Xcel Energy implementing "tiered rates"

[eleny]

I just received an email from Xcel that gave these details:

NEW SUMMER TIERED RATES BEGIN JUNE 1ST

Effective June 1st through September 30th, you will have a new tiered rate structure applied to your electricity bill. These rates are designed to promote efficient use of energy during periods when the demand for electricity is greatest and generation costs are highest.


What to Expect with Tiered Rates

Your electricity rate will change based upon the time of year and the amount of electricity you use. Your monthly bill will clearly indicate your use and the rate you are being charged.

TIER 1 RATE: This is the lower rate you will pay for the first 500 kilowatt hours of electricity you use in the billing period.

TIER 2 RATE: For energy use that exceeds 500 kilowatt hours of use in the billing period, you will be charged the higher tiered rate.

NON-SUMMER RATE: From October through May, you will be charged the lower rate for all of your electricity usage.

More here...
http://www.xcelenergy.com/Colorado/Residential/ManageMyAccount/UnderstandingMyBill/Pages/colorado-tiered-rates.aspx

[madamesilverspurs]

1. Yeah, I can't wait

to see how much my bill goes up. I've never used the air conditioning, but my bill always goes up in the summer anyway.


-

[El Supremo]

2. Get a Swamp Cooler.

If your HOA allows it.

[guyton]

3. "... and generation costs are highest"

Yeah, I got this in a flyer. I'm totally baffled about how the *costs* of generating electricity can be higher in the summer.

Unless of course, they're just buying electricity from other sources and those sources are gouging when the demand is higher.

But that's not "generation costs" so it must be that a ton of coal is just more expensive in the summer. Yeah, that's it. Oh, and
the solar and wind farms cost more to run in the summer because, ah... ummm...

Now if they wanted to be honest they could just say they don't have the f**king capacity during the summer if everyone is
running their a/c. So they're charging us more to make us reduce consumption so they don't have to build more plants. But that
would be kinda honest and not at all XCEL-like.