Hydro Rates for Condos?
- Thread starter Keebler Elf
- Start date
I live in a one bedroom.
Here's my last few bills which I happen to have handy. I'll list the cost of electricity, including GST then the total bill. This shows the extra shit they charge (delivery/regulatory, debt charge, etc)
March - $17.50 - $49
April - $17 - $50
May - $15 - $47
June - $16 - $48
As you can see, the electricity is not that expensive.. it's the extra fees you get raped with..
Here's my last few bills which I happen to have handy. I'll list the cost of electricity, including GST then the total bill. This shows the extra shit they charge (delivery/regulatory, debt charge, etc)
March - $17.50 - $49
April - $17 - $50
May - $15 - $47
June - $16 - $48
As you can see, the electricity is not that expensive.. it's the extra fees you get raped with..
jaycam said:
Would you prefer they remove it and simply add it to the rates? Because that's what would happen. The charge reflects the true price of electricity. It's just the local transmission company's way of saying, "that's not our cost we're charging you for."
Esco! said:
Not going to be an option in the future as condos are all moving to individual metering. They've been working on legislation for this for years and politics got in the way, also some older buildings may cause some challenges in retrofiting them. Most older condos still don't have individual meters so you can still find them, but the day will come and it won't be pretty, lol.
Other factors that contribute to the monthly rates besides usage of appliances, A/C, etc..., is the square footage of the unit, the hydro supplier's admin fee, whether you face east or west, north or south for exposure, if you have and type of window coverings, how old and efficient the chillers, boilers, distribution system are, etc.....
Personally I prefer individual metering as I can control many of the factors stated above, whereas if it's all included owners tend to over use appliances and A/C thinking they don't have to pay for it, but in the end they all pay through the monthly fees. I own both types and I've seen first hand the differences in cost.
take into consideratrion.....do you have electric heat vs hot water rads.......where in the building is it located....how old is the building...
an older building will not have proper insulation which can cause an increase in heating requirements
Position and direction affects everything with wind and sun affecting heating and cooling...north exposure has more heating...less cooling.....West....more heating in moring and more colling at night....East has more heating in afternoon and possibly more cooling in the morning.....so on....
Where you are located in height of the building also is a factor. Taller building with poor sealing from outside air tend to have a "stack affect"...heat rises through the building by way of natural migration through floors and ceiling, and up shafts like elevators and garbage...thus making the lower units more likely to require more heating to substitute the losses.
an older building will not have proper insulation which can cause an increase in heating requirements
Position and direction affects everything with wind and sun affecting heating and cooling...north exposure has more heating...less cooling.....West....more heating in moring and more colling at night....East has more heating in afternoon and possibly more cooling in the morning.....so on....
Where you are located in height of the building also is a factor. Taller building with poor sealing from outside air tend to have a "stack affect"...heat rises through the building by way of natural migration through floors and ceiling, and up shafts like elevators and garbage...thus making the lower units more likely to require more heating to substitute the losses.
These may be the rates that were all paying now, however, be prepared for 2010 when the Province has mandated that everyone in Ontario be switched over to a smart meter. Just in case you not familar with how the smart meter system is supposed to work let me try & enlighten you. There are going to be three rates, the 1st one being the On-Peak rate, the 2nd one being the Mid-peak rate, & the last one being the Off-peak rate. The On-peak rates will be charged for electricty used from 7:00 Am till 11:00 Am and also from 5:00 Pm till 8:00 Pm Mon-Fri. The Mid-peak rates will be from 11:00 Am till 5:00 Pm & also from 8:00 Pm till 10:00 Pm Mon-Fri. The Off-peak rate will be from 10:00 Pm till 7:00 Am Mon-Fri & also all weekend long 24 hrs per day.
Here's the real kicker that's going to hurt us all in the pocket book. The On-peak rate could be 12.4 cents per kw hour, the Mid-peak rate could be 9.5 cents per kw hour & the Off-peak rate could be 3.8 cents per kw hour. With these types of rates would will be forced to try & do all of their laundry over the weekend or after 10:00 Pm during the week. The rates I've quoted are just an example from where I reside in the Province & they could vary depending on where you live.
Here's the real kicker that's going to hurt us all in the pocket book. The On-peak rate could be 12.4 cents per kw hour, the Mid-peak rate could be 9.5 cents per kw hour & the Off-peak rate could be 3.8 cents per kw hour. With these types of rates would will be forced to try & do all of their laundry over the weekend or after 10:00 Pm during the week. The rates I've quoted are just an example from where I reside in the Province & they could vary depending on where you live.
I agree you still have to pay for it, thats why I wrote "free cable" in quotation marks.Mia.Colpa said:
But a building as a whole has a lot more bargaining power than one sole individual when it comes to making deals with hydro or cable co.
So ultimately it leads to cheaper rates
Esco! said:
That's the way it works, the condo board negotiates with the hydro supplier on behalf of the owners and tries to get the best rate for the owners in that condo. Hydro suppliers aren't interested and will not negotiate with each individual owner for rates, can you imagine dealing with over 500 owners in a tower condo???? lol,
I know a little bit about condos since I sit on over a half dozen boards and I've seen it all, boy have I seen some hair raising things that go on in condos.
Because I can control the usage of my utilities if it's billed directly to me for my condo unit.Esco! said:Then why would you be against buying a condo that has most amenities included in maintenance fees??
Ýou're refering to individual hydro metering for each condo unit. If the hydro fees are included in our monthly maintenance fees, they take the whole hydro bill and divide it up by the percentage that each condo unit pays as per the Declaration. These budgets are set annual before the start of the condo fiscal year. If someone runs their appliances or A/C inefficiently I pay for his/her poor hydro management if we don't have individual metering. I do a better job to keep hydro use down, so I want individual metering. Those that don't care can pay the higher bill. However, each unit is charged the same rate per KWH. As far as I'm concerned, I wish they provide indivual meters for water and gas as well as I want to pay for what I use, not what others use, but the economics aren't there just yet. I'm working on lobbying for that, lol. Hope I didn't confuse you.
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