Comments on: Cheap energy? Generate your own! http://www.geek-speak.co.uk/2008/09/cheap-energy-generate-your-own/ Pure Geekery Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:57:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Chris http://www.geek-speak.co.uk/2008/09/cheap-energy-generate-your-own/comment-page-1/#comment-913 Chris Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:01:05 +0000 http://www.geek-speak.co.uk/?p=580#comment-913 Don't worry about drifting off the topic, it's good to have a conversation :) I'm not sure about the exact setup here in the UK - I know the electricity companies are privately owned, but I don't know who owns the power cables etc. I do know that the energy companies are regulated by a government body called OFGEM who are supposed to make sure we get a fair deal. There used to be national power companies here, but they were privatised under a previous government. Don’t worry about drifting off the topic, it’s good to have a conversation :)

I’m not sure about the exact setup here in the UK – I know the electricity companies are privately owned, but I don’t know who owns the power cables etc. I do know that the energy companies are regulated by a government body called OFGEM who are supposed to make sure we get a fair deal.

There used to be national power companies here, but they were privatised under a previous government.

]]> By: Lalo Marquez http://www.geek-speak.co.uk/2008/09/cheap-energy-generate-your-own/comment-page-1/#comment-870 Lalo Marquez Wed, 03 Sep 2008 23:42:19 +0000 http://www.geek-speak.co.uk/?p=580#comment-870 Yes, in fact until recently, the government had the electric monopoly. According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electricity_sector_in_Mexico) there are a few private owned companies that are allowed to generate electricity, but they have to sell that electricity through the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) to the final consumer. The government keeps all the distribution and selling rights monopolized. I couldn't find information about private use of own electric generation, but many people tell me that it's not allowed. I made some screen-copies of my electricity online bills for you to see if you're curious about how they look. These are from the Jul-Aug period: My home bill (http://sobrenatural.net/images/lalo/cfehome.gif), and the 2 bills I get for my studio (http://sobrenatural.net/images/lalo/cfestudio1.gif) and (http://sobrenatural.net/images/lalo/cfestudio2.gif). As today: £1 pound = $18.43 pesos. By the way, I appologize for drifting away too much from the main subject of the post. My very best regards, Lalo Marquez. Yes, in fact until recently, the government had the electric monopoly. According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electricity_sector_in_Mexico) there are a few private owned companies that are allowed to generate electricity, but they have to sell that electricity through the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) to the final consumer. The government keeps all the distribution and selling rights monopolized. I couldn’t find information about private use of own electric generation, but many people tell me that it’s not allowed. I made some screen-copies of my electricity online bills for you to see if you’re curious about how they look. These are from the Jul-Aug period: My home bill (http://sobrenatural.net/images/lalo/cfehome.gif), and the 2 bills I get for my studio (http://sobrenatural.net/images/lalo/cfestudio1.gif) and (http://sobrenatural.net/images/lalo/cfestudio2.gif). As today: £1 pound = $18.43 pesos. By the way, I appologize for drifting away too much from the main subject of the post. My very best regards, Lalo Marquez.

]]> By: Chris http://www.geek-speak.co.uk/2008/09/cheap-energy-generate-your-own/comment-page-1/#comment-862 Chris Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:10:27 +0000 http://www.geek-speak.co.uk/?p=580#comment-862 Thanks for dropping in Lalo, and thanks for the comment. That seems an odd position for the government to take - is there a government-owned electricity company in Mexico? If there is, I guess that might explain why they don't want people generating their own! Apparently you can get ground-source cooling systems as well as heating systems, but I don't know much about them. Perhaps something like that would cut your a/c bill though? Thanks for dropping in Lalo, and thanks for the comment. That seems an odd position for the government to take – is there a government-owned electricity company in Mexico? If there is, I guess that might explain why they don’t want people generating their own!

Apparently you can get ground-source cooling systems as well as heating systems, but I don’t know much about them. Perhaps something like that would cut your a/c bill though?

]]> By: Lalo Marquez http://www.geek-speak.co.uk/2008/09/cheap-energy-generate-your-own/comment-page-1/#comment-858 Lalo Marquez Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:51:14 +0000 http://www.geek-speak.co.uk/?p=580#comment-858 Those are great ways to reduce the electric bill, but I heard that here in my country (Mexico) they don't allow people to produce electricity. On the summer months in my city (Mexicali) the temperature goes as high as 120F and the monthly bills in my house can go up as much as $1,000 dlls - although usually it's around $350-500 dlls because we try not to turn on the A/C on all the house, but single mini-splits in one room or two at most. I'm a photographer, and is not that uncommon to pay as much as $1,500-$2,000 dlls for a monthly electric bill in my studio, although usually we pay $1,300 dlls for July and August. So, it would be great if the goverment would let us produce our own energy - but they don't. Those are great ways to reduce the electric bill, but I heard that here in my country (Mexico) they don’t allow people to produce electricity. On the summer months in my city (Mexicali) the temperature goes as high as 120F and the monthly bills in my house can go up as much as $1,000 dlls – although usually it’s around $350-500 dlls because we try not to turn on the A/C on all the house, but single mini-splits in one room or two at most. I’m a photographer, and is not that uncommon to pay as much as $1,500-$2,000 dlls for a monthly electric bill in my studio, although usually we pay $1,300 dlls for July and August. So, it would be great if the goverment would let us produce our own energy – but they don’t.

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