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Certain cities are growing more progressive in their utility billing in an effort to sponsor solar organic and sustainable living practices by cost conscious homeowners. The City of Los Angeles is profiled as one such metropolitan community managing its consumer base in a manner designed to reward smart energy management in green households.
Summer incentives to manage household energy are critical to prevent brown outs and senseless energy consumption. Many historical seasons in Los Angeles have been spotted with rolling brown outs in high heat weather. During these brown outs when electricity spikes cause grid shutdowns, fatalities and hospitalizations due to uncontrollable heat occur.
However, in high heat of summer, which can reach above one hundred degrees in the San Fernando Valley especially for weeks, these charges could become economical pain points. But while the City of Los Angeles pays $126.5 million to pave a airport parking lot, it’s so called green efforts reduce high heat weather consumption should be lauded.
The County of Los Angeles is principally powered by the DWP, and has given customers notice that excessive energy consumption in premium pricing tiers will result in much higher electric bills. Critics contend that in triple digit temperatures these rates can negatively impact single family households. Some might say L.A. is better off using these pavement funds to install solar power to supplement summer high power usage.
Under the new structure, San Fernando Valley residents can use up to 500 kilowatt hours per month at 12.36 cents per kwh. The San Fernando Valley is North of Los Angeles and inclusive of Burbank, Sylmar, North Hollywood, and other cities. Fire dangers in foothills during this season are critical.
Usage between 500 and 1,500 kwh per month will be charged 13.86 cents, and above 1,500 kwh will be charged 17.36 cents. A kilowatt hour is the energy needed to generate 1,000 watts of power for one hour – the equivalent, for example, of running a 100-watt lightbulb for 10 hours. DWP says its average residential customer uses about 500 kwh per month.
The tiered rates started July 1 and will remain in effect the end of September, with a similar period starting in June of 2010. This is the high season for heat waves in Los Angles and Southern California. An intensive review of how these rates affect customer usage, as well as a cross index of overall consumer environmental change should be submitted during this initial phase.
For example, if crowds of people start leaving home during the heat wave and jam the freeways to the beach, this policy creates pollution rather than conserves air quality. And visiting drive through restaurants or consuming high waste packing meals will contribute to excessive landfill waste.
Would mall prices rise if sudden mobs of people started inhabiting them to enjoy the air conditioning? What if municipal pools and libraries start to have overflow problems? Will deaths result because seniors were too broke to turn on their air conditioning? The far reaching consequences of these decisions should be of concern to all.
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