techPowerUp! Forums - View Single Post - How does PSU efficiency affect me and do I really need an 80 Plus Gold Power Supply?

gourygabriev · Sep 28, 2011, 12:06 PM

Also wanted to add that a good amount of Electric Providers also do their tiered billing, meaning their cost per kilowatt isn't a fixed, flat-rate but there is a premium added to people who use a lot of electricity. Like people who are using <100% of what is the allotted KW in a household will get like a lower $/KW compared to someone who is using 120% of what their allotted KW for a household. If I remember correctly, someone who is using 200% of the allotted KW per household is paying roughly 3x per KW compared to someone who used <100%. Instead of the bill going 2x the cost, they actually have to pay 6x more for using twice the amount. Last time I've checked, there were 5 different tiers being used by my Electric Provider (PG&E) in my area.

So I guess picking an 80 gold efficient power supply has its merits so people can save as much energy to keep them away from the higher tier of billing.

Sep 28, 2011, 12:06 PM	#57
gourygabriev Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 8 (0.01/day) Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Also wanted to add that a good amount of Electric Providers also do their tiered billing, meaning their cost per kilowatt isn't a fixed, flat-rate but there is a premium added to people who use a lot of electricity. Like people who are using <100% of what is the allotted KW in a household will get like a lower $/KW compared to someone who is using 120% of what their allotted KW for a household. If I remember correctly, someone who is using 200% of the allotted KW per household is paying roughly 3x per KW compared to someone who used <100%. Instead of the bill going 2x the cost, they actually have to pay 6x more for using twice the amount. Last time I've checked, there were 5 different tiers being used by my Electric Provider (PG&E) in my area. So I guess picking an 80 gold efficient power supply has its merits so people can save as much energy to keep them away from the higher tier of billing.