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Comment by bruce511 | Hacker News Reader

Not at all.

I'm saying that people adapt very quickly when costs are involved.

I'm not saying we sit in the dark at night. I'm saying that we time-shift some energy consumption because some of the day energy is free, and some of the day we pay for it.

The pool pump runs during the day. As does the hot water cylinder. The electrical cost for these us now zero (on most days.) Our night-time electricity usage has gone down because it's more expensive.

When energy costs the same all 24 hours then it's not something I take into consideration. When it's different habits change. I don't use less energy, if anything I use more. But I factor time-of-day into -when- I use it.

Not everything can be shifted. Our peak usage is still in the morning and evening. But scheduled things have moved from night to day.

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I can run 10 old 100 watt light bulbs for an hour for 14 cents. Or 100 led light bulbs. I can run my hot tub full blast for an hour for $1.40. A head of lettuce is $4. A bag of coffee is $18. Five chicken breast is $20. A tank of gas for my wife’s car is $80, and for mine is over $200.

The cost of electricity for the loads I can control, such as those other heating or cooling living space, would have to 10x for it to be worth worrying about the cost, which would mean a $1400/MWH. The ceiling on the wholesale market price in ontario, last time I checked, was $2000/MWH.

I can see the price of electricity rising quite a bit across the board, but I don’t think people are going to inconvenience themselves at all to respond to it.

> I can see the price of electricity rising quite a bit across the board, but I don’t think people are going to inconvenience themselves at all to respond to it.

People already do that, and have done so for decades. Many places have different electricity costs for defined peak and off-peak times, and many people absolutely do move their heavy electricity uses outside the peak times when they can.

Naturally ymmv depending on your energy costs. And indeed other costs. ($4 for a lettuce sounds high, we pay pennies for that here.) It'll also vary depending on your overall income.

I would gracefully suggest that your life-style might not necessarily reflect the life style of the general public?

I think my grocery prices are in line with everyone else in British Columbia

it sounds like british columbia grocery prices are insane. are those us dollars? five chicken breasts here is about $3000, which is about 2½ us dollars

Those are CAD

aha, thanks. xe tells me those are 27% smaller than us dollars, so those prices are respectively 1 dollar, 3 dollars, 13 dollars, 15 dollars, 58 dollars, and 150 dollars, speaking in us dollars

or, using today's mid-market rates from https://preciodolarblue.com.ar/, $1300, $3800, $17000, $19000, $75000, and $190000. $19000 is sure a lot more than i'd pay for five chicken breasts

as a clarification from further down the thread, since you said those are canadian dollars, those prices are respectively 1 dollar, 3 dollars, 13 dollars, 15 dollars, 58 dollars, and 150 dollars, speaking in us dollars

me, i pay $3000 for five chicken breasts, which is about 2.3 us dollars

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