Topic 'Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review' in forum 'Chicago' - dslreports.com

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 16:17:40 EDT

gdm posted : I had two powerful workstations on 24/7 that were sucking some juice. The one just died so I'm down one workstation which should save some energy.

I'll be interested to see how summer turns out.

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 00:56:39 EDT

w d posted : For jsinaiko: Saving $417.34 since last August on RRTP! Kudos. I feel like I need remedial training. We are lucky to save $200 - 300 for a whole year on about 7000-8000 kwh of usage.

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 00:33:17 EDT

w d posted : For gdm: You seem to be doing better than we are with RRTP. For the period 8/12 thru 2/13 you used 5028 kwh @$491.81 = $0.0978/kwh. We used 4094kwh @$409.22 = $0.0999/kwh. We are home all day. Congrats.

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 23:02:16 EDT

jsinaiko posted : We are doing the basement now and will thicken it up in the attic over the summer. It's amazing what sealing it up tightly can do.
--
Illegitimati non carborundum

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 14:49:15 EDT

insomniac posted : Nope, though I am curious! We had an energy audit with blower door test done before and after (free, courtesy a City of Naperville program at the time), and there is still air moving through the house - just not nearly as much.

I did a couple of radon tests back when the Illinois EPA had free kits available. Last time I checked, they were out, so I'll have to buy one.
--
If everything seems to be going well, you've obviously overlooked something.

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 13:25:42 EDT

Dennis posted :

said by insomniac:

We noticed a huge drop in our heating and cooling bills when we added insulation in the attic (went from R12 to about R48), put insulation in the basement and crawl space sill joists where there had been none, and sealed up some gaps. Our house is small, but we haven't had a gas bill over $100 since then.

Out of curiosity, you ever do a Radon test since then?
--
My Blog. Because I desperately need the acknowledgement of others.

The Judd Family site!

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 12:53:17 EDT

insomniac posted : We noticed a huge drop in our heating and cooling bills when we added insulation in the attic (went from R12 to about R48), put insulation in the basement and crawl space sill joists where there had been none, and sealed up some gaps. Our house is small, but we haven't had a gas bill over $100 since then.
--
If everything seems to be going well, you've obviously overlooked something.

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 22:17:00 EDT

jsinaiko posted : We are in the process of doing some new insulating in places where there has been none. That ought to help too. My wife doesn't mind it hot, but when it gets super-sticky, you can't really get much work done unless you at least cut the humidity a little.
--
Illegitimati non carborundum

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 10:08:24 EDT

Jon posted : All the monitors I look at seem to show total live usage and electricity cost. I want to what each circuit is doing so when It says I''m using 1.2 kWH or whatever, I can see where. Not sure going old school is an option. My meter doesn't have a wheel anymore. It just has a screen that flashes a bunch of gibberish and alien hieroglyphs.

I don't know. I just think something is going on. All of our appliances, including HW heater, furnace and AC are 6 years old or less, the hot tub hasn't been used in two years and most of the rooms in the house we never even really use, yet our usage never seems to change.

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 19:00:47 EDT

ctgottapee posted : Something like Efergy or a TED device would help.

I went with the Efergy as its portable and you can move it from whole house, to different circuits like HVAC, and I stripped an extension cord so I can clamp it on to a single plugged-in item similar to using the watts devices. It is far far cheaper, and saving money is part of the game.
In my mind you really don't need full time measuring, just a wait to double check what you think should be happening.

Of course if you want it all, a TED unit will deliver.

Or you can go old school and turn off things at the breaker and count the rotations / led blinks on the meter. I've used it to fact check my readings.

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 01:39:52 EDT

insomniac posted :

said by Jon:

Was actually wondering about naperville today. Don't know why but it popped into my head. What is their per kWH rate? is comed even an option?

8.68 cents/kWh, with a customer charge of $11.10/month. These haven't gone up since 2010. The proposed off-peak time-of-use rate is 4.05 cents, but on-peak and critical peak would be 17.75 cents.

