wallingford electric

[iwantwallingfordbetter]

Tax increase; Wallingford Electric Raises Rates

Enclosed with the Wallingford Electric bill (May) was the Spring 2008 Newsletter. The newsletter outlined the need to invest in electric plants outside the area, talked about base demand, intermediate demand, peak demand and more free compact bulbs. A peaking plant was build in town a few years back (PPL), but the rates went up, the town decides to rebuild the Pierce plant as another peaking plant, but the rates went up, so why is there a need for 2 peaking plant in our town, why not just restart the Pierce plant and use it to generate power for our community, and sell the extra power back to the grid. Where is the power going generated by the trash to energy plant? The trash plant generates about 11 mega watts of power a day, where is that power going? Wallingford is unique in that we have a plant to generate power (Pierce) and yet we do not use it to benefit the town residents.

The spring 2008 news letter claimed that the residents of the Wallingford have saved the equivlant of 300 homes worth of power (that is a lot of power), but the rates went up. What’s the point of conservation if the rates just keep going up? With less power being used there is less revenue. Is the Wallingford Electric division responsible to maintain a certain level of revenue for the town? Are the rate increases just another way for the town to TAX its residents and businesses, after all a certain amount of the electric money (call it profit) goes into the town’s general fund. May’s bill also included what was called a seasonal rate adjustment (another increase). Wallingford Electric rates are less that those of CL&P and Northeast Utilities (so we are lead to believe). Does this mean that the rates could be lower but because we are less than CL&P and Northeast Utilities that we should be content.

In the Town of Wallingford conservation = higher electric rates.

Let’s explore the Wallingford Energy Conservation Fund, in the spring newsletter the Electric Division again is going to offer free compact fluorescent bulbs, this time the Electric division is going to place one compact bulb in a bag along with a mail-in coupon with another 6 compact bulbs and deliver to the door of each house, (not a waste of money there) a couple of months earlier the electric division mailed homeowners a card that was good for 6 free compact bulbs, it must have worked very well, the residents saved enough electricity for 300 homes, but the rates went up. Lets speculate; if every home has changed all their standard bulbs to the compact bulbs, upgraded washers, dryers, hot water heaters to more energy efficient units and the town residents save enough electricity for another 300 or more homes (now we are at 600 homes or more of electricity savings), how high will the town have to raise the rates at the next adjustment period? The more we conserve the higher the rate go. What happened to the free market of supply and demand, demand went down but yet the rates went up. If the town is serious about conservation why not start using the Energy Conservation Fund to finance other means of conservation efforts, like the use of solar and wind. Why not expand the fund to include residential projects that involve solar hot water, solar electric systems and small wind turbines. Why is the town not taking the lead in this area? Why is it that Wallingford Electric is not part of the CT Clean Energy Fund program? Why do we have our own fund in Wallingford that covers limited conservation efforts? The CT Clean Energy Fund assists residents who have Northeast Utilities and CL&P as their power companies to get up to a 50% in assistance for installing a solar hot water or solar electric system. (ex. If a solar electric system cost 25,000.00 the homeowner would pay 12,500.00 and the fund would pay the other half). Residents of Wallingford are not given this opportunity. Why? Why is the Wallingford Electric Division not looking to other sources for energy (wind, solar, fuel cell). We have town owned property that would be a great location for wind turbines or solar panels, we have many town owned building that would be great places to start placing solar panels on.

Wallingford Electric’s answer to the conversation; here take this compact bulb and enjoy the rate increase.

I have a total electric house and do what I can to reduce my electric consumption. I have changed any many bulbs as possible, (some fixtures just do not except the compact bulbs) change my hot water heater to a .92 energy rated lower capacity unit (just missed the 60.00 rebate available because my unit was not .93 rated), caulked the spaces around the windows and door as much as possible, I have replaced my front and back doors to more insulated one, put plastic on the windows during the winter months, yet I pay more each year than the previous year. In 2005 I used 30,708 kw and paid $2,122.60, in 2007 I used 29,299 kw and paid $3,189.92. I used 1,409 less kw but paid $1,067.32 more. The more I DO and SPEND to reduce my electric consumption the more Wallingford Electric charges me.

My conclusion is that the Town of Wallingford is using the electric division as another way to tax the residents of Wallingford. As the electric division raises rates they generate more revenue, more of that revenue goes into the towns general fund. The Town of Wallingford has a trash to energy plant and two (2) peaking plants (Pierce and PPL) that only produce when called upon and yet Wallingford residents are subject to rate increases twice a year. What’s the point of having all the generating capacity.

Where does it end?

It ends with the residence and businesses of Wallingford getting RATE SHOCKED twice a year.

