Energy Gimmick
Have you heard about OneThing? Mark Pazniokas wrote about it recently on the Capitol Watch blog:
Gov. M. Jodi Rell rolled out her OneThing campaign (details are at onethingct.com) at a press conference today in Elizabeth Park in West Hartford. The idea is one little thing that saves energy can become huge, if everyone finds their own one thing.
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Anyway, Rell said her one thing today was to replace all the incandescent bulbs at the official residence with compact fluorescents, which use 75 percent less electricity and last up to 10 times longer than standard bulbs.
There’s nothing terrible about it, but it seems a bit redundant to have “OneMore” campaign to get people to change over from incandescents to CFLs, or to reduce their energy usage, or to take 2 minute showers, or whatever. Those are all good things to encourage people to do, I just don’t think the OneThing campaign is going to succeed where others have failed. It looks to me like a lot of hype.
I don’t know where the OneThing came from, or whose idea it was, and I don’t really care. What I do care about is that one of the OneThings you can do is commit to reducing your electricity consumption this summer, and get a credit on your bill:
How it works:
Your electric utility company will compare how much electricity you used this summer (from July 1 through September 30, 2007) to how much you used last summer (July 1 through September 30, 2006). If you’re able to reduce your usage by at least 10%, you earn a credit on your electric bill!What you can earn:
* Use at least 10% less electricity this summer and earn a credit equal to 10% percent of the billed generation charges for the eligibility period.
* Use at least 15% less electricity this summer and earn a credit equal to 15% percent of the billed generation charges for the eligibility period.
* Use at least 20% less electricity this summer and earn a credit equal to 20% percent of the billed generation charges for the eligibility period.How to take part:
There is no risk and no cost to you, but you must enroll to be eligible.Just call 1-877-WISE-USE to sign up or learn more.
Sounds great, no?
I take issue with the fact that it’s not automatic. You should be automatically eligible for the credit whether you signed up or not! If they bury this offer on a new website and require you to sign up to participate, they can pat themselves on the back and say they’re doing this for the ratepayers when in reality they aren’t doing shit.
I take issue with the fact that they just jacked our rates, and just asked to jack ‘em again in January! That’s total bullshit. Offer a measly credit and then raise rates again in the winter.
I think the credit sucks, but I’m signing up for it. In fact, I think everyone who is eligible should sign up and try to get the biggest possible credit. Spread the word, have your friends and family call 1-877-WISE-USE and sign up to participate. I’m guessing that they’re banking on low participation. It’s like the elusive “mail-in rebate” which is offered precisely because it gets consumers to mentally deduct the rebate amount from the price at the time of purchase, but 90% of the rebates are never redeemed. You can see why this is good for business.
So sign up and get your credit, but don’t rest! These energy company bastards are going to get all of their money (and then some) back starting in January if they have their way.
Thanks for a very informative post!
Of course, becoming more energy efficient is important, and we really do have to do it. I am glad that we have gotten the need for this so well accepted that it is something every elected official wants to be seen as supporting.
At the same time though, the fact that energy efficiency is such a softball political issue is reason the people trying to maintain the failed deregulation system used ‘conservation’ as their rhetorical alternative to the real reforms that would have lowered electric rates.
Of course, ‘conservation’ can mean either everyone buying efficient light bulbs or someone without a lot of money shivering in the dark because they cannot afford to use electricity. The anti-lower rates, pro-Wall Street profit side of the energy policy debate, frankly, did not seem bothered by the human cost of protecting higher rates and demanding less power usage.
Let us remember that one of the tactics Enron and others used to manipulate the California electric market was to constrict electric supply, using supply and demand to force up electric rates. They made a killing selling less electricity at a higher price. And that, sugar-coated with the rhetoric of ‘conservation’, is pretty much what the just-approved state energy legislation does to consumers in Connecticut.
In the end, rather than asking Wall Street to take a little less out of people’s pockets by lowering electric rates, the energy legislation that was approved, instead, unjustly threw the blame for high rates onto the consumers. As much as I want to promote energy efficiency, I think it is very unfair to tell consumers that Wall Street investors’ profits are protected ahead of their household budgets.
But, now, I fully expect that politicians who supported this bad energy legislation – like Gov. Rell – will try to cover for the damage they did to electric ratepayers by wrapping themselves around the softball issue of energy efficiency. I am glad Gov. Rell is using her title as governor to encourage people to be more energy efficient. I just wish she also used her actual powers as governor to ask Wall Street to take less profits so that Connecticut’s people could have lower electricity rates.
I couldn’t help but notice this disclaimer at the bottom of the “Summer Saver” web site for CL&P:
This program is funded through the Systems Benefit Charge (SBC) line item on customer bills.
Am I reading this right? The “credit” that the energy companies are offering for reducing summer electric use is paid for by a charge that all ratepayers pay??????
If so, that’s even more of a gimmick than I thought!!!! It’s not money coming from CL&P, it’s coming from all ratepayers in the form of an extra charge. BAH!
Yes Maura, you’re absolutely correct. The utility corporations have added a new charge to your bill SO YOU ARE PAYING FOR YOUR OWN “CREDIT.” There’s a cap on the amount you can get back, as well — whether it is $30 or $60, I can’t remember.
In short, the entire thing is a scam.