After a tough couple of weeks at work, it was great to be home in NYC this weekend.  Even though my apartment is occupied by a friend and I am staying at a hotel, being in NYC for the weekend is still being home in many ways- just not all the way home.  I am staying at the Candlewood Suites on West 39th Street and while I don’t love being near Times Square, they set me up in a room for the weekend with a nice view- particularly at sunset.

I had plans to hang out with a friend on Saturday and it’s bitter cold in the city this weekend so we were brainstorming ideas for a good indoor activity. We ended up with a list that included MoMA, Colin Quinn’s Long Story Short on Broadway, or bowling. We decided to go bowling and found a Bowlmor Lanes on West 44th Street. Bowlmor is a lot like Lucky Strike lanes with its half night club / half bowling alley atmosphere. We were given a lane next to a group of moms and kids- and the little kids were comical. They drop the ball like a rock and watch it trickle down the lane before they go nuts when a few pins get knocked down.

Bowling isn’t something I do often but it was great doing something different today and being active while we all tried to stay indoors. Today’s bowling and the ongoing escalation of cell phones, facebook, and twitter reminded me of a great book by Robert Putnam I read in graduate school. It was a great day and it was nice not to be Bowling Alone today.

People sometimes ask me what is so great about living in New York City. Its the simple little things that we get to enjoy every day, like an amazing violinist playing on the walkway between the 1/2/3 train and the Times Square Shuttle. This woman could surely fill a small concert hall in Omaha or Fresno (both fine towns incidentally), but we get to enjoy talent like this on any given day as we hop a train to work or run a Saturday errand. Only in New York.

Tags: bowling, candlewood, subway, violin

Be careful what you wish for. It may have been a day late for those hoping for a white Christmas but what it lacked in timeliness, this storm made up for in drama as we are enjoying a full-fledged New York City blizzard.

I enjoyed the blizzard over some carne asada steak tacos from the warmth and comfort of Cascabel Taqueria at 80th & 2nd Ave (above) but before I got over there, I grabbed this video of the taxis trying to make their way up 3rd Avenue…  

Tags: blizzard, nyc, rear-wheel drive, taxi

Everyone knows living in NYC is expensive, but you start to accept/ignore how expensive after you’ve lived here for a while.  One of the worst price premiums is on groceries.  While we don’t have grocery superstores like the suburbs, we do have some moderately sized full grocery stores in the neighborhoods like D’Agostino and The Food Emporium.  They aren’t huge, but they aren’t corner bodegas either so you’d expect the prices to be relatively reasonable- keyword being relatively.

In August of 2010, a new shopping center was opened in East Harlem next to the FDR, on 116th Street.  (Map Location, NY Times Article) The new center is a four-story facility dedicated to box box retail and includes a Costco, Super Target, PetSmart, Best Buy, and Bob’s Furniture.  Its not highly convenient getting to the 116th Street shopping center but its the first time we’ve had a Super Target or a Bulk Store like Costco/Sam’s Club.  There is a 6 train local subway stop at 116th Street and Target gives free rides back and forth down 116th Street in a Target shuttle van.  The trip to 116th Street isn’t terrible, but its certainly a lot more work than going around the corner in your own neighborhood.

I set out to compare the grocery prices at the neighborhood grocery stores vs. the Super Target to see if the savings outweighs the inconvenience of going up to 116th St & the FDR.  I expected the prices to be lower at the Super Target but I was stunned at the discount (or markup of the local stores, depending on how you look at it). I understand basic business/economics and economies of scale, but there are hundreds of D’Agostino and Food Emporium grocery stores throughout the city.  Is the purchasing power of Target so much greater that it explains the price differential between the stores?  Or is there a nice profit premium going into the pockets of the owners of the local grocery stores?

I don’t want to lose our neighborhood grocery stores and be forced to shop at big box national chains, but that sentiment pales in comparison to my need to be a smart shopper.  Considering the 67% premium to shop at the neighborhood D’Agostino, you’ll find me at Super Target for all my grocery shopping except for the most necessary or unplanned purchases.

Simply Orange, Calcium & Vitamin D, Pulp Free, 1.75 L
D’Agostino, Upper East Side: $5.99
116th St Target Superstore: $3.04

Yoplait Original Yogurt, Red Raspberry
D’Agostino, Upper East Side: $1.15
116th St Target Superstore: $0.69

Pantene Shampoo, 12.6 Fl Oz.
D’Agostino, Upper East Side: $6.99
116th St Target Superstore: $4.79

Quilted Northern, Ultra Plush, Double Roles
D’Agostino, Upper East Side: $4.69 per 4 = $1.17 per role
116th St Target Superstore: $6.89 per 12 = $0.57 per role
* D’AG does not sell packages of 12 and Super Target does not sell packages of 4

Mitchum Power Gel, 2.25 oz.
D’Agostino, Upper East Side: $4.59
116th St Target Superstore: $4.24

Total Difference
D’Agostino, Upper East Side: $18.72 + 14.04 (12 roles) = 32.76
116th St Target Superstore: $12.76 + 6.84 (12 roles) = 19.60
* Based on this small sample of basic groceries, it would cost 67% more to purchase the exact same items at D’Agostino than at the Super Target on 116th St.

