Per capita energy consumption.

[Brian Ellis]

Most normal houses are $250-$500 per month for electricity. It's not just SUVs or whatever.

That is just profligate if the tariffs are normal. The TOTAL of last year's household consumption with my poorly insulated house was CY£573.08 (say ~$1100), 8087 kWh, for general household use, including aircon. On top of that we were charged £532.06 (say, ~$1000), 16621 kWh, for night cheap tariff storage heating.

Summer temps go up to the mid-40s (°C, of course) over a 6-month summer and down to 0°C over a 4 month winter. We have 6 split level aircons (2 9000 Btu, 3 12000 Btu and 1 18000 Btu). The aircons are used also for occasional space heating in winter when the storage heaters are insufficient and also in the short spring and autumn. We also have a 2 kW irrigation pump which works ~2-2½ h/day during 7-8 months. Electricity is the only household energy we use, for everything, including cooking, with the exception of a log fire in cold winter evenings, more for visual comfort than a necessity.

Our electricity tariff is high and variable according to oil prices, averaging about £0.07/kWh (~$0.13/kWh) last year on the normal household rate, more this year. The most expensive two-month bill was July/Aug for 1417 kWh at £90.46 or ~£45/month ($85/month), so you can see why I say $250-500/month is profligate.

You will note that our household electricity consumption is nearly 2 x the Cyprus average, but most Cypriots use bottled LPG or kerosene for cooking and heating, pretty much on a par with W. Europe and Japan. Industry uses relatively little electricity here.

[Technoid]

Hehe...
Actually, I don't think the street-lighting are the biggest issue: most electricity in Belgium comes from nucleair power. As it is impossible to adjust the output of them on such a fast basis (more during the day, less during the night), there would be a surplus of energy at night (I do believe the street lights on the highways go out at 3 AM though ).
Most of the CO2 emissions probabely come from the traffic, not from the way electricity is generated (but this is my personal feeling on the situation). On the plus side, more energy is being generated using wind and solar power; but IMHO this will have a relatively small impact on CO2.


Jörg

Here all damn streetlights are on from dusk to dawn, before I moved I had one of those damn things outside my bedroom window....

[az]

I think he was talking about highways, not urban streetlights.

[Brian Ellis]

I've uploaded the first web page from these data at http://www.cypenv.org/Files/east_med_energy.htm

This page shows how we, in Cyprus, compare badly with our nearest neighbours and, for CO2 emissions, even with much of W. Europe, despite the fact that Europe is much more highly industrialised than we are.

[KvHagedorn]

That is just profligate if the tariffs are normal. The TOTAL of last year's household consumption with my poorly insulated house was CY£573.08 (say ~$1100), 8087 kWh, for general household use, including aircon. On top of that we were charged £532.06 (say, ~$1000), 16621 kWh, for night cheap tariff storage heating.

Summer temps go up to the mid-40s (°C, of course) over a 6-month summer and down to 0°C over a 4 month winter. We have 6 split level aircons (2 9000 Btu, 3 12000 Btu and 1 18000 Btu). The aircons are used also for occasional space heating in winter when the storage heaters are insufficient and also in the short spring and autumn. We also have a 2 kW irrigation pump which works ~2-2½ h/day during 7-8 months. Electricity is the only household energy we use, for everything, including cooking, with the exception of a log fire in cold winter evenings, more for visual comfort than a necessity.

Our electricity tariff is high and variable according to oil prices, averaging about £0.07/kWh (~$0.13/kWh) last year on the normal household rate, more this year. The most expensive two-month bill was July/Aug for 1417 kWh at £90.46 or ~£45/month ($85/month), so you can see why I say $250-500/month is profligate.

You will note that our household electricity consumption is nearly 2 x the Cyprus average, but most Cypriots use bottled LPG or kerosene for cooking and heating, pretty much on a par with W. Europe and Japan. Industry uses relatively little electricity here.

Energy prices are high here. It's enough that we get slapped with this without being called profligate. Everyone has this kind of bill, unless they just don't have AC, but having the AC on all day when it's over 100 degrees and humid is really not unreasonable.

