Power Rates Go Up Every Year
Find out why!
Why does my utility provider charge me more and more every year?
Believe it or not, utility costs go up every year nationwide on average of 5.4%. South Carolina sits slightly below that mark at a 3-5% increase every year depending on your utility.
The costs of residential power have risen consistently since the 60s due to inflation, local grid upkeep, construction projects, and utility execs consistently trying to increase profits for their shareholders. Remember people, our utility providers are FOR-PROFIT companies not government agencies. Lock your rate in now with solar and be free from this.
Check out our blog for the most recent news on utility increases.
Utility going up 3% every year
Utility going up 5% every year
Utility companies love when you pay more. Every year.
Over the last 13 years, SCE&G has increased nearly 5% on average every single year. See how expensive these annual increases can become in the graph above.
Below are actual utility rates every year from the Regulatory Staff of South Carolina. Imagine if you made this decision in 2005. It’s never too late!
Regulatory Staff SC SCE&G Rate Adjustments
Grid power is EXPENSIVE. You finally have other options!
Non-localized power, or power that is not generated and used at its source, is increasingly expensive. We generate power from power plants that are usually hundreds of miles away from our homes and transmit that energy through a network of transmission lines, substations, transformers and distribution lines before we receive it.
All of these distribution channels are extremely expensive to build out and require regular upkeep to run. We actually lose more than 70% of the power we generate due to this inefficient process. Explained best by Lt Con. Thomas Bearden, Ph.D, “We pay the power company to have a giant wrestling match in a generator and lose.” If we continue generating power this way, we will always have to put more into the load to get out the same output, which is not sustainable! Generate your power where you use it! You don’t rent your house anymore, why rent your power? Own your own power.
Environment Effects of Current Power Production
Did you know?
On average, 90% of our power comes from “dirty power” (coal, nuclear and natural gas). All of these power sources cause air and water pollution over time. We are paying to slowly destroy our local environments not only for our future, but our children and grandchildren’s futures. Give them a chance and go solar today; it’s cheaper than what you are doing now.
Coal Power
- 72% of all toxic water pollution in the country comes from coal-fired power plants.
- Four out of five coal plants in the U.S. have no limits on the amount of toxics they are allowed to dump into our water
- Arsenic, selenium, boron, cadmium, mercury and lead are released into our waterways, polluting our drinking water, fishing areas, and local rivers and streams.
- Coal plants are the nation’s top source of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
Nuclear Power
- Leaves liquid, gaseous and solid radioactive wastes in atmosphere, soil and waterways.
- Creates radiation that increases the risk of damage to tissues, cells, DNA and other vital molecules.
- Can cause cancer, skin disease, reproductive organ damage and shortened life span.
- Potential hazard for nuclear leaks, disasters, war and terrorist attacks.
Natural Gas Power
- Although natural gas burns cleaner than coal, methane is a primary component of natural gas, which is 34 times more potent than CO2 at trapping heat.
- It is estimated that 1-9% of methane leaks into our environment during the process of drilling, processing, storage and pipelines that move natural gas from areas of supply to areas of demand. This is equivalent to the heat trapping emissions of 35-314 coal plants.
- If mismanaged, hydraulic fracturing fluid—which contains potentially hazardous chemicals—could be released through spills, leaks, faulty well construction or other exposure pathways, which could contaminate surrounding areas.
- Hydraulic fracturing produces large amounts of wastewater at the surface, which may contain dissolved chemicals and other contaminants that require treatment before disposal or reuse. Because of the quantities of water produced and the complexities inherent in treating some of the wastewater components, proper treatment and disposal of the wastewater is important.