this post was submitted on 03 Jan 2025
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[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 days ago (3 children)

Sounds off, because renewbles are typically cheaper than the alternatives.
Any chance you got a 'fossil only' contract?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 days ago (1 children)

It sounds strange, but that's how it is, and it's Ökostrom. Luckily, I can change my provider when they raise the price, so it won't increase that much for me, but it will still go up, and I'm not the only one in my area because some friends of mine received the same 'greeting.' (To those who give dislikes, that won't change the facts no matter how much you would like it to.)

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Buy a Balkonkraftwerk. It’s cheap right now in Wintertime. If you take one without battery, it has a return of invest of 1-2 years. Just 2-4 solar panels for your balcony or somewhere else and you plug it into your power plug (schuko stecker). It‘s worth, easy to install and allowed without applying the landlord in Germany.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Are you sure that the investment will be recouped so quickly? I'm not a local here and I'm not familiar with all the rules, but I've been told that I can't put anything on the balcony that will change the appearance of the building until I get permission from the Rathaus.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 days ago

That was until 2023. In 2024 the regulations were changed and kow it can’t be stopped. Neither stopped by your landlord, by the city, nor the local power company. Just buy it for around 400€ and install it (no Deye inverter though). You’ll get 2 or 4 solar panels, an inverter and a cable with schuko plug to connect inverter to your flats power network.

You plug it into your power plug and as soon as the sun glares, your little power net in your flat gets cheap power. If you adapt your behavior accordingly - start laundry, dryer, ironing at noon - you can save some bucks.

I have no quick start guide in englisch. May be you google around a bit. If you live in an older building, you should read about old power cables as well and start with low wattage- 600w inverter. It’s really that easy now 😋

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

renewbles are typically cheaper than the alternatives

But firms will charge market rate regardless of the source of energy. This is a problem we have in Texas under ERCOT.

Green power can come in at such high rates that local power is practically free. But because the energy is bundled and auctioned with coal and gas across the grid at large, and because electricity is priced at the maximum auction rate, a shortage in one municipality that's filled with high priced fossil fuel power raises the retail price of energy into the hundreds or even thousands of dollars a MWh.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I wonder how long it takes to bundle renawables only with batteries and sell that without subsidising fossil based electric energy.
May the fossil burners go bankrupt rather sooner than later as it's a more reliable way to get them out of the mix than regulation is.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

bundle renawables only with batteries and sell that

Significantly less efficient than a green grid. Roof solar isn't going to practically compete with industrial scale solar or wind, much less state subsidized gas.

May the fossil burners go bankrupt rather sooner than later

The demand for energy is only increasing. I don't think anyone is going to go bankrupt selling electricity into this market.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 4 days ago (1 children)

why would market electricity prices have any relation to what you pay on your power bill? turns out that companies will charge whatever they know they can, regardless of the cost of acquiring something to sell, should the cost of something be more than they know they can sell it for, they just won't sell it.

The idea that market prices influence what you pay for something is basically one of the main lies of supply side economics.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

In Germany, from 1st of January each local power provider has to offer a flexible contract that gives through the market price. But I think it’s too early right know as it has some peaks. Otherwise choose Tibber, Voltego or others. Once you can load your car at night, it’s worth to take a flex tariff

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

I mean, that's assuming you can afford an electric car, being poor is expensive

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

In general an electric car is cheaper than a combustion car. Being it the petrol vs electricity or purchase price. Today, western car companies produce high end electric cars only. That’s why the costs are high. Wait for the Chinese low end cars.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 16 hours ago

you realize that even the "cheap" Chinese cars from BYD and the like are still more than many people can pay for a car, there is no used EV market