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Pricing energy

能源定價(jià)

Remote controls

遠(yuǎn)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(lè)隊(duì)

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?cè)絹?lái)越熱衷于在午夜干家務(wù)。英國(guó)杜倫大學(xué)的學(xué)者觀察發(fā)現(xiàn)，志愿者接受了一項(xiàng)測(cè)試：稅費(fèi)調(diào)整后，電力在需求高峰期變得更貴。有的居民只有在電價(jià)便宜時(shí)才會(huì)用洗衣機(jī)。

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(guó)人習(xí)慣于為賓館、火車(chē)票和話費(fèi)的浮動(dòng)費(fèi)用掏錢(qián)。如今，更有人希望智能電表可以幫助能源供應(yīng)商以也以同樣的方式收費(fèi)。支持者們表示動(dòng)態(tài)電價(jià)可以降低賬單，并有益于節(jié)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(jià)格有望降低高峰期的用電，從而通過(guò)減少每天運(yùn)行幾小時(shí)的發(fā)電站數(shù)量來(lái)降低發(fā)電總成本。通過(guò)電力控制使用可以幫助網(wǎng)絡(luò)操作者來(lái)處理可再生能源諸如由于風(fēng)能或者太陽(yáng)能造成的波動(dòng)。這些問(wèn)題將變得和英國(guó)降低碳含量計(jì)劃同等嚴(yán)峻：使用更多綠色電力來(lái)驅(qū)動(dòng)像車(chē)或者加熱器的東西，將使得需求峰值更大——而且代價(jià)更昂貴——正如可再生能源使用的增長(zhǎng)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(guó)人自二十世紀(jì)七十年代晚期就開(kāi)始錯(cuò)開(kāi)高峰期使用低價(jià)電力，當(dāng)時(shí)建立“經(jīng)濟(jì)七號(hào)”稅費(fèi)的目的就是為鼓勵(lì)使用來(lái)自核電廠的通宵供電。智能電表通過(guò)無(wú)線傳輸儀表讀數(shù)，這意味著可以為供應(yīng)商節(jié)約費(fèi)用，并且為居民們提供相應(yīng)的信息來(lái)幫助他們節(jié)約用電，這項(xiàng)計(jì)劃在未來(lái)五年內(nèi)推出后將增加一百二十億英鎊的電費(fèi)收入。讓能源專(zhuān)家們感到興奮的是，通過(guò)能源消費(fèi)的所有詳細(xì)記錄，他們可以讓能源供應(yīng)商很輕松的在每天建立多個(gè)高峰或者非高峰期，甚至可以讓電價(jià)隨著天氣的變化過(guò)渡平穩(wěn)。上個(gè)月，作為能源調(diào)節(jié)者的天然氣電力市場(chǎng)辦公室表示，正在考慮這樣一些改革——這可以讓電價(jià)在每半小時(shí)內(nèi)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(xiàn)的問(wèn)題是，這種復(fù)雜的收費(fèi)方式所冒的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)在于，支付者辨別最便宜的收費(fèi)區(qū)間更為困難，雖則電力調(diào)配部門(mén)志在簡(jiǎn)化市場(chǎng)，正如電力調(diào)配部門(mén)志在簡(jiǎn)化市場(chǎng)一樣。評(píng)論家們也聲稱，用電高峰期的懲罰性的收費(fèi)會(huì)給最貧困的家庭造成影響更為巨大，因?yàn)樗麄冎挥性诒匾獣r(shí)才會(huì)使用電能。時(shí)一些人也擔(dān)心到，沒(méi)有強(qiáng)有力的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)，能源公司只是利用動(dòng)態(tài)電價(jià)來(lái)變向漲價(jià)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(dān)心是，勸服人們調(diào)整日常生活習(xí)慣很難。很多人嫌麻煩從不更換供應(yīng)商，導(dǎo)致他們已經(jīng)支付了太多的電力。由聚焦消費(fèi)(現(xiàn)在是公民建議局的下屬單位)在2012年出示的調(diào)查顯示，百分之三十八的“經(jīng)濟(jì)七”或者與之相似收費(fèi)的住戶沒(méi)有使用錯(cuò)開(kāi)高峰用電來(lái)降低電費(fèi)。而這其中更為動(dòng)態(tài)稅費(fèi)適用成功的報(bào)道顯得復(fù)雜——這其中多數(shù)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(dāng)人們可以通過(guò)智能電表的價(jià)格廣播來(lái)自動(dòng)設(shè)置諸如冰箱，熱水器和空調(diào)速率，可使得可變定價(jià)完美運(yùn)行，以此從供應(yīng)商那里獲得折扣。例如，冰箱無(wú)需一直工作來(lái)維持里面東西的新鮮;聰明人也許會(huì)錯(cuò)開(kāi)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(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)把他們的家用電器交由外部控制是很恐怖的一件事。一個(gè)家里滿是智能電器的用戶會(huì)使黑客感到異常興奮。而且這樣會(huì)帶來(lái)一系列耐人尋味的法律問(wèn)題，例如，因?yàn)殡娏鞯淖儎?dòng)導(dǎo)致電器發(fā)生缺陷時(shí)無(wú)法確定誰(shuí)該為此負(fù)責(zé)。隨著英國(guó)智能電網(wǎng)的不斷擴(kuò)大，也許不只是隆隆的洗衣機(jī)聲吵得人無(wú)法入睡。

【重點(diǎn)解析】

1.use to 過(guò)去常常

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

這本小冊(cè)子的內(nèi)容應(yīng)該會(huì)對(duì)所有的學(xué)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(zāi)很可能會(huì)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(rèn)為你并沒(méi)想過(guò)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(hào)人。