ComEd isn't an option.
--
If everything seems to be going well, you've obviously overlooked something.

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 18:29:19 EDT

JimThePCGuy posted : Flat rate.

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 18:27:59 EDT

Jon posted :

said by JimThePCGuy:

If it anytime I'm not happy I can just walk.

That's a pretty good deal them. Is it a flat rate or does it fluctuate? If it's a flat rate, that would be pretty awesome.

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 18:24:32 EDT

Jon posted :

said by jsinaiko:

It's pretty extraordinary. And it really hasn't required any major changes in how we do things. BUt if it is a hot summer, it'll be a challenge to keep the AC off during the day.

Since last August they claim I have saved $417.34.

That's some good beer money! I save more only cause my bill is bigger. I really need to find out where the pig is. I don't mind the warm weather. I turn on the A/C just to remove the humidity. I'd keep it set pretty high. Unfortunately, my wife wants to be able to store meat in any room in the house. :huh:

My mother keeps her house so cold you have to wear gloves to go there. She runs her A/c in the winter at times, when she doesn't have the windows open. Must be a woman thing. ;)

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 18:19:54 EDT

JimThePCGuy posted : If it anytime I'm not happy I can just walk.

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 18:17:57 EDT

Jon posted :

said by insomniac:

I'm a City of Naperville electric customer and am anxious for them to start offering these programs, once their city-wide smart meter rollout is complete. I've had a smart meter on my house since January of last year, but they're still getting the backend in place.

We're typically not home during the day and we tend to run the dishwasher, laundry, etc. after 10pm anyway, so we may be able to save some money without changing our habits. They claim that their ePortal (once it launches) will be able to do an analysis of my past usage and show me how much I'd save before I make the decision to switch.

Was actually wondering about naperville today. Don't know why but it popped into my head. What is their per kWH rate? is comed even an option? The one thing that is nice about new appliances is you can set them to a delayed run. Load up the dishwasher, hit delay 4 hours and it'll start up automatically in the middle of the night.

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 18:14:27 EDT

Jon posted : Yeah that's not the RTP pricing. I typically see 3-5 cents. It does spike at peak times as expected. You're cities program looks pretty good though. The only thing I think you need to watch out for with these programs is contracts. Remember when all those people got screwed with the natural gas programs?

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 16:07:13 EDT

Richie12 posted : 8.5 cents is the ComEd standard rate. The real-time rate varies per hour. Over the past three years, the highest my average hourly rate has been on RRTP is about 4.5 cents per hour.

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 15:47:45 EDT

JimThePCGuy posted : I just went with my village's aggregation program and it looks like it beats the ComEd real time pricing without me doing anything. What am I missing?
I do notice a very definite decrease in my monthly bill.

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 10:41:58 EDT

insomniac posted : I'm a City of Naperville electric customer and am anxious for them to start offering these programs, once their city-wide smart meter rollout is complete. I've had a smart meter on my house since January of last year, but they're still getting the backend in place.

We're typically not home during the day and we tend to run the dishwasher, laundry, etc. after 10pm anyway, so we may be able to save some money without changing our habits. They claim that their ePortal (once it launches) will be able to do an analysis of my past usage and show me how much I'd save before I make the decision to switch.
--
If everything seems to be going well, you've obviously overlooked something.

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 09:16:36 EDT

jsinaiko posted : It's pretty extraordinary. And it really hasn't required any major changes in how we do things. BUt if it is a hot summer, it'll be a challenge to keep the AC off during the day.

Since last August they claim I have saved $417.34.
--
Illegitimati non carborundum

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 07:12:01 EDT

gdm posted : I wonder what is hogging up your power. For you to be $55 more then I am seems high.

Yeah I saw that the pricing is supposed to put the kWH on par with third party providers. I didn't see that on the delivery charge.

