Texas retail customers pay more than traditional utilities in their state

[Crissa]

Something I did not know:
https://jabberwocking.com/chart-of-the-day-the-great-texas-power-rip-off/

The customers forced to choose a retail utility consistently pay more than the ones on a traditional utility. Now, some of this may be like Austin customers who are opting for a higher solar mix, but that would be washed out because that's only like a cent more and the survey was of a much, much larger group.

I wonder if they did better or worse in reliability or carbon?

It's important to have the right energy pricing when you're charging a vehicle!

-Crissa

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[TheLastStarfighter]

Unregulated energy utility is the dumbest thing I've heard this week. And I've heard some dumb things.

 

[empiredown]

Commie article, commie comments... Stop trying to Kalifornia my Texas. One lady went so far as to say just that in her comments...

28 Billion sounds like a lot, until you look at the chart. It was usually one or two cents at a time. And that's because they chose the rates they did in an attempt to pay less, betting on the markets. They lost. If you believe the WSJ data and how they presented it... If you're looking for a good news story and what deregulation also created, then check out west Texas. Solid.

No one is forced to do anything here, it's a choice. They can stop paying/using or move if it's so rough. Please stop attempting to "save" people and make their minds up for them. There is a reason so many people are moving here, and it's not because it's so much worse than where they are currently at... Time will tell how this one-off situation affects things, and hopefully we don't throw the freedom out with the bath water.

ẞ

 

[Crissa]

They were only killed one or two at a time. That wasn't alot.

One off situation? It was worse than 2011, but only just. And 1989. You'd think that if something happens every ten years or so, and kills people, you'd prepare for it.

-Crissa

 

[TheLastStarfighter]

Commie article, commie comments... Stop trying to Kalifornia my Texas. One lady went so far as to say just that in her comments...

28 Billion sounds like a lot, until you look at the chart. It was usually one or two cents at a time. And that's because they chose the rates they did in an attempt to pay less, betting on the markets. They lost. If you believe the WSJ data and how they presented it... If you're looking for a good news story and what deregulation also created, then check out west Texas. Solid.

No one is forced to do anything here, it's a choice. They can stop paying/using or move if it's so rough. Please stop attempting to "save" people and make their minds up for them. There is a reason so many people are moving here, and it's not because it's so much worse than where they are currently at... Time will tell how this one-off situation affects things, and hopefully we don't throw the freedom out with the bath water.

ẞ

Freedom is lovely. Apparently Texas is lovely. I'd love to visit someday. De-regulated electricity is stupid. You can't "stop paying" for power and heat. It's like saying stop breathing. Apparently Texans have paid an extra 28 billion in less than two decades of "free market" power. Why is this a good thing?

We have a private utility here. People bitch about it a lot, but it works pretty well. It's also heavily regulated, so they get a guaranteed 3% profit, but can't jack up rates without approval. That's good for me, everyone else, and businesses.

 

[firsttruck]

Freedom is lovely. Apparently Texas is lovely. I'd love to visit someday. De-regulated electricity is stupid. You can't "stop paying" for power and heat. It's like saying stop breathing. Apparently Texans have paid an extra 28 billion in less than two decades of "free market" power. Why is this a good thing?

Agree. Many people at lower to medium economic scale can not just up and move. That takes money which was the problem in the first place of paying high utility bills relative to incomes.
Also friends and family that are economically dependent or co-dependent usually can not move.

The only freedom many have is to die quick or die slower.

 

[judokadonk]

Can't read the WSJ article, it's behind a paywall. But that chart shows the pricing in Texas as not exceeding $0.15/kwh. My electricity rates are about double that I should really calculate what it would cost to charge a Cybertruck.

 

[empiredown]

They were only killed one or two at a time. That wasn't alot.

One off situation? It was worse than 2011, but only just. And 1989. You'd think that if something happens every ten years or so, and kills people, you'd prepare for it.

-Crissa

Valar Morghulis... we all die. It’s the choices you make while you live that count. And you always have them. Always. Even when it means placing your life on the line voluntarily, which I’ve done for this country, these companies, and even you guys, for decades. To continue to cast people as victims does them or the rest of us no good without cause. Your opinions, while important, don’t count. No more than mine do.

Worse is worse. Facts count. We haven’t had a solid week of sub freezing in over a generation. And changes were made. When your state ends deaths due to earthquakes, wildfires, and heart attacks, then we’ll talk.

Valar Dohaeris.

ß

 

[Crissa]

My state did reduce deaths due to earthquakes. Compare 1906 to 1989. We've eliminated or reduced the types of buildings that failed most in those earthquakes since. Retrofitted all our freeways as we learn.

We had even worse fire weather this last year than the fires just a few years ago that killed so many: This time we shut off transmission lines and reduced the fire hazards and had worked to create fire lines in new patterns - one such fire line kept my neighborhood from burning. One I personally had helped maintain.

And 2011 wasn't a generation ago.

Stop being a damned death cult and prepare for bad weather.

-Crissa

 

[DarinCT]

I never quite grasp unrestricted independence. The highways are from the federal government, medicare is too. Emergency services are welcome from local like the fire department all the way to FEMA for say...a hurricane. But, any time a suggestion that everyone pay a bit more and regulate the companies take care of the extremes, it's somehow personal freedoms that are infringed. "They can't tell me what to do", "I earned this money and I get to decide.". Rich Perry asserting the Texans like it this way. I understand that the independence feels like it's getting infringed, but it's either that the government cares about you or doesn't. Somehow, the government is coming for freedoms and money and doesn't care about you and still provides services or protection. Huh??!?

I get the whole "I get to decide" and the government shouldn't. My dad is a libertarian. This whole "you can choose" is only half the equation. The other half includes information, assets/resources, opportunities and access. Sure, I can choose between utility A or utility B in the free market. And, when the cost of electricity is equal to three months mortgage, I can choose to use power or not but the market has removed all the other financial choices from my life. When they turn the power off, there is no choice. Now I can't get gas or heat my food. That's the removal of freedom and choice, but hey at least I can feel independent because that'll keep me warm at night.

It's not Californication or commie or some cabal or banana republic coming for you, it's people who think it sucks and hey, maybe, there's a better way than this. Some of them even work for the government or emergency services.