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Pricing energy

能源定價

Remote controls

遠程控制

Smart meters promise another reason to resentenergy firms

智能電表成為人們抱怨能源公司的又一理由

The midnight oil

午夜石油樂隊

GOOD neighbours avoid doing laundry in the small hours. Yet householders in the north eastof England are growing keener on late-night loads. Watched by academics at DurhamUniversity, volunteers are testing a tariff that makes power more expensive when demand ishigh. Some use washing machines that run only when energy is cheap.

好鄰居不在凌晨洗衣服。然而在英格蘭東北部的居民們越來越熱衷于在午夜干家務。英國杜倫大學的學者觀察發現，志愿者接受了一項測試：稅費調整后，電力在需求高峰期變得更貴。有的居民只有在電價便宜時才會用洗衣機。

Britons are used to paying variable prices for hotel rooms, train tickets and telephone calls.Now some hope that smart electricity meters, which the government wants installed in everyhome by 2020, will help energy suppliers charge in a similar way. Boosters say dynamic pricingcan hold down bills and help save the planet. It is also likely to make power firms even lesspopular than they already are.

英國人習慣于為賓館、火車票和話費的浮動費用掏錢。如今，更有人希望智能電表可以幫助能源供應商以也以同樣的方式收費。支持者們表示動態電價可以降低賬單，并有益于節約地球資源。這樣很有可能使電力公司更加不受歡迎。

Flexible pricing is supposed to discourage power use at peak times, thereby bringing downthe overall cost of generation by cutting the need for power stations that run only a few hourseach day. Controlling energy use would also help network operators handle fluctuations inrenewable power, which rises and falls depending on how windy or sunny it is. These problemswill get more serious as Britain decarbonises: using more green electricity to power things suchas cars and heating will make demand spikes bigger—and thus more costly—just as growth inrenewables makes supply less dependable.

彈性價格有望降低高峰期的用電，從而通過減少每天運行幾小時的發電站數量來降低發電總成本。通過電力控制使用可以幫助網絡操作者來處理可再生能源諸如由于風能或者太陽能造成的波動。這些問題將變得和英國降低碳含量計劃同等嚴峻：使用更多綠色電力來驅動像車或者加熱器的東西，將使得需求峰值更大——而且代價更昂貴——正如可再生能源使用的增長降低了供給的可靠性。

Some Britons have been using cheaper off-peak power since the late 1970s, when “Economy 7”tariffs were created to encourage overnight demand for juice from nuclear power stations.Smart meters, which will add about ￡12 billion ($20 billion) to energy bills as they are rolled outover the next five years, are meant to save suppliers money by wirelessly transmitting meterreadings, and to provide households with information that can help them to use less power.What excites energy experts is that, by recording full details of energy consumption, theycould also make it easier for suppliers to create several peak and off-peak periods during eachday, or even let prices float freely depending on the weather. Last month Ofgem, the energyregulator, said it was mulling reforms that could enable rates to change every half-hour.

一些英國人自二十世紀七十年代晚期就開始錯開高峰期使用低價電力，當時建立“經濟七號”稅費的目的就是為鼓勵使用來自核電廠的通宵供電。智能電表通過無線傳輸儀表讀數，這意味著可以為供應商節約費用，并且為居民們提供相應的信息來幫助他們節約用電，這項計劃在未來五年內推出后將增加一百二十億英鎊的電費收入。讓能源專家們感到興奮的是，通過能源消費的所有詳細記錄，他們可以讓能源供應商很輕松的在每天建立多個高峰或者非高峰期，甚至可以讓電價隨著天氣的變化過渡平穩。上個月，作為能源調節者的天然氣電力市場辦公室表示，正在考慮這樣一些改革——這可以讓電價在每半小時內變化。

The problem is that a proliferation of complex tariffs risks making it more difficult for bill-payersto identify the cheapest ones, even as regulators battle to simplify the market. Critics also saythat punitive charges at peak times could affect the poorest families disproportionately,because they already use power only when it is essential. And some fear that, without strongercompetition, energy firms would use dynamic tariffs to raise prices, not just to even outdemand.

出現的問題是，這種復雜的收費方式所冒的風險在于，支付者辨別最便宜的收費區間更為困難，雖則電力調配部門志在簡化市場，正如電力調配部門志在簡化市場一樣。評論家們也聲稱，用電高峰期的懲罰性的收費會給最貧困的家庭造成影響更為巨大，因為他們只有在必要時才會使用電能。時一些人也擔心到，沒有強有力的競爭，能源公司只是利用動態電價來變向漲價而并非平衡需求。

The biggest worry is that people will not be persuaded to change their routines. Many alreadypay too much for their energy because they have never bothered to switch supplier. A studyin 2012 by Consumer Focus—now part of the Citizens Advice Bureau—found that 38% ofhouseholds with Economy 7 or similar tariffs did not use enough off-peak power to make itcheaper than a standard rate. Trials of more dynamic tariffs report mixed success—and almostall of those have involved green-minded volunteers, not busy families.

最大的擔心是，勸服人們調整日常生活習慣很難。很多人嫌麻煩從不更換供應商，導致他們已經支付了太多的電力。由聚焦消費(現在是公民建議局的下屬單位)在2012年出示的調查顯示，百分之三十八的“經濟七”或者與之相似收費的住戶沒有使用錯開高峰用電來降低電費。而這其中更為動態稅費適用成功的報道顯得復雜——這其中多數是綠色理念的志愿者，而不是那些忙碌的家庭。

Enthusiasts say variable pricing will work best when people can set gear such as freezers,boilers and air-conditioners to respond automatically to pricing signals broadcast to theirsmart meter, in exchange for a discount from their supplier. Fridges need not runconstantly to keep their contents fresh, for example; clever ones might perhaps turnthemselves off during peak demand periods.

狂熱支持者表示，當人們可以通過智能電表的價格廣播來自動設置諸如冰箱，熱水器和空調速率，可使得可變定價完美運行，以此從供應商那里獲得折扣。例如，冰箱無需一直工作來維持里面東西的新鮮;聰明人也許會錯開高峰階段。

Yet bill-payers will probably find it creepy to hand outsiders control of their appliances. Ahousehold full of smart devices would delight hackers. And it will bring chewy legal problems,such as working out who to blame should faulty appliances churn through premium-pricedpower. As Britain’s smart grid expands, rumbling washing machines may not be the only thingkeeping people awake.

然而，用戶們肯定會發現把他們的家用電器交由外部控制是很恐怖的一件事。一個家里滿是智能電器的用戶會使黑客感到異常興奮。而且這樣會帶來一系列耐人尋味的法律問題，例如，因為電流的變動導致電器發生缺陷時無法確定誰該為此負責。隨著英國智能電網的不斷擴大，也許不只是隆隆的洗衣機聲吵得人無法入睡。

【重點解析】

1.use to 過去常常

例句:The contents of this booklet should be of useto all students.

這本小冊子的內容應該會對所有的學生都有用處。

2.likely to 傾向于;可能要

例句:The fires are likely to permanently deforestthe land.

這些火災很可能會徹底毀掉這片土地上的森林。

3.suppose to 想做

例句:I don't suppose you thought to turn over the tape, did you?

我認為你并沒想過要把磁帶換一面，是嗎?

4.such as 例如;諸如

例句:We dislike people such as him.

我們不喜歡像他這號人。