Thursday, December 7, 2017

Electricity Rates are Going Down!

I have been fielding a lot of questions about electric bills in Israel. I'm going to do my best to clarify some important points about this.

But first, there's some good news! The electric company announced that household electricity rates would be lowered, effective January, 2018.

At that point, the rate for those with a standard electric meter will be ​54.00 agurot per kwh (including ma'am/VAT - 46.15 agurot before VAT is added). This is a slight drop from the current rate of 55.29 agurot (47.26 without VAT).

We find that electricity is almost always our biggest expense after housing and food. I'm sure others can also put it "up there", even if your bills are lower than ours! For various reasons, including the fact that much of my family is home-based (we homeschool), and we are often the hosts for events, our electric bills are probably higher than average.

So we try to cut back - we install low wattage LED bulbs when appropriate, we try hard to turn off lights and mazganim when we leave a room, we don't run the heat overnight (we are really happy to have down blankets that keep us warm!), and other creative ideas for cutting back (like using a thermos to keep water hot for the whole morning). I'd love to hear your ideas! Maybe you can help us cut back even more!

Do you want to try to reduce your electric bill? Here's a tool that will help you figure out where it will be easiest for you to cut back and see an actual difference.

I'm sure you'll find it really easy to use, and I really hope it helps you keep your electric bills in check!

Simply choose which appliance you want to calculate, choose how long you'll be running it, and then the app will tell you how much this particular appliance costs you to run! This app is specifically designed using the IEC's current tarriffs, including VAT (this is for people who pay the same rate 24 hrs/day, who have a residential contract with the IEC). If the IEC rates change, we will update this app! (NOTE: On January 1, 2017, the IEC raised electricity rates. Current cost of electricity is approx 55 ag per kWh. It is going down in January 2018, and we'll update the app at that point.)

Please note: I have gotten many inquiries about peak rates vs. non-peak rates. It should be noted that ALMOST all the residential meters in this country do not operate that way! Most of us pay the same rate for electricity 24 hrs/day, 7 days/week.

Please let me know what you think!

Click here to go to the Electrical Appliance Cost Calculator:

About the Web App Developer:
I'm Ester's son and resident tech guy.
If you need some tech help, you can email me at scimonster1 (at) gmail (dot) com. I'm happy to work at reasonable prices.
Also, i answer questions on StackOverflow, the #1 programming Q&A site:
profile for Scimonster at Stack Overflow, Q&A for professional and enthusiast programmers

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