Power Costs

[coppertop]

I don't know about the rest of you, and I am certainly aware that each farm operation has it own unique demands for power but it seems that even in a warm winter the power costs are out of control.

I have three stock waterers ( I know I'll hear from cowman on that one), and a farm shop, one tractor that I plug in overnight on the days I need it to feed, and of course my house.

My most recent power bill indicated that my power costs were $6.31 per day. I am interested to learn how that compares with other power costs in various areas, not only in Alberta.


Thanks

[grassfarmer]

My most recent was $5.40 a day (total incl GST) for 4 waterers, house, no heated shop and never had the tractor plugged in during the period.

[farmers_son]

House, two electric waterers, calving barn. $8.37 per day to April 09.

Month before was $10.80 per day. Never had to plug anything in very much this winter. If I read my bill correctly the KWH charge dropped March 31 from $.08 to $.055 per KWH.

[coppertop]

I guess mine bill isn't too far out of line. Thanks for sharing your information. Utilities are a major expense when you add the cost of heating as well.

My natural gas bill was reduced considerably when I had a large pellet heater installed. Even with the cost of pellets I think I saved approximately $70.00 per month on natural gas since October. I replaced a wood heater with the pellet heater so what I was spending buying firewood is about the same as the cost of pellets.

[cowman]

Somethings a little out of whack with your guys power costs? Mine worked out to $4.19 a day. No waterers, no tractor plugged in but a fair bit of welding here and there! I wonder who your electricity provider is? We are REA here and they seem to do a good job.
I guess there are some very good cattle waterers and then there are some real electricity hogs? But with the mild winter, electricity needs should have been fairly low? Back in the days when waterers were pretty basic, a dollar a day was a figure tossed around? Don't know if that is accurate with the highly efficient waterers today?
About ten years ago, or longer, I just decided I'd had enough of waterers! Seems they were always frozen or running hot! Add to that screwed up floats etc. and I decided a simple hydrant and tank worked for me. Of course I didn't need water for the cows as I had the flowing springs, just water for the yearlings in the corral.

[coppertop]

I have a flowing spring here as well cowman, it floods into the creek year round but I don't water the cattle there for environmental reasons.

[cowman]

We fenced the cows out last year but these springs are so prolific they run below all winter so cows water there.
There is a large dam below the springs and up to four drilling rigs can pull water out at a time. They draw the level down about a foot during the day but by the next morning it is back up running out the spillway. At $1500-$1800 per hole it is a money maker!

[coppertop]

Geez, maybe you should offer to supply the water for the proposed pipeline to eastern AB. LOL

[farmers_son]

Some numbers on heating a waterer. A 1500 watt element would cost a maximum of $2.16 per day if it never turned off assuming a 6 cent per KWH electricity cost.

Quite a bit of our bill is fixed distribution costs, $3.27 per day just for the main power installation in the home yard. The actual cost of electicity consumed amounted to $5.17 per day last month. In the summer months power consumer amounts to 1400 KWH which at 8 cents per KWH is $3.73 per day actual power usage. That is no waterers of course and house lights on very little. Fridges, deep freezes use a lot of electicity.

It costs about 1/2 cent per head per day to pump water for a cow assuming a 5 gallon per minute well.

[cakadu]

Are we to take it then that even though putting water down oilfield holes is a really bad practice, it's not as bad if a person can make money at it?

[cakadu]

I would think, cowman, your electricity bill would be somewhat dependent on what the household use was/is. If you don't have kids at home who have tv's, video games, computers, stereos (or is boom box the more correct term here) and anything else that might run up the power bill, I would think it would cost a little less.

Energy savings would also come in the form of having more energy efficient appliances, using practices such as turning off the lights or tv when you're not in a room etc.

[cowman]

No Linda, the water does not go down any hole. They use it to mix the drilling mud, which is cycling through the whole process. Virtually all the water ends up back in the pit, or in actuality today in the tanks, and spread back on the land along with all the cuttings. This is totally different than water injection to increase production.

[cowman]

Farmers son: Fixed distribution charges amount to $1.15/day with transmission costs adding another 38 1/2 cents a day. Actually cost of electricity is 7.5 cents a KWH.
Seems your fixed distribution cost is awfully high? Who is your provider? Is a REA available in your area?

[farmers_son]

Our REA sold out to the power company years ago as Alberta Power offered the REA members a few dollars to sell. There is no choice any more, we can switch energy suppliers but ATCO owns the lines and charges us dearly for the system that was all built by our fathers.