[Brian Ellis]

OK, how much do you pay per kWh. This is the only way to compare electricity costs and whether consumption is high or not. My peak consumption is ~750 kWh/month at CY£0.07 = £52.50 = $100 and that is for high summer (much aircon and irrigation, temps peaking to at least 40°C nearly every day). Let's say a Texas house consumes twice what mine does, just for argument = 1500 kWh/month. That would make a $500 electricity bill work out at $0.33/kWh, which is a price I've never heard of. In fact, seeing this, I checked out the tariff of a TX supplier and found the following:

Electricity Facts Label
Cirro Energy, Smart SaverSM 24, TXU Electric Delivery Service Area Plan
Version #SMSV24RBTU1006.01
As of October 2006
Average monthly use: 500 kWh 1,000 kWh 1,500 kWh
Average price per kilowatt-hour: 14.2¢ 13.1¢ 13.1¢
This price disclosure is an example based on:
Variable monthly charge: None for usage of 1,000 kWh or more in a billing cycle
$5.25 for usage of less than 1,000 kWh in a billing cycle
Electric Service
First 1,000 kWh 13.12¢
All additional kWh 12.99¢
This variable price disclosure is an example based on average service prices – your average
price for electric service will vary according to your usage and the cost of energy at time of usage.

So, let's say, as it is obviously >1000 kWh, that the average is a round $0.13 for ease of estimation. That means, to reach $500 in a month, the user must consume 3,800 kWh which is over 5 times what I consume in peak high summer for an all-electric 3 bedroom + 2 reception room + large kitchen house and I consider that I'm fairly extravagant. I don't think that profligate is really an exaggeration.

Actually, by coincidence, we pay ~0.13 c/kWh, too, in US money.

OK, guys, I would find it interesting if you could each give your average electricity cost per kWh, please.

[Tjalfe]

Aurora Rates - Effective May 1, 2006


Electricity - May 1, 2006 - October 31, 2006
First 600 kWh per month $0.058 per kWh
Balance over 600 kWh $0.067 per kWh

Electricity - November 1, 2006 - April 30, 2007
First 1000 kWh per month $0.055 per kWh
Balance over 1000 kWh $0.064 per kWh

Delivery: Monthly Fixed Charge $14.18 per month
Distribution Charge $0.0229 per kWh
Transmission: network $0.0061 per kWh
Transmission: connection $0.0053 per kWh

Regulatory: Standard Serice Supply Charge $0.25 per month
Market Services $0.0062 per kWh

Debt Retirement Charge: $0.007 per kWh

Loss Factor Adjustment: 1.0639

Residential meters are read and billed every two months (approximately 60 days). Per month charges are prorated to the number of days for each bill period.

on my bills it seems to average about $0.13 CDN / KWH with all taxes and such

[az]

~.18 EUR. It really depends and is quite complicated because of the deregulated market.

[GNEP]

If I am reading this correctly, 15p for the first 178kWh per quarter, then 9p per kWh after that. I rarely if ever go into the lower tariff - a fixed direct debit of £21 per month leaves me well in credit at the moment (to the order of about 6 months' worth - i.e. true usage would be about £12-£15 pcm). Gas bills are £17 per month, about right although on the verge of increasing to ~£25 as we go into winter. (2 bedroom middle floor flat, just me living there. Gas heating/hob. Electric oven and shower. Boiler was switched on for the first hour since about March last weekend. From this weekend it'll be on an hour a day to keep the edge off the cold if needed. I wear lots of layers of clothing.)

[Sasq]

first 120kw 15.9yen
120~300kw 20.04yen
300kw+ 21.25 yen

[Dr Mordrid]

Michigan avg: $ .0558 per KW/h

I say average because we have several electric utilities plus after market retailers.

[KvHagedorn]

OK, how much do you pay per kWh. This is the only way to compare electricity costs and whether consumption is high or not. My peak consumption is ~750 kWh/month at CY£0.07 = £52.50 = $100 and that is for high summer (much aircon and irrigation, temps peaking to at least 40°C nearly every day). Let's say a Texas house consumes twice what mine does, just for argument = 1500 kWh/month. That would make a $500 electricity bill work out at $0.33/kWh, which is a price I've never heard of. In fact, seeing this, I checked out the tariff of a TX supplier and found the following:

So, let's say, as it is obviously >1000 kWh, that the average is a round $0.13 for ease of estimation. That means, to reach $500 in a month, the user must consume 3,800 kWh which is over 5 times what I consume in peak high summer for an all-electric 3 bedroom + 2 reception room + large kitchen house and I consider that I'm fairly extravagant. I don't think that profligate is really an exaggeration.

Actually, by coincidence, we pay ~0.13 c/kWh, too, in US money.

OK, guys, I would find it interesting if you could each give your average electricity cost per kWh, please.

Don't sneer and call us profilgate until you've lived here.

[Brian Ellis]

Don't sneer and call us profilgate until you've lived here.

I'm not sneering, I'm expressing an opinion, founded on the info you gave. You are fond enough of opining negatively about Europeans, so what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Yes. I have been in TX a few times, possibly totalling about 8 weeks in 8-10 day stretches, in the Dallas/FW region. Where have you been outside of TX/USA?