Total Usage: $333.47 How much I actually have to pay: $19.48
My electric company took a 70% rate increase over this past year. I don't blame them for that, I blame the politicians. Our rates used to be regulated. Along come these politicians who promise that deregulation will create competition and lower our prices. Well all it did was allow the companies to charge whatever they wanted to.
Fine, whatever. I can deal with that, I'm a republican after all.
In order to "help" the disadvantaged in our state, my company (BGE) was going to offer consumers a choice. We could either take the full increase right away, or take what amounts to a loan from them to help pay now, but that we would have to pay back in installments later.
Well the mayor of Baltimore (I shall refer to him as Marty) with ambitions to be governor wanted to make our governor at the time look bad. So Marty said giving a choice would be bad and only beneficial to the electric company, so he convinced the committee that was created to force BGE to not give us a choice. Basically we are now stuck taking the forced loan. It made him look good because those who don't pay attention (the majority of the populace) don't realize what is happening, and are just happy making lower payments now.
By the way, Marty is now our new governor.
I signed up for budget billing last year, which basically averages out my monthly payments. I pay more in fall and spring, but less in summer and winter.
I have a forced loan given to me every month that is building. I have no idea when I have to start paying it back. If I try to send in my budget bill amount, they just credit next month's payment. An operator with the company said if I pay too much, too often, they will send me a refund check.
If I move out of state, they will bill me for the loan.
[ March 08, 2007, 02:58 PM: Message edited by: Stephan ]
Posted by Katarain (Member # 6659) on :
Pay your budget bill amount. If they send you a refund check, cash it, and then send the same amount back in.
Otherwise, it will be too tempting to spend that money, especially if an emergency comes up, and you'll really be stuck later.
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
I think I am going to shove the difference into a new ING savings account, might as well get some interest on it.
Posted by Katarain (Member # 6659) on :
Even better.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
Our electric company here just deregulated and they're quoting roughly 20% increases. "That's less than 50 cents a day for most residential customers". And people are completely freaking out.
So ComEd is offering a similar deferred billing option, cap the increase at 10% now till 2009 or 2010 with nothing said in the bytes I'm catching about whether it's 10% per year increase (as in today I pay 110% of last year, and next year I pay 110% of this year, etc.) or what happens at the end of that time frame. I'm sure there's more details on their website, but still, it doesn't sound like something I want to do.
And I fully expect that anyone who signs up for that program will get smacked hard if they move or forget to pay a bill and get disconnected.
Posted by Steev (Member # 6805) on :
I have electric heat only.
I only heat two rooms in my house to no more than 60 degrees just to keep the pips from freezing and seal off the rest of the house. I wear many layers of clothes to keep warm when I’m home.
My bill for the month of February: $333.25.
That’s a 200% increase from last year.
However, this last the summer time I run two ACs all day and night long and only pay $150/month.
What bugs me the most is that they insist on increasing the rates in the wintertime. They actually know that it’s harder to keep a house warm than it is to keep it cool. They know that and they are going make the money because people have no choice or they die. Last winter it didn’t get as cold as it normally does any electric company petition to government to allow them to keep there winter rates in effect all year long to make up for the revenue loss.
[ March 08, 2007, 09:49 PM: Message edited by: Steev ]
Posted by Nighthawk (Member # 4176) on :
My current employer pays upwards of $1000+ a month for the light bill at his house. He was happy the month he received a bill for *only* $800.
Posted by Tstorm (Member # 1871) on :
My gas company got permission a couple of months ago to raise their rates 30%. That's an extra $20 a month, give or take, during the winter months. I'm having a hard time visualizing why natural gas is so efficient, when its more expensive than electricity.
Posted by Altáriël of Dorthonion (Member # 6473) on :
Ok, here's a solution: Save energy and save money (in your bank that is). That way, you don't owe as much and you have as much.
And remember that TINSTAAFL. What you use, is what you pay, so try to use less.
Don't turn on any halogen lights, don't turn on any night lights and don't blah blah blah blah......