Duke Time of Use Rate Beta

[heimdm]

Got an interesting thing from Duke Energy yesterday, an option to enroll in their "Flex Savings Option." This is essentially time of use rates with some extra pizazz.

The gist of it is this: Connection Charge remains the same: $10.54
Base Rate was around $0.11/kwh and become of the off-peak rate of $0.08/kwh
Peak Rate: $0.20/kwh
High Demand Days Peak Rate: $0.40/kwh
Demand Charge: They look at the highest 30 minute block per billing period, and each kw you use adds $3.43/kW.
Summer Peak Time: Noon - 6pm

Non-Summer Peak Time: 6 am - 1 pm
6 pm - 9 pm

In Indiana where we have generally had cheap power, if this becomes required it definitely won't be cheap anymore.


https://www.duke-energy.com/info/uni.../inshiftoption

[J.P.M.]

I'd play some heads' up ball and see what's required from the POCO to get OK'd for storage and what any restrictions might be. For example: Can you charge a battery from the grid during an off peak rate ? Or, does PV generation sent to the grid during peak rate times carry the same $0.40/kWh price going the other way ?

Then how much is a battery on a per kWh of storage basis ?
Then, examine your priorities. Not a rhetorical or snide question, but why are you doing alternate energy in the first place ? If part of the answer involves effective use of financial resources, one question might be : What's more cost effective - More generation, more storage or more conservation ?

[solarix]

Demand charges are one of the ways PoCo's fight back against solar. Even with a large solar array, there will most likely be a 30 minute period during the week when your peak demand will be just as high as without any solar. Often times, with these rate plans, the demand charges are half the bill and adding a solar system will do very little to decrease them. Demand charges are bad for solar....