{"id":115158,"date":"2021-02-01T16:35:19","date_gmt":"2021-02-01T21:35:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=115158"},"modified":"2021-02-01T16:57:14","modified_gmt":"2021-02-01T21:57:14","slug":"prageru-why-are-utilities-so-expensive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/prageru-why-are-utilities-so-expensive\/","title":{"rendered":"PragerU: Why Are Utilities So Expensive?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fprageru-why-are-utilities-so-expensive%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=115158&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the latest video from PragerU, Charles McConnell, former Assistant Secretary of Energy in the Obama Administration, addresses a question on many Americans&#8217; minds: Why are utilities so expensive?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Though the price of natural gas has fallen by 43% and coal prices have dropped 11%\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/electricity\/annual\/html\/epa_07_04.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">since 2010<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the price of electricity for residential users in the United States rose by 13% during the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/electricity\/data\/browser\/#\/topic\/7?agg=0,1&amp;linechart=~ELEC.PRICE.US-RES.A&amp;freq=A\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">same period<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, McConnell notes. \u201cWhy does your electricity bill keep going up when the cost of producing electricity keeps going down?\u201d he asks.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is because, McConnell says, a portion of the substantial money that should have been saved instead \u201cwent to subsidize renewable energy,\u201d with wind and solar being far more expensive than advertised.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cPerhaps if renewable energy was what made our air cleaner or what caused the dramatic reductions in CO<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> over the last decade, you could say it was worth it,\u201d McConnell argues. \u201cBut our air was already becoming dramatically cleaner long before wind and solar were identified as \u2018environmentally critical.\u2019 Emissions of harmful pollutants have decreased 77% in the US <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/clean-air-act-overview\/progress-cleaning-air-and-improving-peoples-health\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">since 1970<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. And that had nothing to do with wind and solar. It was <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.iea.org\/reports\/the-role-of-gas-in-todays-energy-transitions\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">almost entirely due<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to the switch from coal to natural gas.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Given that \u201cwe\u2019re getting no cost savings from wind and solar and minimal benefits in terms of cleaner air or reductions in CO<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">,\u201d McConnell then questions our continued obsession with these forms of power by exploring the three main parts of our electricity bills: generation cost, transmission cost and taxes and fees.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">McConnell estimates that the cost of generating and reliably maintaining electricity &#8220;comprises about 50% of your power bill.&#8221;\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While \u201cfossil fueled electricity is inexpensive, and the fuel can be stored or sourced on site,\u201d making it available when needed, \u201cwind and solar generate electricity based on the mood of Mother Nature,\u201d providing us with the \u201cintermittency problem.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Why Are Utilities So Expensive? | 5 Minute Video\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SRePOQR4dfU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">McConnell then describes what this means in practical terms, saying that wind and solar farms usually require fossil fuel facilities to make up for their intermittent energy supply, and &#8220;all that wasted money is reflected in your electricity bill.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The cost to transmit electricity is \u201cdetermined by the distance between the power plant and your home or business,\u201d he explains.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cThis is one of the reasons fossil fuel and nuclear plants are ideally suited to power our large, dense cities and industries,\u201d McConnell states. \u201cThey require little land space and can be situated near or within population centers, so they need relatively few transmission lines. But wind and solar resources <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/ne\/articles\/3-reasons-why-nuclear-clean-and-sustainable\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">require large tracts of land<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and are therefore usually placed in remote locations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Such remoteness introduces the requirement for expensive new infrastructure. For example, Texas \u201chas already spent over <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/texas-leader-in-renewable-energy-wind-turbines\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">$7 billion<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in new transmission lines to bring distant wind power to cities in the east and south,\u201d and with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newschannel10.com\/story\/8693500\/texas-approves-massive-new-wind-power-project\/?clienttype=generic&amp;smartdevicecgbypass\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">further expenditure required<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, Texans are \u201calready seeing those costs in their energy bills.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Finally, McConnell looks at taxes and fees.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cMost taxes are plainly stated on your power bill. State taxes, city and county taxes. Plus, a bewildering assortment of fees. Those are bad enough,\u201d McConnell says. \u201cBut what you won\u2019t see on your electricity bill are the Federal and, in many places, state taxes that you pay to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lifepowered.org\/new-research-examines-last-decade-of-federal-energy-subsidies\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">subsidize<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> wind and solar generation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cFederal subsidies alone for the wind and solar industries totaled more than <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ewg.org\/energy\/22777\/federal-energy-subsidies-what-are-we-getting-our-money\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">$70 billion<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> from 2010 to 2019. Most state governments kick in their own incentives. The subsidies for wind and solar are in a class by themselves and have been for decades,\u201d McConnell warns. \u201cWe are not incentivizing new technology but are artificially supporting an industry. Take away the subsidies and very likely that industry does not exist.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">After explaining these three parts \u2014 the generation costs, the transmission costs, the taxes and fees \u2014 when they\u2019re added together, \u201cyou\u2019re paying a lot more than you should.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While some can afford it, many can\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cAn electricity bill is a regressive expense, meaning it takes up a lot bigger chunk of the budget of a lower middle-class family than it does an upper middle-class one,\u201d McConnell explains. \u201cMany poor families devote <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/cex\/tables.htm#annual\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">more than 10%<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of their income after food, rent, and transportation to electricity, while the those further up the income scale spend only a few percent. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2018\/09\/19\/649633468\/31-percent-of-u-s-households-have-trouble-paying-energy-bills\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A third<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of American households report having difficulty paying their electricity bills and 7 million families face the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/consumption\/residential\/reports\/2015\/energybills\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">choice<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> between putting food on the table or keeping their home warm during the cold winter months.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">McConnell concludes by suggesting that we consider the families struggling with these rising costs, instead of focusing on \u201cexpensive, inefficient wind and solar energy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cYes, the wind and the sun are free,\u201d McConnell says. \u201cBut wind and solar power are anything but.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i>PragerU is the world\u2019s leading educational nonprofit focused on changing minds through the creative use of digital media. You can make a\u00a0<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/donate.prageru.com\/give\/316306\/#!\/donation\/checkout\"><i>tax-deductible donation here<\/i><\/a><i>\u00a0to help PragerU continue to reach millions of young people with their videos.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a\u00a0<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><i>member<\/i><\/a><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the latest video from PragerU, Charles McConnell, former Assistant Secretary of Energy in the Obama Administration, addresses a question on many Americans\u2019 minds: Why are utilities so expensive? Though &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1892404,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4661,4655,4658],"class_list":["post-115158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-expensive","tag-prageru","tag-utilities"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115158"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115158\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1892404"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}