[speakerguy]

Tax increase; Wallingford Electric Raises Rates

Enclosed with the Wallingford Electric bill (May) was the Spring 2008 Newsletter. The newsletter outlined the need to invest in electric plants outside the area, talked about base demand, intermediate demand, peak demand and more free compact bulbs. A peaking plant was build in town a few years back (PPL), but the rates went up, the town decides to rebuild the Pierce plant as another peaking plant, but the rates went up, so why is there a need for 2 peaking plant in our town, why not just restart the Pierce plant and use it to generate power for our community, and sell the extra power back to the grid. Where is the power going generated by the trash to energy plant? The trash plant generates about 11 mega watts of power a day, where is that power going? Wallingford is unique in that we have a plant to generate power (Pierce) and yet we do not use it to benefit the town residents.

The spring 2008 news letter claimed that the residents of the Wallingford have saved the equivlant of 300 homes worth of power (that is a lot of power), but the rates went up. What’s the point of conservation if the rates just keep going up? With less power being used there is less revenue. Is the Wallingford Electric division responsible to maintain a certain level of revenue for the town? Are the rate increases just another way for the town to TAX its residents and businesses, after all a certain amount of the electric money (call it profit) goes into the town’s general fund. May’s bill also included what was called a seasonal rate adjustment (another increase). Wallingford Electric rates are less that those of CL&P and Northeast Utilities (so we are lead to believe). Does this mean that the rates could be lower but because we are less than CL&P and Northeast Utilities that we should be content.

In the Town of Wallingford conservation = higher electric rates.

Let’s explore the Wallingford Energy Conservation Fund, in the spring newsletter the Electric Division again is going to offer free compact fluorescent bulbs, this time the Electric division is going to place one compact bulb in a bag along with a mail-in coupon with another 6 compact bulbs and deliver to the door of each house, (not a waste of money there) a couple of months earlier the electric division mailed homeowners a card that was good for 6 free compact bulbs, it must have worked very well, the residents saved enough electricity for 300 homes, but the rates went up. Lets speculate; if every home has changed all their standard bulbs to the compact bulbs, upgraded washers, dryers, hot water heaters to more energy efficient units and the town residents save enough electricity for another 300 or more homes (now we are at 600 homes or more of electricity savings), how high will the town have to raise the rates at the next adjustment period? The more we conserve the higher the rate go. What happened to the free market of supply and demand, demand went down but yet the rates went up. If the town is serious about conservation why not start using the Energy Conservation Fund to finance other means of conservation efforts, like the use of solar and wind. Why not expand the fund to include residential projects that involve solar hot water, solar electric systems and small wind turbines. Why is the town not taking the lead in this area? Why is it that Wallingford Electric is not part of the CT Clean Energy Fund program? Why do we have our own fund in Wallingford that covers limited conservation efforts? The CT Clean Energy Fund assists residents who have Northeast Utilities and CL&P as their power companies to get up to a 50% in assistance for installing a solar hot water or solar electric system. (ex. If a solar electric system cost 25,000.00 the homeowner would pay 12,500.00 and the fund would pay the other half). Residents of Wallingford are not given this opportunity. Why? Why is the Wallingford Electric Division not looking to other sources for energy (wind, solar, fuel cell). We have town owned property that would be a great location for wind turbines or solar panels, we have many town owned building that would be great places to start placing solar panels on.

Wallingford Electric’s answer to the conversation; here take this compact bulb and enjoy the rate increase.

I have a total electric house and do what I can to reduce my electric consumption. I have changed any many bulbs as possible, (some fixtures just do not except the compact bulbs) change my hot water heater to a .92 energy rated lower capacity unit (just missed the 60.00 rebate available because my unit was not .93 rated), caulked the spaces around the windows and door as much as possible, I have replaced my front and back doors to more insulated one, put plastic on the windows during the winter months, yet I pay more each year than the previous year. In 2005 I used 30,708 kw and paid $2,122.60, in 2007 I used 29,299 kw and paid $3,189.92. I used 1,409 less kw but paid $1,067.32 more. The more I DO and SPEND to reduce my electric consumption the more Wallingford Electric charges me.

My conclusion is that the Town of Wallingford is using the electric division as another way to tax the residents of Wallingford. As the electric division raises rates they generate more revenue, more of that revenue goes into the towns general fund. The Town of Wallingford has a trash to energy plant and two (2) peaking plants (Pierce and PPL) that only produce when called upon and yet Wallingford residents are subject to rate increases twice a year. What’s the point of having all the generating capacity.

Where does it end?

It ends with the residence and businesses of Wallingford getting RATE SHOCKED twice a year.

Unfortunately, energy costs are going up. You are clearly frustrated by that. But what alternative do you propose instead of Wallingford Electric? Connecticut Light & Power? United Illuminating? I can tell you that if we got our electricity from CL&P or UI we would be paying even more.

You raise a good point about the peaking and trash plants. Perhaps one of the other readers can shed some light on that.

Private electric is much better, in my opinion, than the large electric monopolies. I used to live on Long Island where we got our energy from the Long Island Lighting Company (LILCO). The management there screwed it up so bad (remember Shorham?) that New York State had to take over and create the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA). Things got no better. My house on Long Island was half the size of my house here in Connecticut and I paid 50% more per month for electric than I do now.

I'll take my chances with Wallingford Electric for now.