We have been on Powershop since they started. Unit prices vary between 18 cents and 24 cents. My average is about 21 cents. There are no line charges. So this is like Meridian was for me, except I paid line charges as well. I'm usually paid up40-ish days in advance. Plus I buy cheap power months ahead to average my monthly charges across the year. I'm very happy w th Powershop. Its cheaper.
_____________________________________________________________________ I've been on Geekzone over 16 years..... Time flies....
jonb: I was really interested in the powershop concept when they first started, the idea of residential users paying for electricity more like wholesale users - when the resevoirs are full the rate goes down (i.e. the winter when you use more) and when the resevoirs are low the price goes up (in the summer when you use less). That's how I gather the wholesale market works, where heavy industry source their electricity from. Sadly it hasn't panned out like that - the rate powershop charge seems totally 'demand' driven - more demand in the winter so the unit price is higher. So I might save a hundred dollars here and there but it's not the game changer is should have been. Probably due to their close relationship with Meridian who don't wan't their business model ruined so limit any savings powershop customers can make.
That's just my impression..
Your logic is back to front. In winter more power is used so the proportion of hydro (free) to thermal (costs lots) is lower. But in summer bugger all thermal is used so the free fuel for the hydro means wholesale prices are significantly lower. Add in the effect from the snow melting along with the usual spring weather patterns and you can quite regularly see $0.01 per MWhr on the wholesale market. Just the way supply and demand works :)
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