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Will The Electricity Companys Tell Local Law Enforcement


Indicaza

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Sorry I am new to this, I'm moving to Michigan soon and was just wondering if I should expect a visit from the police department when they see that I am drawing to much power.

it's only my opinion i wouldn't  worry about the Elect it's the smal  f Cannabis that may bring Leo to your door please if you do come make sure your plant count is not over and your plants are locked up

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You hear a lot of people saying that power companies love indoor growers because of the high electricity use.  This simply isn't true - the opposite is true.  Electric companies make their money off of meter fees.  The more meters they can hang, the more money they make off of the existing supply and distribution grid.  That's why you see power companies throwing all kinds of money at education programs to encourage people to reduce their use.  That's why power companies encourage redevelopment of urban areas rather than new development out in the country.  For every grower with one meter using five times of much electricity as a normal household, that's 4 fewer meters the power company can have on that same grid. 

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i think power companies are required by law to reduce power consumption.

just like power companies are required by law to use more clean energy (wind , solar, hydro)  sources by future dates.

otherwise they would just stick with coal.

 

there is no green rush here. grow your 12 plants and wont need that much energy.

make sure you have energy efficient lightbulbs and appliances in the rest of your house.

or even build a greenhouse for your plants, save summer bills.

 

and run your lights at night, take advantage of "off-peak" power rates.

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You hear a lot of people saying that power companies love indoor growers because of the high electricity use.  This simply isn't true - the opposite is true.  Electric companies make their money off of meter fees.  The more meters they can hang, the more money they make off of the existing supply and distribution grid.  That's why you see power companies throwing all kinds of money at education programs to encourage people to reduce their use.  That's why power companies encourage redevelopment of urban areas rather than new development out in the country.  For every grower with one meter using five times of much electricity as a normal household, that's 4 fewer meters the power company can have on that same grid.

4 meters running less power makes them a lot less money than the one using the same amount as the 4. It's just math. The first kilowatts on a bill are at a lessor rate. I believe they are about their bottom line first. Edited by Restorium2
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The first 600 or so KwH are cheaper to try to get people to keep their use down.  600 KwH is a reasonable goal for a family trying to keep use down.

 

Power companies make about 1% profit on electricity use.  They make about $8/month per meter.  So one grower spending $500/month makes the power company about $5/month profit on the use and $8 for the meter.  Five households spend $100/month each make the power company $1 each per month on the use and $8 each for the meter.

 

One grower = $13 per month profit.

Five homes using the same amount of power total = $45 per month profit.

 

It doesn't matter what the percent profit is, the math works out the same.  More meters = more money.

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The first 600 or so KwH are cheaper to try to get people to keep their use down.  600 KwH is a reasonable goal for a family trying to keep use down.

 

Power companies make about 1% profit on electricity use.  They make about $8/month per meter.  So one grower spending $500/month makes the power company about $5/month profit on the use and $8 for the meter.  Five households spend $100/month each make the power company $1 each per month on the use and $8 each for the meter.

 

One grower = $13 per month profit.

Five homes using the same amount of power total = $45 per month profit.

 

It doesn't matter what the percent profit is, the math works out the same.  More meters = more money.

Do you think that power companies actually want you to keep your usage down or do you think that there might be some mandates doing this? I have trouble with the logic behind power companies looking out for anything but their bottom line.
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its like saying the beer store makes more money on selling one beer to each person than selling 12 beers to each person.

 

somehow your math is wrong.

 

You can't compare beer to electricity.  The public owns the power lines, and the power companies are limited by law to what profit they make off electricity and natural gas.  The distribution network doesn't have unlimited capacity.  The most money to be made is when there are the most users possible.  So if the grid is at its limit, the power company is at its limit and can't add more customers unless overall use goes down. 

 

The only way to make the beer analogy work is if there is only one case of beer.  The store owner can only sell 12 cans.  He will make more money selling them as singles than as a case.

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Do you think that power companies actually want you to keep your usage down or do you think that there might be some mandates doing this? I have trouble with the logic behind power companies looking out for anything but their bottom line.

 

Once demand exceeds supply, the power company is forced, by law, to add new sources.  It becomes much cheaper to constrain use and increase profits by hanging more meters in the same grid than it is to build a new power plant.  Here is a pretty good article that explains it:

 

http://www.treehugger.com/energy-efficiency/ask-pablo-why-would-my-electric-utility-want-me-use-less-electricity.html

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its not like the appliance manufacturers wanted to invest money to decrease energy usage in their refridgerators.

 

thats a mandate from congress to use less energy to cool your foods.

 

the energy star program.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_Star

 

Appliance manufacturers can sell as many fridges as people are willing to buy.  The power company is constrained by the capacity of the system.  The appliance analogy doesn't' work either.  You have to remember the monthly fee for the meter.  That's a sweet profit center for the power company.  They will make their $8/month even if you don't use any electricity.  The more of those $8/month profit centers the power company can install, the more money they make. 

