Barry W. from Salt Lake City. Working on a complex rate comparison between Rocky Mountain Power's Schedule 23 (declining block) and their new proposed Schedule 23-TOU (time-of-use with inclining blocks). Need to model about 15 different customer load profiles. Anyone have an Excel template that handles both declining and inclining block structures with demand charges? The seasonal variations are killing me.
Excel Model for Comparing Inclining vs Declining Block Rates
Randy here. I've got a comprehensive Excel model that handles exactly this scenario. It's got separate worksheets for declining blocks, inclining blocks, TOU rates, and seasonal adjustments. Includes lookup tables for demand charge tiers and automatic fuel adjustment calculations. Can handle up to 20 different rate schedules for comparison. I'll email it to anyone who wants it - just message me directly with your AAUBA member email. The key is setting up your load profiles correctly in 15-minute or hourly intervals.
Linda from Dayton OH. Would love that spreadsheet Randy! Working on AES Ohio rate comparisons and their new DP&L territory rates are confusing. Question for Barry - are you factoring in the Utah universal energy charge and the renewable energy surcharge? Those can really change the comparison results for larger customers.
Linda - yes, including all riders. RMP has about 8 different riders now including the Energy Balancing Account and the Renewable Energy Credit. The declining blocks make sense for high-usage customers but the TOU might save money for customers who can shift load. Randy, would definitely appreciate that model - will message you. Barry W.
Hannah H. in Tempe. Barry, watch out for Arizona Public Service's Schedule E-32 if you're doing any Southwest comparisons. They have this weird hybrid declining block for energy but inclining tiers for demand charges. Made my models completely wrong the first time. Randy's spreadsheet sounds perfect for this stuff.
Phil G. from Richmond VA. For Dominion Energy here, the key insight was that their Schedule GS actually penalizes medium-usage customers with the demand charge minimum. Declining blocks help the big users but hurt the middle tier. Excel modeling showed our client should stay on Schedule GS-1 even though they qualified for GS-2. Sometimes the "better" rate isn't better.
Glen A. in Green Bay WI. Phil raises a good point about demand charge minimums. Wisconsin Public Service has similar issues with their Cg-1 vs Cg-2 schedules. Built a model that showed break-even at 78% load factor. Below that, stay on the smaller rate class. Above that, move up. The block structure is only part of the puzzle.
Dean G. from Lubbock TX. Xcel Energy here has some really aggressive inclining blocks on their new rates. First 1000 kWh at 8.2 cents, next 2000 at 11.4 cents, everything over 3000 at 14.8 cents. Plus a $45 customer charge. Really punishes high usage residential and small commercial. Makes load management critical for customers.
Update - Randy's Excel model is fantastic! Already ran it on 12 customer scenarios. The declining block Schedule 23 wins for customers over 500 MWh annually, but the TOU rate saves 15-20% for customers who can avoid peak hours (2-8pm). The model makes it easy to see the crossover points. Thanks Randy! Barry W.