- cross-posted to:
- california@lemmy.world
- cross-posted to:
- california@lemmy.world
Seen on reddit and other sources:
https://old.reddit.com/r/fresno/comments/1hxqlx7/the_more_i_try_to_save_energy_the_higher_the/
Its already 50c or more per kilowatt hour… https://www.pge.com/assets/pge/docs/account/rate-plans/residential-electric-rate-plan-pricing.pdf
On top of the “The Electric Home Rate Plan includes a $15-per-month Base Services Charge”… because people were starting to get 100% of their power from solar and it was “unfair”.
Of course. I used that exaggerated example to demonstrate the nature of the problem, not to quantify it.
Cryptominers can use the same connection that you do; they just max it out 24/7, while you rarely use more than 1/10th of your connection.
Why should you be forced to subsidize your cryptoneighbor?
Connecting infrastructure costs roughly the same to maintain regardless if 10 amps or 1000 amps is running through it. The crypto miner pays the same fee for their standard service connection then pays per Kwh just like everybody else. Other customers are not subsidizing their connection nor their power.
By your logic, you are subsidizing anyone who uses more power than you and you are being subsidized by anyone using less power than you.
That’s simply false. A 1000A transformer costs considerably more than a 10A transformer, both to purchase and to service.
That is only true if the “connection fee” (distribution charges) are the same for both the 10A user and the 1000A user. When the charge is divided up on the basis of a user’s actual consumption, it is not.
You’re making the argument yourself here:
Yes. And that is true regardless of how heavily it is used, which means you should pay a flat rate for maintenance of the infrastructure you use, and another rate for the power you draw.
Residential buildings use standardised infrastructure, which then leads to the same standard fee for everyone. Industry that needs heavier equipment pays a different fee, because they require different infrastructure.