real time electric rate pricing service in Chicago

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allows you to purchase power by the hour. Rates may vary from a low as 1 cent to as high as 36.5 based on time of use.

www.energysmartpricing.org

ComEd expects that 110,000 customers may join the program over the next 4 years. According to an article, penned by John D Wagner in this months Green Builder mag.

Recently when I was in Dallas I saw a front page story about the local utility offering off peak rates to residential customers.

Now where's that electric boiler? :)

hot rod

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Spudwrench

variable rates

Hot rod-

Do you have a particular scheme to take advantage of the variable rates?

A. using the electric boiler when rates are low to heat a storage tank?

B.) lock out your gas boiler during the hours when it's less expensive to heat with electricity- sort of running gas and electric in parallel.

C.) Charge storage batteries during the off peak hours, then use an inverter to drive the electric boiler whenever you need to?

I'll be interested to hear what your plan is.

Nathan

Mitch_4

got a buddy doing that

in Nova Scotia, Canada. They are using an step modulating electric boiler and in slab radiant.

Programmable stat programmed around electricity rates and not occupancy, and letting the thermal mass carry them through peak rate times.

Mitch

Kevin_in_Denver_2

standardizing off peak rates

It would be nice if the utilities offered standard off peak rates. Right now the control scheme is highly dependent on the pricing structure, which is a variable that the HVAC contractor shouldn't have to re-learn in every jurisdicton.