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Sounds like the problem is simply that the US doesn't seem to have real time pricing of electricity. In Norway we pay what the market determines is the current

Sounds like the problem is simply that the US doesn't seem to have real time pricing of electricity. In Norway we pay what the market determines is the current price. Most people don't have flat rate charges. I can see the spot price in real time in an app. Why isn't that good enough?

faxmeyourcode 4y ago
>Residents with variable-rate power plans are being hit the hardest. Such plans charge different prices for electricity depending on how much demand there is. The more demand, the higher the price. This is a thing for some power companies in Texas, but during peak times or in a crisis like TX experienced in winter of 2021, the prices skyrocketed because demand was out of control trying to keep warm. People ended up with a $5k electric bill trying to keep a modest single family home "warm" (in the article they mentioned they kept lights off and thermostat set at 60F/15C, not very warm). https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-winter-storms-2021/2021/02/21/969912613/after-days-of-mass-outages-some-texas-residents-now-face-huge-electric-bills https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-winter-storms-2021...
- FullyFunctional 4y ago
  This is all true, but I think the Texas issue is an outlier. Many things went wrong and all of them were preventable issues caused by mind-boggling terrible governance. Somehow these people are still in power.
FullyFunctional 4y ago
"The US" doesn't have a single system, not even within each state. Anecdotally, I have Time-of-Use billing with my PG&E electricity, but AFAICT, I was only allowed get that because I have BEVs. I think the "problem" is that someone needed to publish. This is a complete non-issue and utilities will shift the load as needed by adjusting the billing. Also, the notion that everyone going "in to work" is some antiquated pre-covid thinking.
jjav 4y ago
> the US doesn't seem to have real time pricing of electricity "The US" is a big place. Depends which city/county you're in and who is providing the electric service. > I can see the spot price in real time in an app. That sounds like a nightmare. Does it really change hourly? How can you program your systems to use the most efficient rate if you have no idea in advance what it is? Here in PG&E California we have time of use tiers, but they are known. So I can for example let the EV start charging only at midnight when the cheapest tier kicks in. But I know it is cheap midnight to 3pm, brutally expensive 3pm to 9pm and fairly expensive 9pm to midnight.
- kwhitefoot 4y ago
  It changes continuously but there are clear diurnal patterns.

faxmeyourcode 4y ago

>Residents with variable-rate power plans are being hit the hardest. Such plans charge different prices for electricity depending on how much demand there is. The more demand, the higher the price. This is a thing for some power companies in Texas, but during peak times or in a crisis like TX experienced in winter of 2021, the prices skyrocketed because demand was out of control trying to keep warm. People ended up with a $5k electric bill trying to keep a modest single family home "warm" (in the article they mentioned they kept lights off and thermostat set at 60F/15C, not very warm). https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-winter-storms-2021/2021/02/21/969912613/after-days-of-mass-outages-some-texas-residents-now-face-huge-electric-bills https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-winter-storms-2021...

FullyFunctional 4y ago
This is all true, but I think the Texas issue is an outlier. Many things went wrong and all of them were preventable issues caused by mind-boggling terrible governance. Somehow these people are still in power.

FullyFunctional 4y ago

"The US" doesn't have a single system, not even within each state. Anecdotally, I have Time-of-Use billing with my PG&E electricity, but AFAICT, I was only allowed get that because I have BEVs. I think the "problem" is that someone needed to publish. This is a complete non-issue and utilities will shift the load as needed by adjusting the billing. Also, the notion that everyone going "in to work" is some antiquated pre-covid thinking.

jjav 4y ago

> the US doesn't seem to have real time pricing of electricity "The US" is a big place. Depends which city/county you're in and who is providing the electric service. > I can see the spot price in real time in an app. That sounds like a nightmare. Does it really change hourly? How can you program your systems to use the most efficient rate if you have no idea in advance what it is? Here in PG&E California we have time of use tiers, but they are known. So I can for example let the EV start charging only at midnight when the cheapest tier kicks in. But I know it is cheap midnight to 3pm, brutally expensive 3pm to 9pm and fairly expensive 9pm to midnight.

kwhitefoot 4y ago
It changes continuously but there are clear diurnal patterns.