Originally Posted by
calirob
Check my bill out...See its crazy!~
Okay. I looked up my Mid American Energy today reading your bill made me think more about how the midwestern states are being screwed royally. Keep in mind, my Mid American Energy bill does NOT include heat as I use propane due to living in the country.
Mid American Energy charges the following on my last bill:
Basic energy charge right off the top is $6.00, then the first 800kWh is at the rate of 0.0853, and the next 846kWh is at a rate of 0.04394. Then I have the 1% local option tax which totaled $1.12.
So here it is:
800kWh - 0.08543 = $68.58
846kWh - 0.04394 = $37.17
Local option tax = $1.12
Keeping the line running to the house $6.00
GRAND TOTAL: $112.87
On your bill though, I see DWR generation at one rate all the way through on Part A, but on Part B you have so many variable rates. How in the hell is anyone supposed to figure out how to read the bill?
Because you are in California and the county listed, I have to assume you aren't using heat. Am I correct? I wouldn't think you would be using air conditioning this time of the year, so my thought is your bill has to be screwed up completely.
I have to pump my propane with electric, I have every friggin ammedity in this house you can possibly imagine (hot tub, sauna, double ovens used all the time) yet the amount of kWh between my bill and your bill was 409kWh. I also have mutiple tanks to boot.
I cannot possibly see why there is such a difference in energy costs when I consider my boiler has to run and I assume you aren't using air conditioning all the time.
Had you lived in Iowa, and used propane with a Munchkin boiler (using the same heat delivery I do), your bill would be:
800kWh - 0.0563 = $68.50
1255kWh - 0.04394 = $55.14
1% local option tax = 1.24
Keep the line running to your house = $6.00
GRAND TOTAL: $130.88
While propane is at a premium price right now ($1.30 per gallon, with 2% tax, and 800 gallons in a 1000 gallon tand would be $1060.80) that propane would last me three months. Approximate monthly cost for propane would be $353.60. Now, add that to my electric bill that was $112.87 if the price of propane would stay the same (it hasn't!!!) I pay for electric and propane $466.47.
I can understand why California would pay more for electric however in my own head I guess I have always justified that California is more expensive and the salaries have managed to always maintain a 20% difference in your favor over the wages offered for an identical position offered in Iowa.
I just can't see tanks adding much to the bill of a person here in Iowa or here in California.
I run several tanks, a hot tub, sauna and double ovens at least twice a week. Summer rates when I run my pool pump keep my bill at about the same as if I had the hot tub and sauna running in the winter. However, because we are an energy conscientious family, we don't use the sauna in the summer nor do we use the hot tub in the summer.
As a side note to anyone on Mid American Energy, I've heard that at least here in Iowa the meter readers will be going on strike because Bershire Hathaway wants to screw with healthcare costs, forcing meter readers to take on over a 50% increase in costs only because the rest of the nation's private industry is forcing employees to shoulder more of the responsiblity for healthcare costs.
May Mid American Energy go on strike and the employees not be forced to swallow the 800% increase my family took on when my husband's company screwed with our healthcare and prescription coverage plans!
Denise M.
