Electricity tariff options in Qld

[Glot]

For those that live in Qld, you can have any part of your electric brew rig connected to tariff 33 or T31. If you have a separate circuit from the main switch board then it is a simple job for an electrician to alter the wiring in the board and possible install a relay, depending on the load. Ergon or Energex do not charge to change the metering. The only drawback is the equipment must be directly connected and not plugged in.
Contact your power supply company for more details. With T33, you will have supply available at least 18 hours in a 24 hour period. Sometimes more but never less. It may not be all at once. The cost saving is quite significant if you are heating a large boiler. Typically though, you will not have supply available between 4 pm and 10 pm in warmer weather. You may swap between tariffs no more than once every 12 months or they will charge you to do it.

If you happen to have grid tied solar power, then it depends on that feed in rate you are on. If you happen to be on a rate higher than 25.5 cents, then any power you use during the day is extremely expensive (up to twice). If you are on less, say 8 cents, then use as much of it as you can to run your rig while the sun is shining.

 

[jonnir]

Your really saying you'll save a significant amount? What's the cent difference between tariffs?

 

[QldKev]

Realistically I can only see a small saving per use.

Tariff 11 (normal power)
29.403 c per kWh

Tariff 31 Electricity supply is available for a minimum of eight hours each day, generally between 10pm and 7am.
13.607

Tariff 33 Electricity supply is available for a minimum of 18 hours each day, usually when demand on the electricity network is low.
19.857

Tariff 31 is not usable unless you plan on having a big HLT that you preheat the night before.

So Tariff 33 is the alternative. Say you convert your HLT to it.
In my case running a 112L batch (bigger than most, but it's the figures I know of the top of my head)
Using 2 elements in my HLT
2 x 2200w element = 4400w
80L of water heating from 25c to 57c strike
Would take 41mins (calculator on my website)
4400w x 41mins (.68 hrs)
3.006 kWh used (ok 3kW even)

Then I refill the HLT with another 70L from 25c to 77c
Would take 58 mins (call it an hour even)
4.400 kWh

3 kWh + 4.4 kWh = 7.4kWh
at Tariff 11, 29.403 x 7.4 = $2.17c
at Tariff 33, 19.857 x 7.4 = $1.47c

So by changing it is a 70c saving per 112L batch if you convert the HLT. We are talking a batch size that will keep most houses in beer for more than a month. I would not call that a quite significant saving.
BUT, you have a hard wired HLT. What is the cost to get an electrician to hook it up? What if you want to change the setup? What if you want to relocate the gear? What if you want to brew between 4pm and 10pm after work one night? What if on the weekend and it's hot so everyone is using their air-cons, and they decide to stop the power at 10am when you are brewing?


I'm interested in how Glot came up with the quite significant saving?

 

[Glot]

Kev,I was merely saying this option is available. In my opinion, 32% is a significant saving. As I clearly stated, contact your retailer for more information. I was not telling everyone they should go ahead and do it without researching their individual circumstances.
If you want to say something, please make it constructive.

 

[QldKev]

Kev,I was merely saying this option is available. In my opinion, 32% is a significant saving. As I clearly stated, contact your retailer for more information. I was not telling everyone they should go ahead and do it without researching their individual circumstances.
If you want to say something, please make it constructive.

Sorry if it sounds like I'm having a dig at your idea, it is not intended that way. I am trying to be constructive and get an understanding. I may have missed the mark in my calculations or the real benefit. I've put up the maths on how I've come across my understanding of the potential savings, and also the potential pitfalls of the way I see the idea. I can see a great benefit for a HWS that is used daily and uses many kWh per year. I am just trying to understand how you saw it could be viable. Maybe I have completely missed something?

 

[Truman42]

Kev,I was merely saying this option is available. In my opinion, 32% is a significant saving. As I clearly stated, contact your retailer for more information. I was not telling everyone they should go ahead and do it without researching their individual circumstances.
If you want to say something, please make it constructive.

I think Kevs reply was very constructive. he actually did the math for us all and bothered to show the results and examples of what exactly dollar wise could be saved. 32% saving is a lot but going on Kevs figures its not with the type of brewing we are doing. especially considering it would cost you $300-$400 for a sparky to hard wire it. You would never recoup those costs.

However it would certainly make sense for a micro brewery to go with something like this, so thanks for sharing the information.

 

[manticle]

Kev,I was merely saying this option is available. In my opinion, 32% is a significant saving. As I clearly stated, contact your retailer for more information. I was not telling everyone they should go ahead and do it without researching their individual circumstances.
If you want to say something, please make it constructive.

Relax mate. Kev's post was as constructive as a critical post can be. Kev's offered, at fair personal effort, a realistic indication of what 32% saving amounts to in real terms and furthers the discussion.

 

[Glot]

Yeah. I guess I was a bit jumpy with the last line. My apologies.

The bit about the solar power applies to all states. It tends to confuse people who think any power they use when the sun is out is free but can be a bit complicated to explain so I didn't go into it too deep. However, if anyone wants me to explain it to them, feel free to ask.

 

[bradsbrew]

I always thought my electric HWS was reasonably cheap to run. Then I had one of those remote meters installed, I looked at it when I got up sitting at 1c per hour, then had a shower and it would be up to 47c per hour, quickly worked out that the hot water part of the bill is only when it runs on the cheaper tariff, the rest of the time it's running the power bill up. The called the supplier they fed me a heap of mumbo jumbo and I just decided to pay the bills. I really do need to research it better.

Would not even think of adding my HLT to it before I did. Any info on the best way to run the HWS would be good.

Cheers

 

[indica86]

best way to run your hotwater system is turn it off.