Electricity isn’t something to consider a “luxury” these days. It’s hard to deny that we need it to function properly – especially when we take into account that depending on what our jobs are, it’s an integral part of getting our work done.
That’s not even touching on all of the other things that we need it for, obviously. What does all of this mean, though? Obviously, it means that we really need to pay attention to where we are getting our power from, along with keeping an eye on how much it’s costing us each month.
Here in Norway, it functions a bit differently than it does in other countries. Whether you’ve recently moved here or you’ve been here your entire life, it can still be a bit confusing to wrap our heads around.
Today, we’ll be covering how it works, along with how you can figure out what power region that you’re in. There are a bunch of them, so that’s part of what makes it so confusing.
What are Power Regions?
Now, as you can see here, https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/electricity/delivery-to-consumers.php, other countries do in fact have power regions and zones.
The difference comes in how many there are as well as the price ranges that come with each territory. At the end of the day, the way that power grids operate is fairly complex in general.
The idea here is that each area in a country aims to provide the same levels of power to each of the regions within the grid. While this doesn’t always happen in practice, that’s at least the goal. How much power you get, and how reliable that it is, will still really depend on where you live.
How it Works
Briefly, let’s examine how these grids work. On the surface they might seem simple. After all, it’s just electricity moving from the power plant to the various consumers along each line. Easy to digest, right?
The thing is, obviously things are much more complex once you start to dive in deeper. As far as the local grids go (which is the next bit in the “iceberg” of power grids), usually they are interconnected. This is to make sure that the overall networks are more reliable.
When they’re connected like that, they’re also able to provide power to the consumers in the area more easily. It expands the grid, which accomplishes that goal. This does mean that the fewer plants are in your specific region, the less reliable power sources you have.
While this shouldn’t necessarily impact where you choose to live, it’s just something to be aware of.
This is because within the five regions, the main difference really will be price point of power. On top of that, depending on where you are, there will be some changes in the “peak” usage hours. The more customers that are using it at the same time, the more chance that you won’t have as stable of a connection.
Of course, this isn’t a huge concern here in Norway. We have five different zones, which is pretty high for a country of our size. For comparison, the United States only has four zones – and they’re much bigger. This means that our power tends to be much more stable even during those peak times!
What are those five zones called, then? They are as follows: NO-1 Eastern Norway, NO-2 Southern Norway, NO-3 Middle Norway, NO-4 North Norway, and NO-5 Western Norway.
As mentioned, there are more here than in a lot of other countries, including the rest in the Nordic region. There are pros and cons to it, but it does give us more options.
What Contributes to Price Differences?
So – now that we’ve established that there are different price zones, let’s discuss what actually causes that. There are three big ones: bottlenecks that exist in the grid, the price of electricity in the rest of Europe, and what the water levels are in reservoirs that help feed the power plants.
That’s just the basics of it, though. Let’s delve into this a bit more. Find a bit more information on this page, if you’re curious, but thankfully it’s pretty simple. There are a few more besides just the ones that we listed as well, so we’ll be sure to go over them in some detail now!
Fuel
Naturally, one of the biggest discrepancies that can arise is the different types of fuels. For instance, there is a pretty big difference between power that we get from wind or water plants rather than if it’s derived from fossil fuels. This disparity can be one of the main aspects that leads to those prices as well.
With that said, it’s a good idea to opt for renewable energy and sustainable resources rather than fossil fuels. So, if you are able to go with the “green” option, that’s encouraged. Depending on your location, you may even get certain incentives to do so – don’t be afraid to ask your power company!
Weather Conditions
This is a point that will vary in importance depending on your strømregion, but it’s good to be familiar with it either way. Weather can have a huge impact on the prices of electricity.
If there is a huge stretch of unseasonably cold or warm weather, for example, it might have an effect on water levels or even the windiness in a given region.
Just remember that this isn’t always a bad thing. It can work out in our favor, even – especially when it comes to the water levels. Hydropower actually becomes less expensive when there’s excess water in the system, so snow and rain can be beneficial.
It’s situational, though, so it’s not necessarily something that we can count on in that sense.
Upkeep and Maintenance for the Power Plants
While this often is overlooked, there are costs involved with maintaining power plants. This is factored into the bills that we get charged as consumers. While it’s not necessarily the most important one or the one with the most impact, we still felt it worth mentioning.
Distribution Systems and Transmissions
In a similar vein to our above point, there are also fees involved with the systems that connect consumers and their homes to the power plants themselves. This is another aspect that is added into our cumulative bills, though it’s not something that we’ll need to actively think about too much.
Local Regulations
The final factor that we’d like to discuss today are the local regulations that could play a role in what you get charged for your electricity. Again, this is something that can vary pretty greatly between power zones.
If it’s something that you’re concerned about, try doing some research into where you live and see what the regulations in place are as far as types of power and fuel and anything else that might be involved.
Figuring Out Your Region
With all of this covered so far, you’re probably wondering how you can figure out what region that you’re in. Luckily, this is super easy.
You can use your search engine of choice and look up what region you’re in, for one thing – you would have to enable location tracking, though, which isn’t something that everyone wants to do.
You can also check out zone maps. Hopefully, you know where you live. So, you can simply find that location on a power region map and figure out which of the five that you live in! Some of the resources we provided can help with that if you’re keen.
Lastly, though, you can always talk to your power provider to see what they have to say. They will be the most reliable source of information, so you can save yourself some time by going directly to the source.
Why Does it Matter?
Why does knowing what electricity region that you’re in matter, though? Why is this information that we should be aware of? Largely, it’s so that you can understand the reasons that you’re being charged the amount that you are each month.
If you’re looking to lower your bill, it may be worth chatting with your provider to see if you can change the type of fuel that you tap into, or some other option.
Really, though, it’s about being an educated and informed consumer. For instance, did you know that the prices of electricity have been higher in the south in the past few years compared to the north?
This is likely due to population distribution as well as the distribution of natural resources in the country, but it’s still good to be aware of.
Understanding your power bill is a big deal. No one wants to be over paying for these services, after all, and if you know why you are being charged certain amounts, you can then employ strategies to reduce those fees.
While it isn’t always going to be an east feat, at least it is more accessible once we are aware of what our power region is.
