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Due to the fact that TVA hasn't built any new generating plants in a long time they are not able to meet demand during high demand periods like extreme heat. Therefore TVA must purchase power from other companies in the US at a much higher price than they can make it themselves. The cost is passed on to us. Many industries sign up for a volunteer curtailment plan and they have been curtailed about 8 to 10 times this summer. Jobama needs to spend some stimulus money building a few new powerplants instead of paving perfectly good highways.
First, TVA's comment on the FAC http://www.tva.com/fuelcost/index.htm
Hoober made a comment that TVA had to reduce power output at a lot of plants due to the high temperature of the river water.

TVA IS currently building new generating capacity as they work on Watts BAR Unit 2. Belefonte is still licensed to be a nuclear plant, and from what I hear, it is scheduled to start completion work after Watts Bar is finished. Both of these are in the capacity of about 1200MW per unit.
BFN Unit one came on line (again) just a year or so ago (around 1100MW),and they purchased a combined cycle NG plant in Southhaven MS, about that time. In addition, a lignite plant was built in North Ms with a contract to TVA for power (I don't know the particulars) about 5 or 6 years ago, so I would argue that TVA IS adding generating capacity.When I was still there, TVA was building combustion turbine plants around for peaking.
As to using stimulus money for more power plants, I don't believe the job of the Federal Government is to give money to private companies to build more power plants. TVA receives no money from the Fed Gov. for any power program and never has, except for the grant of Wilson Dam in '33, and possibly some funding during the war years to provide power lines to make the bomb. I believe (not going to research first) that Obama has set a policy to help all power companies put in more nuclear plants, but I don't know all the ins and outs, just that it is suppose to be easier now to license a nuclear plant.
quote:
Originally posted by The Cold Hard Truth:
with a consistent 300+ bill for 700 sq ft in Sheffield.. something is serious wrong.. freaking leeches

You are getting screwed. you need to read the amps on each circuit in your breaker or fuse box. If you don't know how, hire someone who does. Seriously. i don't know, but I suspect Unc Gus could do this.
quote:
Originally posted by The Cold Hard Truth:
with a consistent 300+ bill for 700 sq ft in Sheffield.. something is serious wrong.. freaking leeches



Over 3000 kwh in one month for a 700 sq. ft. house? You should only be using about 500 kwh on a place that size. It's not TVA that's screwing you, you're doing that yourself. This is like a 500 pound man blaming McDonalds for why he's so fat, all while he's eating 10 Big Macs a day.
Last edited by Mr. Hooberbloob
quote:
Originally posted by Mr. Hooberbloob:
quote:
Originally posted by The Cold Hard Truth:
with a consistent 300+ bill for 700 sq ft in Sheffield.. something is serious wrong.. freaking leeches



Over 3000 kwh in one month for a 700 sq. ft. house? You should only be using about 500 kwh on a place that size. It's not TVA that's screwing you, you're doing that yourself. This is like a 500 pound man blaming McDonalds for why he's so fat, all while he's eating 10 Big Macs a day.

Or maybe not- could be "someone else" has tapped into his breaker box, or some appliance is eating him out of house and home. I have found in the past, some people know enough to be able to steal power from their next door neighbors. At 700sf, it sounds like an apartment or something , and it would be entirely possible he's providing power for several families, and maybe a dead dog or 2.
I just found it funny that he thinks TVA are leeches when red flags should be going up getting a bill like that on such a small area. Classic case of barking up the wrong tree.

I can't understand why people think their power bill will be the same all the time. It's almost like they don't know every watt is being metered just like gas from the pump.
Use of power in the Tennessee Valley is starting to reach record peaks. While it may not be happening in the Muscle Shoals area, it is happening here in Tennessee. There is a lot of construction.

TVA is changing the billing structure for its customers (electric distributors and large businesses). They will allow large businesses to change before the end of this month to take place October 1. It changes for the other customers next summer, which includes the smaller businesses who are on business tariffs.

For now the choice will be Time of Use or Seasonal rates. Either way it will encourage the customer to manager their power use better or pay the bill. Eventually it will get to the homeowners and everyone will be on Time of Use, which means the power distributors will have to pass the cost on to customers if they continue to peak loads in peak hours. The seasonal rates are only intended to help transition industrial customers. All businesses will move to time of use by 2012.

We have let our power infrastructure rest in a 1970's format (nationwide) while we continue to add load. It will have to be updated to a smart grid or we will see more and more brownouts. I look for regional brownouts in the near future anyway.
You know I am sure there are hundreds of things that contribute to the rate of power in the tennessee valley area.

I read on the TVA website yesterday that TVA employes about 2600 in the area and has 4500 retired in the area. At some point TVA will be like the UAW....2600 cannot support 4500 before it is passed on to the consumer. TVA has had insane benifits packages for far too long.

TVA can say they have the lowest rates in the nation but.....do the local power municipalities pass these savings on to us?

So as consumers in this area we are having to pay for TVA and Flo utility employees....too many hands before it gets to the end user.
no.. it was small house I used to live in.. 300 plus dollars a month.. the more I tried to conserve the higher the bill got actually.. I don't think sheffield even bothers to read the meters at times... anybody recall a while back the meter reader who was getting some booty in exchange for altering the readings? along his meter reading route? they have to make up for that kind of stuff somehow I guess.. Sheffield is really really bad if you have a business.. on top of a ridiculous deposit the bill probably is double what a residence pays.. as if folks who don't have their own business have it hard enough these days.. a whole weeks gross just to pay the utility bill.. no wonder this is a ghost town
quote:
Originally posted by barksdale.jeff:

At some point TVA will be like the UAW....2600 cannot support 4500 before it is passed on to the consumer. TVA has had insane benifits packages for far too long.

TVA can say they have the lowest rates in the nation but.....do the local power municipalities pass these savings on to us?

So as consumers in this area we are having to pay for TVA and Flo utility employees....too many hands before it gets to the end user.


You know not of which you speak.
TVA retirement was funded jointly by employees and TVA at one time, but TVA stopped making regular kicks into the retirement program 20 or so years ago. They did have to kick in some money to make up for some of that about a year ago.
During the go-go years of the 90's, TVA stopped the retirement system and went strictly to a 401k type. The old retirement system was Grandfathered in so those who were already in, could stay in, but no new people added to the defined benefit plan. TVA did push very strong for all of us in the defined plan to change, but those who did are now sorry.
Now you know.
As to your second point, I don't really know, but when you compare rates here to where my wife came from out west, I am pretty sure they do.
quote:
Originally posted by The Cold Hard Truth:
no.. it was small house I used to live in.. 300 plus dollars a month.. the more I tried to conserve the higher the bill got actually.. I don't think sheffield even bothers to read the meters at times... anybody recall a while back the meter reader who was getting some booty in exchange for altering the readings? along his meter reading route? they have to make up for that kind of stuff somehow I guess.. Sheffield is really really bad if you have a business.. on top of a ridiculous deposit the bill probably is double what a residence pays.. as if folks who don't have their own business have it hard enough these days.. a whole weeks gross just to pay the utility bill.. no wonder this is a ghost town


An older Electric meter is easy to read, but the new meters are real easy.
If you have an old meter, learn to read it, if you have a new one, just go do it. Try to read it on the day you expect the utility to read it.
Compare your numbers with the numbers on your bill. If they are radically different, raise hell. If they are close , let it go.

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