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Is anyone else's power bill swinging 40% month to month?

Datacenter Talk by Bruno22 14 replies 1.2K views
Bruno22

Member OP

4 #1

I am track PUE and kWh cost for 8 months now, make a test with my own meter too Results: no correlation. None. PUE is 1.38, 1.41, 1.39... very stable. But bill goes $4,200 → $6,800 → $4,900 → $7,100 What is this?

I am call Leaseweb, they say "market rate adjustment." I am ask for formula, they send me PDF with no formula. Nossa! I am think fixed price is better but my contract say indexed to "local utility benchmark." What benchmark? They will not say.

Anyone else with this problem? I am very confused, is very good facility otherwise but this bill is crazy

ping so high I wave back
KE

Member

#2

Very strange lah I am buy my colo last year and price is same every month xixixi you are check the meter yourself sir?? Maybe the meter is wrong lah I am hear this story before

Thank you for share very nice post

brusselsdzire1

Member

#3

This sounds like a potential Article 13 issue, though energy billing falls under separate directive. More relevant: the EU Electricity Directive 2019/944 mandates transparent pricing and clear contractual terms. Is your provider based in EU? If so, they must disclose the exact indexing formula under GDPR-compliant documentation—wait, GDPR does not apply here, but the transparency principle does.

I am still traumatized by Article 13. Never again.

cleardmitri

Moderator

Moderator

#4

Which meter did you use?

No logs, no proof. I have logs.
Bruno22

Member OP

8 #5
cleardmitri said:
Which meter did you use?

Is Fluke 87V, I am buy used but good condition. The meter is fine, I am check against utility bill at home and is perfect. The problem is not measurement, is the formula Leaseweb use. I am think maybe they add some "market adjustment" on top of real cost but nobody can explain.

keywill said:
Price is same every month

You are with who? Fixed contract? I am think to change but early termination is 6 months. Nossa.

ping so high I wave back
HA

Member

#6

I am with Hetzner for colo in FRA1 and price is fixed for 12 months, no swing. Before that I was with Leaseweb Amsterdam and same story as you: "energy surcharge" line item that changed every month. I moved out.

The "local utility benchmark" language is standard for them. I think it tracks EEX day-ahead or something similar, but with a lag and a markup they do not disclose. You will never get the formula.

brusselsdzire1

Member

#7
haopes said:
I think it tracks EEX day-ahead or something similar

EEX is Germany-specific. For Amsterdam it would likely be APX or EPEX SPOT NL. But the point stands: under Directive 2019/944 Article 3(3), final customers must receive transparent information on "the components of the applicable prices." A vague reference to "local utility benchmark" without specifying which exchange, which contract month, and what spread is arguably non-compliant.

I am not a lawyer, I am just someone who reads too many directives.

YI

Member

4 #8

Here in Argentina we have the opposite problem: the government sets electricity price and it changes only every 6 months by decree. Very stable, very unpredictable in direction. I am pay in pesos for local colo and the real cost in USD goes down because inflation is faster than the tariff increase. Is crazy but at least I know when it changes.

Leaseweb does not have datacenter in Buenos Aires so I cannot compare directly.

PetraSuper

Member

network boot believer

#9

I boot everything from network but the power still comes from somewhere. I am with Equinix in Vienna and they pass through exactly the utility rate plus a fixed EUR/kWh management fee. I see the utility invoice line item. Is transparent.

Leaseweb doing opaque "market adjustment" sounds like margin expansion dressed up as cost pass-through.

boot anything, anywhere, anytime
Bruno22

Member OP

#10
haopes said:
I moved out

How much was early termination? Or you wait until end?

PetraSuper said:
Margin expansion dressed up as cost pass-through

Yes! This is exactly what I am think. The facility is good, network is good, but this billing is... suspeito.

ping so high I wave back

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