This article is for informational purposes and serves the objective of providing historical rate information on New York City electricity charges. If you have any questions about your bill, you should call Con Edison at 1-888-925-5016 . For service problems, call 1-800-75-CONED  (1-800-752-6633).

According to the customer service representative at Con Edison, the rate charged for electricity changes every month and there is no range limit.

Historical Charges

Below is a log of electricity charges, per Kilowatt-hour, assessed by Con Edison in New York City. This information is for a single 500 sq. ft. one bedroom apartment in Manhattan and is in no way a representative sample. While the usefulness of this information in estimating electricity usage is limited, knowing the historical fixed and variable Con Ed charges for electricity in New York city should be helpful.

Summary

• Sep. 22, 2010: 291 kWh – $78.17 ($0.27 per kWh)
• Aug. 23, 2010: 466 kWh – $113.36 ($0.24 per kWh)
• Jul. 23, 2010: 475 kWh – $139.04 ($0.29 per kWh)
• Jun. 23, 2010: 448 kWh – $125.43 ($0.28 per kWh)
• May 24, 2010: 120 kWh – $49.03 ($0.41 per kWh)
• Apr. 23, 2010: 157 kWh – $137.09 ($0.87 per kWh)
• Mar. 26, 2010: 238 kWh – $68.38 ($0.29 per kWh)
• Feb. 25, 2010: 131 kWh – $44.80 ($0.34 per kWh)
• Jan. 26, 2010: 167 kWh – $54.05 ($0.32 per kWh)
• 2009 Total: 2,747 kWh -$755.60
• Dec. 28, 2009: 192 kWh – $54.93 ($0.29 per kWh)
• Nov. 24, 2009: 244 kWh – $71.14 ($0.29 per kWh)
• Oct. 26, 2009: 161 kWh – $51.14 ($0.32 per kWh)
• Sep. 23, 2009: 277 kWh – $79.57 ($0.29 per kWh)
• Aug. 24, 2009: 302 kWh – $79.48 ($0.26 per kWh)
• Jul. 24, 2009: 280 kWh – $81.68 ($0.29 per kWh)
• Jun. 24, 2009: 335 kWh – $92.39 ($0.28 per kWh)
• May 26, 2009: 229 kWh – $62.89 ($0.28 per kWh)
• Apr. 24, 2009: 153 kWh – $43.32 ($0.28 per kWh)
• Mar. 26, 2009: 161 kWh – $46.45 ($0.29 per kWh)
• Feb. 26, 2009: 196 kWh – $50.33 ($0.26 per kWh)
• Jan. 26, 2009: 217 kWh – $42.28 ($0.120 per kWh)
• 2008 Total (partial) – $875.68
• Dec. 23, 2008: 178 kWh – $51.89 ($0.29 per kWh)
• Nov. 20, 2008: 223 kWh – $81.68 ($0.37 per kWh)
  
• Oct. 21, 2008: 230 kWh – $57.14 ($0.25 per kWh)
• Sep. 22, 2008: 487 kWh – $120.75 ($0.25 per kWh)
• Aug. 21, 2008: 535 kWh – $181.08 ($0.34 per kWh)
• Jul. 24, 2008: 849 kWh – $235.78 ($0.28 per kWh)
• Jun. 24, 2008: 570 kWh – $147.36 ($0.26 per kWh)

September 2009 (billing cycle ending 9/23/09)

277 kWh at $0.287 per kWh: $79.57 (Fixed and Variable costs)

August 2009 (billing cycle ending 8/24/09)

302 kWh at $0.263 per kWh: $79.48 (Fixed and Variable costs)

August 2009 Comments

It seems that sales tax on Con Ed services has risen from 4.0% to 4.5%… nice.

July 2009 (billing cycle ending 7/24/09)

280 kWh at $0.292 per kWh: $81.68 (Fixed and Variable costs)

July 2009 Comments

As expected, the cost per kWh has been sneaking up during the Summer months, though much less than last year. I wonder if part of the reason the increase has been less significant is because I have kept my electricity usage down this Summer- almost 60% of last summer’s consumption. Through the comments on this post, we learned that there is a different per kWh charge depending on how much electricity you use- but a rate table is also something strangely missing from Con Ed bills.

June 2009 (billing cycle ending 6/24/09)

335 kWh at $0.276 per kWh: $92.39 (Fixed and Variable costs)

June 2009 Comments

It looks like Con Ed has snuck a new line item charge onto our bill beginning this month for a Temporary NY State Surcharge. The description says Covers new fees imposed by the state, but I don’t see any additional information about this fee like how long is “temporary” and what action by the state led to this charge. The nickel and diming charges never seem to end and the information about them is consistently vague- though I haven’t read all of the fine print on the bill. We shouldn’t have to go out searching Google to understand what a new charge is for from ConEdison, they really need to make it clear and fully explain any new charges.

