Paul M. Eldridge wrote:

On Sat, 05 Jan 2008 15:20:17 -0800, jJim McLaughlin
wrote:


Paul M. Eldridge wrote:

On Sat, 05 Jan 2008 08:51:41 -0800, jJim McLaughlin
wrote:



[...]
Gut rule of thumb here in Portland, Oregon, where we are generally
without the benefit of heap BPA hydro is that gas in a 90% or 95%
efficient furnace is cheaper, by a long margin, than an electric ea pump with supplmental
resistance heat....


Hi Jim,

It might be helpful if we take a closer look at the numbers. The
trailing block rate for residential customers who opt for PGE's
standard domestic service pay $0.09246 per kWh ($0.07471 per kWh for
the first 250 kWh/month), so a heat pump with a HSPF of 8.5 (Zone IV)
would provide heat at an effective cost of just 3.7 cents per kWh(e).

For those not be familiar with the term, HSPF or Heating Seasonal
Performance Factor is defined as "the total space heating required
during the space heating season, expressed in Btu’s, divided by the
total electrical energy consumed by the heat pump system during the
same season, expressed in watt-hours."

Source: ARI Standard 210/240-2006

It's important to note that this seasonal average cost of 3.7 cents
per kWh includes the cost of supplemental or backup electric
resistance heat -- the HSPF rating incorporates this additional backup
heat into the final numbers.

In terms of natural gas, according to the DOE, Oregon residents paid
an average of a $1.43 per therm in 2006 (the average cost as of
October 2007 was $1.56).

That average cost as of October, 2007, does NOT repeat NOT take into
account the NWNG petiion o Oregon PUC to REDUCE (yes, reduce) the gas
rates in the NWNG service area as of 1 Decmber 2007.



Hi Jim,

You indicate rates were reduced December 1st, but you didn't say by
how much. If you can kindly provide me with the current cost per
therm/CCF, I'd be pleased to rework the numbers based on this new
rate.


The Portland General Electric residential tariff is available at

http://www.portlandgeneral.com/about_pge/regulatory_affairs/pdfs/schedules/sched_007.pdf

As I said in another post, it is byzantne at best.

I am a residential customer, single phase power, no renewable energy
"blocks";
no "conservaton" blocks, just straight power.

While this is the mst recent (Feb. 2007) tariff on the web site, I think
that this tariff
schedule from the PGE website is not what is currrently in effect. PGE
had huge
(like 25%) rate icreases in June - July 2007 when the 9th Circuit
invalidated all
the BPA offset payments / sales of cheap hydro to the ivestor ulitiies
in the NW.
Oregon PUC approved an emergency rate increase for PGE (and others -
Pacific Power and Light, for example) effective early summer 2007.

I'm going to look atthe Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) site to
see if there is anything more transparent as to PGE rates.