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 19:38:27 EDT

Jon posted : I got mine too. Percentage is about the same. A little more dollar wise but my bill is bigger.

Current Month
Billing Period: 2/28/2013 to 3/28/2013
RRTP Bill: $115.61
Standard Fixed-Rate Bill: $159.51
Total Bill $ Savings: $43.90
Total Bill % Savings: 27.52%
Total Electric Supply Services % Savings: 41.32%*

Program to Date
Total Number of Bills on RRTP: 35
Total Bill $ Savings: $1,807.87
Total Bill % Savings: 26.45%
Total Electric Supply Services % Savings: 38.63%*

I read this morning that their contracts run out soon so kWH prices are supposed to drop in june/july. Delivery charges are supposed to go up though so I'm sure we'll somehow end up paying more.

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:57:39 EDT

gdm posted : Just got this today

Current Month
Billing Period: 2/26/2013 to 3/26/2013
RRTP Bill: $61.34
Standard Fixed-Rate Bill: $78.71
Total Bill $ Savings: $17.37
Total Bill % Savings: 22.07%
Total Electric Supply Services % Savings: 40.3%*

Program to Date
Total Number of Bills on RRTP: 7
Total Bill $ Savings: $195.01
Total Bill % Savings: 28.39%
Total Electric Supply Services % Savings: 47.54%*

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 05:37:29 EDT

Todd12 posted : I live in a small town 1 hour south of chicago. Our town put us into a program My bill has dropped.

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 02:12:40 EDT

jsinaiko posted : Yep - yarn insulation. But other than the electrics, they knew how to build those things - very strong. Anything that was shoehorned in, especially before 1930 is now totally worn out and scary-obsolete, or has been replaced.
--
Illegitimati non carborundum

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 23:24:10 EDT

Jon posted :

said by jsinaiko:

This house was built in 1892 and some of the wiring is original: 100 years old and in - as you can imagine - really lousy shape. All being replaced.

The house we had in logan sq was built in 1896. When I was doing some remodeling I found most of the electric was running through old black pipe. I guess that was the old NG pipes that they used to use for lighting. All the wiring was that black fabric covered stuff. Hated working on that house.

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 22:05:42 EDT

gdm posted : Good point I should mention our stove and dryer are gas so that makes a difference.

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 21:57:09 EDT

jsinaiko posted : Yeah, we are mainly CFL too, and are slowly switching to LEDs. We are getting a new panel as part of our basement project in a couple of weeks. Generally in pretty good shape. At the moment due to the basement construction we don't have a washer or dryer but when we do get new ones in a couple of weeks we will be switching the dryer to gas from electric. That ought to finish off our gas/electric mechanical and infrastructure work. This house was built in 1892 and some of the wiring is original: 100 years old and in - as you can imagine - really lousy shape. All being replaced.
--
Illegitimati non carborundum

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 11:33:05 EDT

Jon posted : We're almost all CFL for lighting and have been for a few years with the exception of a few lights. The outside floods and the kitchen. We'll eventually switch to LED now that they're getting more affordable. For now though, I can get 60 watt eq CFL that uses 15 watts for $5 bucks while the same LED uses something like 12 watts and is $15. Price -vs- efficiency isn't quite there yet IMO.

I have two laptops and a desktop I never shut down. Not sure they use enough to make a big difference even if I did. There's a pig in this house somewhere. Just haven't been able to find it. The hot water heater is only a few months old so in theory, should be efficient but who knows. that's why I want to monitor circuits. If it is the HWH maybe I can put it on a timer or something.

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 10:20:33 EDT

gdm posted : We are about +/9 1200SF. Nobody is home during the day besides the dogs :). I have two desktops on 24/7 and the wife's laptop may be in hibernate mode. Other than that nothing else is really on besides typical household electric. My wife gets home with are daughter before 5pm.

I do pay attention when the RRTP send out emails saying the RRTP has spiked and we try to avoid dishwasher, washer / dryer during that time. That really only comes into play spring and summer. I think winter we got maybe 2 alerts and it was 1pm.

