Electricity rates in the Caribbean

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I would have thought, in Bonaire, with all your inherent sunshine, that solar panels would have been a no-brainer.

I know another SB member, Kim, has them installed on his home in Japan, and actually has excess power generated that he sells back to the local utility at the end of the month.

Is this not an option?
 
Actually solar panels, with the shipping, installation, etc, in the past was EXTREMELY expensive, and you wouldn't see any return withinan 8-10 year timeframe. This does need to re-researched to see if that is feasible. On the otherhand, most locals cannot afford them. To be honest, I don't think "selling" back power to the company is a feasible option here.

I will see what the board has to say tomorrow. After checking Curacao's rates, we are paying about 1/3rd more than that island.

Liz
 
I work for the TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority). We supply power to the entire Tennessee Valley region. We have seen increases around here which I thought was high even working for the producer. We received an email from our CEO trying to explain away some of this. It sort of gives us an idea of how the rates are being affected worldwide.

July 21, 2008
To: All TVA employees
Re: Update on Fuel Costs

Not a day seems to go by without headlines telling us the latest news about the economy, including rising gas prices and how those prices affect so many other goods and services.

Unfortunately for TVA, as well as for Tennessee Valley consumers, TVA is not immune to those same cost pressures in our business. I know you hear questions and comments about electricity prices from your friends and families, and you may feel on the spot trying to explain all that TVA does. Employees are TVA’s best and most credible representatives, and I want to share this update on fuel costs with you so you know more about the issues TVA is facing.

Two years ago, TVA began including a Fuel Cost Adjustment (FCA) in monthly power bills. Most other utilities have similar mechanisms in place to recover fuel and purchased-power costs as they occur. TVA spent more than $3.4 billion on fuel and purchased power last year. And by June of this year, we had already exceeded the amount we anticipated spending for all of 2008.

Let me just give you one example: Currently, the price of coal in all markets is moving in the same direction as the prices we’ve been seeing at the gasoline pumps. The price of European coal is up 92 percent in the last year; prices for coal deliveries to Japan are up 124 percent, and U.S. prices are up more than 100 percent. These increases are driven primarily by global coal-production and supply-chain challenges, and we in the Tennessee Valley are directly affected by what’s happening around the globe.

Our FCA is adjusted quarterly and is separate from our base rates for electricity. Last April, TVA increased wholesale base electric rates by 7 percent to help fund new power-generation and energy-efficiency initiatives. The TVA Board directed us to make those investments as part of our Strategic Plan, and they will help us ensure that we continue to provide affordable, reliable power for many years to come. In addition to the base rate increase, our FCA increased 5 percent for that quarter, bringing the total impact to 12 percent. In July, we saw another 2 percent increase in the FCA.

For TVA, the problem of rising fuel prices is worsened by the ongoing drought in the region. Drought conditions mean we have less hydro power, and TVA must replace that cheapest form of generation with one of the most expensive − power purchased from other suppliers, typically generated from oil or natural gas.

A new FCA amount, which will take effect beginning October 1, will be calculated and announced to customers next month. Over the next few weeks, TVA is talking with customers about the drivers affecting the FCA, and what TVA is doing to help control costs. We will continue to share this news with you through regular updates so that when the new FCA is announced, you can help us carry TVA’s message.

Thank you for the work you do every day in support of TVA’s mission.

Tom Kilgore

President and Chief Executive Officer

Hope this helps.
 
If you want to see high electricity prices look no further than Belize. I can't remember the actual rate, but it is by far the highest in the world and at any given time is about 3 times the UK rate (which is already very high). For my house, running lights/fans/fridges and maybe a single A/C unit for 7-8 hours a week, my monthly bill is currently over US$200, with a very large increase (30%) in the offing later this year.
 
I work for the TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority). We supply power to the entire Tennessee Valley region. We have seen increases around here which I thought was high even working for the producer. We received an email from our CEO trying to explain away some of this. It sort of gives us an idea of how the rates are being affected worldwide.


As as TVA Customer, I'd like to take that memo and shove it up Tom Kilgore's ass.


I'm really tired of TVA wasting money the way it does and passing it on to it's customers.

Tom Kilgore will make $2.8 million dollars running TVA. The problem I have with that is that he's a government employee. What other government employee makes that kind of salary? (Dubya only makes $400k per year as President). Kilgore isn't the only one. there are other ridiculous salaries there also, all paid by the taxpayers and rate payers.

We as customers have no other choice but to buy power from TVA providers. It's not like cell phone service where providers compete and we can chose competitive plans.

TVA wastes ridiculous amounts of money on it's "executive" government employees. It also wastes money "advertising" in an attempt to make it's rate payers feel better. Why do they advertise? remember we have no choice. So all their advertising does is raise our rates more.

I mean it's not like TVA is ever going to "loose money". They just raise rates.


I don't have a problem being a TVA customer, but I'm just really tired of them waving their waste in customer faces...


rant off.. btw TracyKent.... this frustration definately wasn't directed at you. I know you just work there. :D
 
Thanks all.

Just came from our meeting and our Energy subcommitte is working on this. We will continue to "plug away" and hopefully get some answers.

Liz
 
rant off.. btw TracyKent.... this frustration definately wasn't directed at you. I know you just work there. :D

I don't disagree at all. Its difficult to explain to folks who don't work here why we have to raise rates and at the same time have to deal with the same problems all the private industries have as well. We too get to see our rates go up and even though I am the guy who runs the units that provide the electricity, I still pay the same rates. We see everyday the people who you've mentioned getting these high salaries and have to figure out what they are doing for us as employees, as well as, the customers.
 
It was the paper the other day that TVA is raising our rates 20% also.

Yet they gave the CEO a $1million dollar raise at the end of 2007.


So they say they can't keep costs down, yet they screw their customers twice by giving these inflated raises... wow.


back on the subject of local electricity rates... in a thread on ST forum, Dutch Harboar / Unalaska paid 55cents/kwh also (according to a post there).
 
The Big Island of HI – it is an island after all and depends on shipped in fuel. A year ago I paid 0.34 per kwh.
0.42 three weeks ago.
0.41 for June, 0.39 in May.

My monthly consumption is very consistent at 600kwh a month, barring disasters. Such as last year a toilet valve coupling failed with the house empty and run full water pressure for a while. Ran 12 - 16 fans 24 hrs a day for 2 months (fearing mold as it was raining torrential to moderately, every day and none of that searing tropical sunshine in between. :D ) Frankly I was surprised it didn’t at least double my electric bill and was just another $100.

I have some AC, can’t recall last time I turned it on, do use room fans sometimes, mostly at night. Have solar hot water, dry 2 loads of laundry a week, turn the oven on very rarely, run the dishwasher once a month.

Electricity is 2/3 of my monthly utilities, over $200 USD a month.

Just the price of paradise I figure. Heat is cheap.
 
Thanks for starting this thread. We are in the US Virgin Islands. WAPA (Virgin Island Water and Power Authority) Rates have near doubled since last year, and yeah, they blame it on oil prices. Last months bill we paid .3333 KWH for electric, and an additional consumer chg of .102, giving us a balance of 708.43 for the month. And people ask why we have to raise our rates??? We have to make it up somewhere otherwise we'd not be in business. Insurance is also a huge bill. But, it is what it is and we are doing ok. My crew is fat and happy and we love where we are.
 
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