Concours.John
Auto Detail & Restoration
If you have a fixed location or a business this might be interesting.
If you don't know what a demand meter is it is a needle indicator on the front of your electrical meter for business electric. The meter logs your peak demand based on percentages for the month. It is reset each month. This affects your bill.
When I first moved into the shop my peak demand was 27.5%. That was during winter running floor sanders all sorts of tools a 220V fan and 220V electric heater plus other 110 heaters.
Ever since spring I have kept my demand no higher than 10% mostly 5% and 4% as the meter says the day of the reading. I just happened to look closer at my bill and have been charged 20.6% on average and 25%-26% jun-aug. I watch this meter and the time where I hit 10% was with 4 fans added during the heat of summer.
I do my best to conserve and last month as the meter reader came in I took a picture with my phone 4.5%. I recieved my bill 20.6%.:wall
I called and asked my supplier and asked what was going on. I was told exactly what I wrote in the first paragragh of this thread. (Which I already knew):wall
I asked if your not using that demand why are you being charged for it. I was told there are peak usage months. The thing that bugs me is what is the point of a small business to watch and conserve if the utility company is going to "plug" in a different number than the actual reading. I started thinking how much false revenue this creates with businesses that just store or use it as a base station.
Being "Green" costs more money to do. It just seems like this is another way to get back what is lost when people conserve more. I guess it is "ok" to do it to a business since it is written of as a cost of doing business.
What this boils down to is a cost that gets passed down to the consumer unfairly. As a business you have to do it. I know as I keep calling around and trying to figure this out I'm poking the bear. Im just curious how many of you really watch your meter.
I'll lend my soapbox to the next person now.
If you don't know what a demand meter is it is a needle indicator on the front of your electrical meter for business electric. The meter logs your peak demand based on percentages for the month. It is reset each month. This affects your bill.
When I first moved into the shop my peak demand was 27.5%. That was during winter running floor sanders all sorts of tools a 220V fan and 220V electric heater plus other 110 heaters.
Ever since spring I have kept my demand no higher than 10% mostly 5% and 4% as the meter says the day of the reading. I just happened to look closer at my bill and have been charged 20.6% on average and 25%-26% jun-aug. I watch this meter and the time where I hit 10% was with 4 fans added during the heat of summer.
I do my best to conserve and last month as the meter reader came in I took a picture with my phone 4.5%. I recieved my bill 20.6%.:wall
I called and asked my supplier and asked what was going on. I was told exactly what I wrote in the first paragragh of this thread. (Which I already knew):wall
I asked if your not using that demand why are you being charged for it. I was told there are peak usage months. The thing that bugs me is what is the point of a small business to watch and conserve if the utility company is going to "plug" in a different number than the actual reading. I started thinking how much false revenue this creates with businesses that just store or use it as a base station.
Being "Green" costs more money to do. It just seems like this is another way to get back what is lost when people conserve more. I guess it is "ok" to do it to a business since it is written of as a cost of doing business.
What this boils down to is a cost that gets passed down to the consumer unfairly. As a business you have to do it. I know as I keep calling around and trying to figure this out I'm poking the bear. Im just curious how many of you really watch your meter.
I'll lend my soapbox to the next person now.
