Power, and Southern California Edison. Unfortunately, each utility has its own proprietary areas so it is impossible to "shop around" for a better deal than what I am getting. My only choice is to go with the provider who services our area or move to another area. In my case that is SCE.
The SCE pricing is somewhat bizarre, although I have no idea whether it is any more complex than with DWP or with other vendors around the country. First of all, an electric bill here consists of two charges: one for "generation" of the electricity and a separate charge for "delivery" of same. Each of these segments then is broken into tiers, tided to my monthly usage. As you use more, you move into a higher tier. I am in tier 5 which kick in at about 1000 KWH per month. At that level, I pay about $.23 per KWH for delivery and $.10 per month per KWH for generation. There is also about $.02 per KWH for taxes and bond charges.
You can have a much lower charge if you use less than 250 KWH total per month. A that first tier, the total cost is only about $.14 per KWH. However, that is a pretty unrealistic level for most of us. Consider that running ONLY my PC and two lights in my office for 10 hours per day burns 150 KWH monthly. When you exceed tier 1 usage, the price rises VERY quickly. So yes, we are getting abused, but there is little we can do about it.
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oufanindallas
ACE - Master
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6.9K Messages
13 years ago
I'm sure glad I live where I do in Texas. I have about 8 providers I can choose from. I think I'm on a two year deal with my provider for $.09 right now.
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erazoner
Guru
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802 Messages
13 years ago
Here in San Diego (SDG&E), it's both a seasonal and a 4-tiered rate schedule, starting at 0.062/kWh (winter) for a baseline up to 324kW. If you double the baseline, the rate roughly triples. No choice of providers for residential customers.
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SomeJoe7777
Expert
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9.4K Messages
13 years ago
Ugggh. You guys should get on the phone to your local representatives and see what can be done about deregulating your electric power industry.
Texas deregulated the electricity market around 10 years ago, and prices took a dive and are still low.
I'm on a 1-year contract at 10.8 ¢ per kW-hr, flat rate regardless of usage. There's a few taxes and fees as well.
In the summer, the A/C pushes my monthly use upwards of 1600 kW-hrs, and the bill is still less than $200.
You might also check with your utility company and see if they have a off-peak usage plan available. I know some utility companies out west do this. They install a digital meter at your house, and you pay one set of (higher) rates during peak times (7AM-6PM), and lower rates in the evenings and at night.
If you can get one of these plans, then just shift high electrical usage like washer/dryer and dishwasher to the nighttime hours and you can save.
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