An interesting question for homebuyers has always been what will be the cost of utilities for the home they are purchasing? Many buyers request that a seller provide them with a representative number of bills for the various utilities as part of their data gathering process before purchasing a home.
In recent years there have been significant changes in comparative costs for gas verses electricity. In the past the Pacific Northwest had been fortunate to have had relatively cheap electricity, due in part to our wealth of water driven power plants along our various rivers. The relatively large disparity in gas vice electric costs has now disappeared. Only the dreaded concern of foreign oil having a significant impact on future natural gas prices limits more companies and individuals from using more natural gas-fueled appliances.
A major concern with electrical power usage is that unless something is done in the near future, we will not be able to cope with the ever increasing power demands. Data indicates that in the United States power usage has been increasing at a rate of 1.7% per year while capacity increases have only been on the order of 0.5% per year. One solution would be to reduce power consumption during peak load times, thereby saving power and reducing costs to consumers. Most power companies employ a system wherein customers are charged more per kilowatt hours when used at peak power periods than they would be changed during normal or off-peak periods.
In an effort to reduce electricity costs in the future, the Associated Press published an article recently that described a potential method for homeowners to better control electric appliance power usage. To verify the adequacy of the concept a pilot program has been started in several Washington State cities. The program consists of placing dryers and water heaters, each having special circuit card installed, in a sample number of homes in various areas of the state. The special circuit card will allow the monitoring of selected characteristics of the local power grid through the home's electrical outlet. If the pilot program is successful future appliances will have the capability to recognize a peak load period on the power grid and consumption can be delayed, or deferred to a less than peak usage time with no degradation to the particular function the appliance is providing.
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