Watt’s The Frequency, Kenneth?

Let’s rip the band-aid – we're not here to find the one true existential meaning of the lyrics in R.E.M’s iconic hit. We’ll do that another time. Here’s the deal though – energy can be both punk and rock star sexy.

Hm. Perhaps that was stretching it a bit. Let’s try again.

Knowledge about energy and grasping at least a few of the terms that keep flying above our heads, can give you both inner peace and confidence. And that’s precisely why we’re here – to make you just as interesting and progressive as Michael Stipe was, circa 1987. No (a tiny) stretch!

This is a safe space, so let’s be honest with each other for a moment.

Everybody Hertz

We’ve all been in uncomfortable situations where we’re expected to know a bunch of terminology and fancy lingo thrown at our faces (ouch!) within a certain topic. The realm of electricity is certainly not an exception.

Maybe you pretend everything is as clear as cucumber, hoping no one will notice. Or you proudly dare to articulate your ignorance, jeopardizing eternal shame in the process.

“Yes, sure, I have phases, I think. At least I had some in my teens. Please continue madame.“

“Fuse. Aha, yeah, that band from… No? Or, do you mean “a few” but in plural…fews?”

“Kilo. What hour??”

All of the above are totally understandable reactions and reasonable behavior of course. Actually, it’s almost like the industry is trolling us (schhh, was that a crack in the glasshouse?):

Watts and kilowatt hours; volts, amperes and phases; converters and inverters; load shifting and peak shaving; demand/response and frequency balancing; spot prices and intraday trading; residential storage and geothermal heating; dynamic this and smart that; the mysterious grid and magical virtual power plants; R.E.M. and Michael Stipe!

Breathe.

It’s NOT The End Of The World As We Know It

Pick up that melting face of yours! You’re going to make it (’being a human who uses electricity’, editors note) regardless of how dizzying that felt. Admitting it’s hard is the hard part, and no one likes a know-it-all anyway.

If we just turn one stone at a time, we can move mountains together. Yup, that was cheesy, but we’re trying to excite some aspiration here – lean in!

And once you get the gist of it, you’ll be more confident peeking under the next on your own, becoming more knowledgeable (and cooler!) with each one.

Pay attention Kenneth, and throw away your pride – because we are bravely starting right at the core:

Electricity – The presence and flow of electric charges. The current of electricity is measured in Ampere (A)

Power – The amount of electricity needed to run an appliance, or perform the desired work, at any given moment. Measured in watts (W)

Energy – The amount of power needed to run an appliance, or perform the desired work, for a period of time. Most commonly measured in kilowatt hours (kWh)

Shiny Happy Person

That’s all for now. We can stop there (thank you R.E.M. gimmick, you’re dismissed).

Rocks flipped, job done. Smile, rest and dehydrate.

Because come the Friday after work, who’s gonna gently, but firmly, nod in understanding when Robert from accounting tells you about the capacity of his new car battery? You.

You know watt’s up.

At Tibber we are on a quest making energy accessible to anyone. Getting in control of your own consumption and learning to make smart decisions should be easy! Help us demystify what is alienating to you. Please challenge us in the comments. We’re here to help!