What is most most you are willing to pay for electric power and

Texasdad :
I don't think it's a matter of what we are "willing" to pay, these utilities are a necessity. We can at least shop for the best electricity rates through powertochoose.org, but we can't do anything about the rate hikes on the COH water dept. The only things we can do with the water is limit ourselves to how much we use, but we still have to pay the utility bills when they come.

pickme2 : Understood, but I was replying to the OP who specifically mentioned profits. All large public CEO's are way overpaid; ALL of them. High pay is the market.

mutton :
Yes, there isn't enough knowledge to even think about. Same with the cars. We know my car needs replacement. We intended for me to buy a new one and my dh use mine for work. A few years back when we were road warriors (100,500 miles), I wanted a van and still do. It was minimum $40,000 and I hesitated. My birthday came around and my dh gave me the choice, buy it with a down, or just buy it cash. Neither felt good lol. I didn't want another car note (mine was paid for), and I didn't want my account to drop that far. I also knew I wanted to move across the country. Two weeks later and a new transmission cost $5000 and a master brake job another $3000. Now I baby her. So a new/used vehicle is absolutely on the horizon. Do I buy gasoline, hybrid, or full electric. None are cheap. We don't know enough about electric cars to feel confident. I suggested to my dh that we rent a few and take short vacation getaways and learn. All this electric stuff and I wonder if the whole grid isn't gonna crash. When we were looking at houses in Walden back in 2006 the guy walking us through was bragging about phone jacks in every room. I kept asking about the power load with all the devices being charged and used. I worried about over load of the system. I wanted to know if it was upgraded from what used to be the norm. It's just so much information to absorb. Coming from everything. Lol we need to figure out how to shut the wifi off the fridge, lol. Why is it there?

buffaloglenn :
Got it. Utility companies in Texas are limited on profitability, but they have many loop holes around it. Found this interesting. As a result of this model, CenterPoint's Texas operations posted $298 million in profits for the first half of 2026 alone-a 32% increase over the previous year-even while legally bound to its PUCT profit limits.

Texasdad : The cost has truly gotten out of hand. $2000 a month would be way too much. I am afraid it is heading in that direction. I have put thought into solar power but, I am a little leery of it. I have heard of firefighters letting houses burn to the ground because of the solar panels. They do not mix well with water. For now, I will wait and see what improvements they make.

TEXASGIRLMAMMA : One other note is that 80% of the world's solar panels are made in Chyna, which is not surprising as most electronics (including batteries) are made there. For some people and situations, solar may make financial sense, but for most homes (and Kingwood especially, with our trees), they likely do not. Now if monthly electric bills do approach $1000, that could be different.

beadweaver :
Thanks!

buffaloglenn : Right! Hopefully, we will start making them here.

beadweaver : LOL, I don't want the crap on my refrigerator either!

Texasdad :
Being that water is life, that's a no brainer, what it costs. What gets me is the sewage part. It's lumped with water and you don't flush all water used. Double edge there.
Electric, well I know I try to use the minimum. I can walk through a place once and never need light again. It drives my dh nuts. I prefer to keep very low lights on in the rooms we are using. I cant wait to get mine out of storage at the end of the month. These canister lights draw power and are glaring. I also bought some rechargeable task lights that go hi low. I keep non essential things unplugged until needed. I rarely use a microwave. With winter coming and it getting darker sooner, I'm expecting my gas bill to give me a mini stroke. Lol I do have an electric blanket.
We are at the mercy anyway you look at it. I'm not willing to beat my socks off the rocks.

buffaloglenn : I read somewhere of many solar companies going bankrupt. So if yours goes belly up then you need find another for any servicing needs.

Texasdad :
When AI shuts down our grid for about a week you'll be willing to pay anything for power to come back ! And water isn't infinite either. Texas needs to start building desalinization plants.

mutton :
That's another thing to worry about. Many companies won't warranty work on somebody else's system. You're held to a contract but, if they go belly up, it's not worth much. Just another headache. I try to do business with companies with proven longevity.