Also most of our interior lights have been changed to energy efficient I'm sure like most of you. My electric panel is only 8 years old.

I also don't get why it has to be manually read but what ever.

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 09:22:09 EDT

Jon posted :

said by Dennis:

I'd be willing to look into it since you guys are saying good things, alas my electric meter had a deck built around it by the original builder so I couldn't switch it out without a chainsaw. :huh:

The other problem with that is even if you took out some boards to do the swap, unless things have changed recently, these meters need to be manually read. Seems kind of silly for a so called "smart meter" but it is what it is I suppose.

Also for the other RTP users, If you don't mind me asking, whats your house set up? SqFt, what's electric etc.. I'm about 1100 sqft and everything is gas except my hot water heater. Myself and jsinaiko seem to be similar as far as usage but I'd like to be where gdm is. 1300-1700 kWH just seems high to me. Especially in those months where you're not using heat or AC yet, the usage doesn't seem to change.

I gotta get some type of meter for my panel so I can see what the hell is going on and what each circuit is using. I have a kill-a-watt but I haven't really found anything that looks out of control. I'd really like to see what the HWH and furnace/ac use though.

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 21:52:10 EDT

gdm posted : Thanks! Forgot about that part of the site.

[att=1]

August is when I got installed so I don't think that was a full months worth.

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 19:57:40 EDT

jsinaiko posted : Just go to www.energybilldata.biz/ and log in.
--
Illegitimati non carborundum

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 19:56:07 EDT

jsinaiko posted : Damn right $50 a month is nothing to sneeze at - or more! Hell, I pay for most of my gas bill with the savings. I tank you for turning me on to it.

And same in our house - we wouldn't do much differently. But we'll see this summer, when we will be trying to keep the AC off during most of the day. Ironically, it's about hot weather more than cold weather.
--
Illegitimati non carborundum

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 01:13:32 EDT

gdm posted : No I don't, I remember you saying that but never got them. I looked over the account today and see I can compare neighbors in my comed account.

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 19:43:17 EDT

Jon posted :

said by gdm:

I signed up as well based on users here. I've been happy haven't looked at my savings.

Don't you get emails every month showing the savings? I do. Maybe it's something you need to sign up for? I don't remember. I just get them

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 19:40:32 EDT

Jon posted :

said by chmod:

So are you guys seeing these savings by following their guidelines so to speak as far as say doing laundry during off peak times where rates are lower? Or is it just business as usual and rates are lower across the board? I guess I should have researched a little more before enrolling :o

It's just just business as usual in my house. Our schedule doesn't really allow for pattern change in doing laundry etc. But if you look in the old threads linked here, I'm still saving 30-70%. Imagine what I could save if I could really manage it. Our schedules just don't allow it though. Especially now that I have a new manager and my work from home time will be more limited. :(

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 14:18:53 EDT

Dennis posted : I'd be willing to look into it since you guys are saying good things, alas my electric meter had a deck built around it by the original builder so I couldn't switch it out without a chainsaw. :huh:
--
My Blog. Because I desperately need the acknowledgement of others.

The Judd Family site!

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:02:05 EDT

gdm posted : I signed up as well based on users here. I've been happy haven't looked at my savings.

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 10:39:20 EDT

trebacz posted : I don't believe you can use it if your on the aggregation program (but you may want to check).

One of the side benefits I've found and can attest to is that the telemarketing calls for the third party billing companies are cut short now. When I tell them I'm on the real time pricing program, the call pretty much end in a, "Thank you then...."

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 10:24:30 EDT

trebacz posted : I actually covered the timeline in my first blog post back in October (»blog.trebacz.com/2012/10 ··· ram.html - YMMV). It was 12 days after signup the meter has put in. The first day that I showed real time usage was 9/20/2012 -which was 25 days after my signup.

