I was very uninformed....and did not realize that we are charged for electricity at different rates... I made a table for myself (in MN) but it might be enlightening to others. I'm now trying to come up with strategies to use the lower cost times
This is usually called “time-of-use” billing.
Doesn’t your power company give you this information?
Here’s what Con Ed, the electric utility for my area, puts on their website:
https://www.coned.com/en/accounts-billing/your-bill/time-of-use
There are a few tables not unlike what you put together in your spreadsheet.
With Energy Meters on major appliances, you could monitor them turning on during peak hours and have Alexa lecture you... "Do you really want to do that wash now? It's 5pm on a Weekday!"
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Is this with Xcel in MN?
Last I heard, Xcel got (rightfully) pressured to change its TOU plans to opt-in instead of opt-out for MN, but maybe this info is already superceded by something else...
I have Rochester Public Utility and their web site is where I got the information.... stupid me had NO idea that there was different rates ...I just added a power monitor system to my breaker box so I can monitor power so will be working on some code to remind me to do that later : )
The monitor system has been SO much fun.. I found that the AC was drawing 40W when not being used. I just turned off the breaker. All the accessories in my computer room (2 displays, echo 10", printers) are on a controlled switch and that all gets turned off when not in room. I used to have the fan on the furnace on all the time and realized it takes 180W so we now have it on AUTO. Still waiting for the company to support 2 units so I can cover all my circuits...they have been promising for a while but haven't delivered... I have the unit ready to put in. At some point with the help of AI I will update my code to look for anomalies based on history. CoPilot has given me a good strategy.
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Just checked the website for BG&E (Baltimore), and here's what they offer:
Flat rate: $0.17 per kWh
Off peak: $0.11 per kWh
On peak: $0.36 per kWh
"Peak" is Monday-Friday, 3-8pm June-September, and 6-9am and 5-9pm October-May, excluding holidays.
Not sure that's worth the thrash for us.
Is that the circuit breaker for the AC's outdoor compressor/condensor unit? If so, you may have just removed power to the compressor's heater. AC compressor heaters are installed to prevent refrigerant migration and condensation in the compressor's crankcase during the off-cycle. By keeping the oil warm, these heaters ensure the refrigerant remains in a vapor state, preventing it from mixing with the oil and causing damage such as oil dilution or liquid slugging upon startup. This protection maintains the oil's proper viscosity for lubrication and extends the compressor's lifespan.
Not sure the risk of premature compressor failure is worth saving ~$20 a year.
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wow thanks for that info ... I learn something every day... Did not realize there was such a thing.. Will turn back on!
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Does your electric utility’s website show you your usage
Which one and how many circuits can you monitor now?
Here is a link to my other entry in community
Note it does 16 but they've been promising a code update that will handle more than 1 ( i have 29 circuit breakers). I could likely install the 2nd one I bought without the update but I am waiting. The price is incredible at 129 I've seen most at much higher prices and dont have MQTT.
I have since completely redid the code with several Docker containers.
The unit sends MQTT messages but every 2 seconds.
I have a python script that only sends to the mqtt broker when things have changed by 5% which reduces the traffic into Hubitat a lot. Hubitat did not like the every 2 secs. It also sends to InFluxDB for use by Granfana Local and also sends to Grafana Cloud.
I cannot get live power usage from my power company....that would be cool.
