My Mistake. The Net Metering FPL Problem.

Net metering is a two-way electric meter.  When you buy electricity from the grid (FPL), the meter moves in one direction.  When you sell electricity to the grid, the meter moves in the other direction.

It was my understanding that when FPL buys electricity from someone who has it to sell (like someone who produces his or her own electricity with solar panels), it pays less for the electricity it buys than it charges for the electricity it sells.  This turns out not to be true, for the moment.  For some reason, FPL buys for the same price as it sells.  This would sound like a system whereby FPL couldn't make any money, except for the fact that only a tiny proportion of the population produce electricity to sell to FPL.  FPL make their money on everyone else.  And this arrangement is about to come to an end.

It turns out that one Florida legislator (Senator, if I remember correctly from the radio story I heard today) has introduced legislation that would allow FPL to pay producers only the amount it would have cost FPL to produce the electricity it no longer has to sell to the consumer, because the consumer is producing his or her own electricity.

I have to say that as much as don't like this, because it means I won't be able to continue to pay $10.05 a month, every month of the year, I must admit there's something fair about this proposed/impending new arrangement.  The old/current (excuse the pun) arrangement actually sounds a bit stupid, although it's compensated for by the minimum bill, even if I use zero net monthly electricity.  FPL still has to produce electricity, for me, too, when the sun isn't shining, and it has to have and protect the infrastructure to get it to me.

Of course, the alternate reasoning could well be that I'm already taking care of FPL by producing so much electricity that I'm way behind, and FPL is getting from me plenty of electricity it then sells to someone else.  But still, if it pays me the same amount it then charges someone else, then it's not making the profit it would need.  The Florida Public Service Commission should be monitoring this, to make sure FPL makes the profit it needs, but a fair and not excessive profit, but in a far right wing state like Florida, it's unlikely the PSC makes decisions that are protective and in the interests of consumers.

Also, and remembering the far right political leanings of this state, it's most likely that this move is intended to inhibit consumers from installing solar panels, because once a rule like this takes effect, those solar panels are of significantly less value to the consumer who paid for them.  Or to look at it the other way around, it will take a lot longer to pay yourself back for the cost of the panels.  But still, you do save something, and you do decrease the need to burn non-renewable sources of energy -- you feel more like a solution than like a problem, if feeling like a solution instead of feeling like a problem is your thing.  And those non-renewable sources of energy are going to be depleted and go away at some point anyway (in case you ever wondered why they call them non-renewable).  If you're like an ostrich, and you keep your head buried far enough in the sand, you can try to ignore that reality for a while longer.  Although with water tables rising, you can't keep your head buried too deep.

So, part of the party -- part of my party -- might at some point be over, maybe before too long.  But it won't all be over.  Am I going to have to pay $15-$20 a month, instead of $10 a month?  So what?  It's a lot less than the up to $150 a month I used to pay during the summer months, of which there are around five or six per year here.

"Energy Vampires"

I read an interesting story on my homepage today.  I know about this, but it was a nice compilation.

They were talking about those electric appliances that continue to consume electricity even when they're turned off.  They called them "energy vampires."  It seems like a very apt categorization.

The suggestion was that consumers plug these devices and appliances into energy strips (or unplug them when they're not actively in use), and turn off the energy strip when you're not using whatever it is.  That will stop any electricity from coming to them, which will reduce electricity consumption, and therefore reduce your electric bill.  I've done this with many devices and appliances in my house.  When I need them, I plug them back in, or turn back on the energy strip.

Fish pond equipment is not a practical example, because you can't turn off the pump and aerator when there are fish in the pond.  They suggest you get a high efficiency and energy-saving pump.  And few people have fish ponds anyway.  Some people have indoor aquaria, and you're sort of stuck if you use a heater.  The fish might not survive, if you don't use one.  But they do suggest putting the aquarium in a room that's not cool, and insulating it.  And you can unplug the light when you're not watching the fish.

Almost everyone has a hot water heater.  It keeps the water hot 24 hours a day, and one of the things that allows that to happen is a recirculator.  They suggest putting your recirculator on a timer, so it's not heating and recirculating water let's say in the middle of the night.  I'm not sure how good an idea this is, because it only saves an estimated $28-$93 per year.  However, what you can do, if you don't have many people in the house, is switch from a tank-type water heater to one of those heaters (electric or gas) that doesn't have a reservoir, and heats only when you turn on the hot water.  You can save a significant amount of money that way.

A "set-top box" appears to have something to do with audio-video electronics.  The cost savings per year is only in the range of $16-$57 per year, but a power strip costs less than that, and you only have to buy it once.  That's what I use.  The individual components also use power, even when they're off.  So I plug everything, including the TV, into one power strip.

Did you know you can save $111 per year by unplugging an electric fan when you're not using it, even when you've turned it off?  Most of mine are wired ceiling fans, which use very little power, so I can't do more than turn them off.  But I have one in my garage for when I work out.  That one gets unplugged when I'm not working out, which is almost all the time.

They had one entry called "24/7 lights."  I don't know who burns lights 24/7, but it can cost you anywhere from $4 per year to $104 per year to do it.

It would be a real pain to turn off your computer when you're not using it, and if you don't turn it off, the good news is that it will cost you only $1-$49 per year.

Here's what they say about your modem: it will cost $5-$17 per year to run it (very little), but "unplug your modem before going to bed.  You don't need internet access when you're asleep."  It's very little savings, but the theory is good.

All chargers should be unplugged when you're not charging something.  Not a ton of savings with each one, but they add up.

I don't know anything about video games, but they do say the consoles are "another energy vampire."  You should unplug those consoles, and take your video game out of "instant-on mode if you don't need it."  As I said, I know nothing about this, so I don't know what constitutes needing instant-on mode.

A very big offender is central AC units, but I'm not sure anyone can unplug them down here at any moment during half the year.

An electric clothes dryer costs $.33 an hour to run.  You can't do much about that, unless you want to get a gas dryer, or hang your clothes on a line, to let "god" dry them in "his" spare time.  But you can unplug the dryer when you're not using it (that's what I do), which is almost all the time.

CFL and LED light bulbs cost a lot, but they save a lot, too.

"Your coffee maker requires a lot of energy while in use, so it's best to keep it unplugged while it isn't."  Words to the wise there.

Purists that they are, they also suggest unplugging your microwave (if you can) when you're not using it, because you have a watch or something, so you don't need the microwave on all the time just to know what time it is.

The rest of the stuff mostly applies to up north, or it's small potatoes.

As an aside, my electric bill sank to $10.05 a month sometime in early 2020, and it's never gone higher, even in two summers.  If you can afford to throw some solar panels up there, I highly recommend you do it.