No -I do not do all the day shifting they suggest (tough during winter and fall). We have tried it a little bit, but doubt that a significant amount of the savings. Laundry and the dishwasher are the only things we somewhat shift, but we aren't crazy about it.

The summer is when we'll see the really expensive hourly rates -and probably will do more shifting. They send you an email then. Much of my electric load is constant throughout the day -computers... So this savings is mostly "natural".

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 06:59:42 EDT

JimThePCGuy posted : I'm on my village's "aggregation" program. I am lead to believe that participating in the program prohibits me from using RRTP. Is this true? It almost makes sense that they are mutually exclusive since I am no longer purchasing my electricity from ComEd. ComEd is only "delivering" the electricity and servicing the infrastructure. The actual rates are set by the electricity provider which in my case is not ComEd.

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 23:38:27 EDT

chmod posted : So are you guys seeing these savings by following their guidelines so to speak as far as say doing laundry during off peak times where rates are lower? Or is it just business as usual and rates are lower across the board? I guess I should have researched a little more before enrolling :o
--
Some people are like Slinkies. Not really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 22:29:55 EDT

Jon posted :

said by jsinaiko:

You were the guys who turned me on to it. Just by doing what I did anyway, in terms of usage, we are saving huge amounts - at least according to the chart on the RRTP website. I mean, I'm saving over 30%.

Nice, right? fifty bucks a month ain't nuthin to sneeze at.

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 22:23:48 EDT

Jon posted :

said by chmod:

Ok, I finally signed up. How long did it take from enrolling until meter swap?

It only took a week or two for me. I don't really know. They just came and swapped the meters one day. It's been a while but I think I got an email they day they did it.

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 20:55:22 EDT

chmod posted : Ok, I finally signed up. How long did it take from enrolling until meter swap?

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 00:16:11 EDT

jsinaiko posted : You were the guys who turned me on to it. Just by doing what I did anyway, in terms of usage, we are saving huge amounts - at least according to the chart on the RRTP website. I mean, I'm saving over 30%.

Comparison of RATE BESH with Rider RRTP to Standard ComEd Rates

11/03/12 12/05/12 32 1,261 R $110.10 $167.95 $57.85 54.7 % 34.4 % $0.0382
10/04/12 11/03/12 30 1,114 R $101.97 $154.45 $52.48 53.8 % 34.0 % $0.0407
09/05/12 10/04/12 29 1,936 E $167.88 $256.97 $89.09 52.4 % 34.7 % $0.0420
08/07/12 09/05/12 29 1,101 R $103.07 $137.45 $34.38 42.5 % 25.0 % $0.0428
Totals: 9,449 $836.10 $1,253.44 $417.34 53.0 % 33.3 % $0.0394
--
Illegitimati non carborundum

Re: ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 14:55:45 EDT

Jon posted : Yep I like it too. I'm all over the two threads you linked too and my savings look a lot like the shot you posted in your blog. Depends on the time of year. In the summer I have a bunch of pond pumps running and other things outside. Still though, $50 - $70 a month is pretty huge IMO.

ComEd real time pricing savings (RRTP program) review

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 13:07:15 EDT

trebacz posted : I've saved money on my ComEd electrical utility bills by joining their "sorta" smart meter program last October 2012. It's probably one of the best decisions I've made in awhile. After being on the program for almost 6 months, I have saved over $350 on my electric bills. I documented it in my bog post:

»blog.trebacz.com/2013/03 ··· m-6.html

I'm sure the savings vary depending on your usage, but mine is almost a 50% savings on my electric bills.

RRTP has been discussed on DSL reports here:
»ComEd RRTP letter
and
»Your ComED bill
and is part of the reason I signed up last year.

Couldn't be happier with the savings -and not sure why I didn't do it a long time ago. The also have a $20 referral program that I got an email about yesterday. So if a friend recommends the service to you -they get $20 in credit (me included :)). Share if your seeing the same savings -or not?