May 2009 (billing cycle ending 5/26/09)

229 kWh at $0.275 per kWh: $62.89 (Fixed and Variable costs)

May 2009 Comments

As we approach the hot summer months and with the not too distant painful memory of last summer’s Con Ed bills, I am making a serious effort not to turn on my window air conditioning units. I have two window type of A/C units and running them regularly seems to triple my kWh usage and add between $100-$150 to my monthly bill. I have been running my 10″ Hawaii Breeze fan pretty continuously since early May. I was surprised to see my usage go up to 229 kWh this month as other than the fan, I didn’t really do anything different electricity-wise and I can’t see the fan adding 70 kWh to my monthly usage by itself. I’m thinking I may ask my CoOp where the electric meter for my unit is located so I can double check Con Ed’s meter readings. However, the per kWh cost of electricity hasn’t spiked so far this Summer like it did in the Summer of 2008 and is holding at $0.18/kWh total on the variable per kWh charges.

In The News

May 4, 2009 – Due to lower Supply charges, Con Edison is estimating that the monthly bill for a New York City residential customer using 350 kWh (kilowatt hours) per month will average about $96.27 for the June-September period, down from $104.23 a month for the same period last year, a 7.6 percent decrease.

April 2009 (billing cycle ending 4/24/09)

153 kWh at $0.283 per kWh: $43.32 (Fixed and Variable costs)

March 2009 (billing cycle ending 3/26/09)

161 kWh at $0.289 per kWh: $46.45 (Fixed and Variable costs)

February 2009 (billing cycle ending 2/26/09)

196 kWh at $0.257 per kWh: $50.33 (Fixed and Variable costs)

January 2009 (billing cycle ending 1/26/09)

217 kWh at $0.195 per kWh: $42.28 (Fixed and Variable costs)

December 2008 (billing cycle ending 12/23/08)

178 kWh at $0.292 per kWh: $51.89 (Fixed and Variable costs)

November 2008 (billing cycle ending 11/20/08)

223 kWh at $0.366 per kWh: $81.68 (Fixed and Variable costs)

October 2008 (billing cycle ending 10/21/08)

230 kWh at $0.248 per kWh: $57.14 (Fixed and Variable costs)

September 2008 (billing cycle ending 9/22/08)

487 kWh at $0.248 per kWh: $120.75 (Fixed and Variable costs)

August 2008 (billing cycle ending 8/21/08)

535 kWh at $0.338 per kWh: $181.08 (Fixed and Variable costs)

July 2008 (billing cycle ending 7/24/08)

849 kWh at $0.277 per kWh: $235.78 (Fixed and Variable costs)
I do not have the detail from my July ’08 Con Ed bill.

June 2008 (billing cycle ending 6/24/08)

570 kWh at $0.259 per kWh: $147.36 (Fixed and Variable costs)

Explanation of Charges

Supply Charges

Supply (Variable by kWh)

Charge for the electricity supplied to you by Con Edison.

Merchant function charge

Charge associated with procuring electricity, credit and collection related activities and uncollectible accounts.

(Gross Receipts Tax) GRT & other tax surcharges (Supply)

Taxes on Con Edison gross receipts from sales of utility services and other tax surcharges. One component of this charge is a 0.4148% percent tax dedicated to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Delivery Charges

Basic service charge

Charge for basic system infrastructure and customer-related services, including customer accounting, meter reading and meter maintenance. A billing and payment processing charge of $0.94, which may be avoided by switching to an energy services company (ESCO), is also included.

Delivery (Variable by kWh

Charge for maintaining the system through which Con Edison delivers electricity to you.

SBC/RPS charges

The System Benefits Charge(SBC)/Renewable Portfolio Standard(RPS) charges fund New York State renewable energy, environmental and other related public policy programs.

(Gross Receipts Tax) GRT & other tax surcharges (Delivery)

Taxes on Con Edison gross receipts from sales of utility services and other tax surcharges.

Sales Tax

Tax collected on behalf of New York State and/or your locality.

Electricity Usage for Selected Appliances

---

The following figures are estimates of electricity usage cost collected using a Mashita Electronics Watt-Minder meter. The total costs are based on electricity costs of $0.2836 per Kwh.

White Westinghouse Refrigerator (Model #MRT15CSEW)

Energy Consumption Guide from Manufacturer: 639 Kwh per year.
Actual usage:
- Draw while in use: 175-225 watts
- $0.0175 per hour over 69.5 hours
- 45.06 Kwh per month ($12.78), 540.55 Kwh per year ($153.30)

Hawaiian Breeze Fan (8 in.)

- Draw while in use: 37-39 watts
- $0.0105 per hour over 11 continuous hours
- $7.70 per month, $91.98 per year

Sony LCD Television (Model KDL – 40V4100)

- Draw while in use: 90-115 watts
- $0.0275 per hour over 4 continuous hours
- $20.12 per month, $240.90 per year

External Links

• Con Edison
• The authors of “Reviving the City of Aspiration,” a study of the challenges facing the city’s middle class for the Center for an Urban Future held a Q&A about New York’s middle class in the New York Times online in March ’09 and mentioned that the average New Yorker pays about twice the national average for energy, though we do use far less per capita.
• Information about PC electricity usage

Tags: con edison, coned, electricity, new york city