Power Bills-Read Between the Lines

Let's be honest, outside of the total monthly due, how much of your power bill do you pay any attention to?  For most people they look at the total amount due and when it needs to be paid, and that is the end of that.

For the select few who have actually tried to peel the layers of their energy bill, they'll find that they have little idea of what they are being charged for.  Maybe they're on a Tier rated system where they are taxed a premium for excessive energy use or maybe they are on a flat rate plan.  Either way, the "Cliff's Notes" version of energy charges is that most of the charges on your energy bill is related to delivery charges.  In other words, you're paying more for the delivery man than you are for the pizza.  Your bill may be line itemed in a way that makes it hard to comprehend, but the fact is you're paying for them to send you energy more so than you're paying for them to generate energy.  

To add another layer to this explanation it's important to understand that the entire U.S. only has three power grids to deliver energy to 330 million people.  Imagine your city only had three freeways and ten times the population. How would you get anywhere?   This power grid stress is a major concern and the reason power outages have been more frequent over the years.  Ask yourself this question, if the power grid is already under significant duress, how will it handle the delivery of electricity to an expanding fleet of electric vehicles?

Power providers will need to reinforce and expand their infrastructure, and this will increase your energy delivery rates, but the bigger problem becomes energy reliability.  This is another reason why Net Energy Metering solutions offer homeowners better value.  Net Energy Metering can provide rate protection as well as a "Power-Grid Friendlier" solution.