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its like saying the beer store makes more money on selling one beer to each person than selling 12 beers to each person.

 

somehow your math is wrong.

The party store makes more selling one beer per customer than an 18 pack per customer! that dont make sense to you?

 

If I buy one beer it cost me 1.89, if I buy 18 beers it is under 10 bucks, so the math dont work? or you dont see it?

 

Peace

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no..

 

they will not report you for your use so long as you are within reasonable limits.

 

welcome to the boards...

 

let's be clear about this...

 

there is no shortage of available power in the national grid at any given time.

 

the electric company wants there payments to be at the maximum amount.

 

both cases above are correct in Michigan..

the power company wants as many meters as possible and they want every one of those meters to pull the maximum amount of juice the grid can supply...most of the time they are not providing power they sell directly.. it is all shipped and retrieved from the grid and we have an abundance of power available in the grid...it is always on the move...

 

remember we use the electricity other places create as well as our own.. so maximum flow rate is no problem to maintain under typical demand. 

 

the problems only arise in hostile weather conditions when the grid demand exceeds the available supply.. or when transmission lines go down..

 

also be aware the only way it is cheaper to run your lights at night during off peak hours is if you have a contract with the energy provider and a net metered electronic meter.. most residential meters only track use - not use by time.. you need a special arrangement for that discount.

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avoid smart meter for best results. sounds really stupid of me, but on a  morning before 9am my meter reader ,first time on Saturday, ever, film to prove) hopped my gates and walked 300 feet down the drive came into the backyard where I was taking my morning hammock, with a half burned joint in hand. my yard stunk, I was in underwear, and the air was still. When he came around back I was stretching before the lay, and we made eye contact. He giggled a little, said "sorry man", looked at both meters, and most certainly knew of the usage ,in a backyard building with separate meter. He saw my joint, saw me using it, then left. that was 4 years ago. a new reader was inserted 13 months later, and three new ones since.

I don't medicate outside except on sundays now.  and I never harvest in the morning, instead I adjusted timers to wake up later near afternoon. 10 is the latest they ever came in 9 yrs., because that scared me to embarrassing ends. never an issue concerning my garden, thusfar.

 

Be sensible, and you'll have no trouble from anyone I think.

 

peace

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You can't compare beer to electricity.  The public owns the power lines, and the power companies are limited by law to what profit they make off electricity and natural gas.  The distribution network doesn't have unlimited capacity.  The most money to be made is when there are the most users possible.  So if the grid is at its limit, the power company is at its limit and can't add more customers unless overall use goes down. 

 

The only way to make the beer analogy work is if there is only one case of beer.  The store owner can only sell 12 cans.  He will make more money selling them as singles than as a case.

Then why do rates go up at times of high usage like heatwaves and cold winters.  They say it's because of demand.  If the cost fluctuates it can't be a 1% formula can it?  I mean what about maintainance of lines for an ice storm?  Are you counting the grid company separate from the power producers?

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Then why do rates go up at times of high usage like heatwaves and cold winters.  They say it's because of demand.  If the cost fluctuates it can't be a 1% formula can it?  I mean what about maintainance of lines for an ice storm?  Are you counting the grid company separate from the power producers?

When have you heard of rate increases for heat waves and cold winters? Rate increases are typical for periods of high demand, like during the summer and during peak hours of the day. But these are scheduled and predictable and not based on short-term weather events. Rates increase during periods of high demand to encourage reduced use because the power company doesn't want to pay to build a power plant to meet demand for three months out of the year or a few hours a day. They want to keep electricity use as consistent as possible because this requires less infrastructure. You may have heard about power companies looking into innovative smart grid ideas, like using plug-in electric cars to be charging off-peak and actually be available to feed back to the grid during peak use times.

 

It is a little like if you have a family of four and are making a decision as to what vehicle to buy. You might need to transport six people every now and then and when you do the math you realize that it would be more efficient to make two trips in a Prius once in awhile than it would be to buy an SUV and 90% of the time drive around with empty seats

 

It is all about making electricity demand consistent. The more consistent the demand, the smaller and less expensive the needed infrastructure. Higher rates in periods of peak demand help create this cost-saving consistency.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I just got a letter from dte saying how i use more elec then the guy dwn the street, and they had a graph and tips how i can save

 

I just wonder if the guy dwn the street is getting the same letter showing my house the highest, I was going to call and compalain but do not want to shine a light on myself

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don't call. I get the same letter. the neighbors don't have a clue from the dte note about which house is using electricity. but they certainly know. they know when your lights come on, and even that they are grow lights. every power user has algorithms that uniquely identify every appliance. they know the fridge comes on, the electric heater, the air conditioner in the winter, and  things on timers are a no brainer. smart meters compile the data into usable reports for them.

 

no worries though, I suspect they might soon let us trade in our grow bulbs for free new ones   :watching:

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