Judge backs rate hike for power misers

[thundley4]

Judge backs rate hike for power misers
Ruling says SDG&E’s plan follows state law

The California Public Utilities Commission is poised to approve a proposal by San Diego Gas & Electric Co. to raise rates by 5 percent for people who use the least electricity and lower them between 4 percent and 5 percent for people who use the most.

The rate proposal has been criticized by customers who say it would reward energy hogs while punishing misers. But a PUC administrative law judge considering the issue said yesterday the resulting rates would still promote conservation and were called for by a new law designed to bring rates in line with what it costs to produce power.

People using little power would continue with much lower bills than those who use a lot, the judge, Thomas Pulsifer, said in a proposed decision.

“We are sensitive to concern expressed over any rate changes,” he wrote, but he called the change “appropriate and consistent with the intent of the recently enacted legislation.”

Under the proposal, an inland SDG&E customer using 500 kilowatt-hours would see monthly bills go up $2.66 to about $75.41; a neighbor using twice as much power would see a decrease of $4 to about $230, but still would have a bill more than three times as expensive.

  Link

We had a similar thing here recently.  For several years the city has been pushing for water conservation, it worked too well.  Water department revenues dropped so much that they almost doubled the basic water rates.

[Chump]

But a PUC administrative law judge considering the issue said yesterday the resulting rates would still promote conservation...

Making people pay higher rates for conserving energy will promote conservation?  What planet is this guy from?   

[Lacarnut]

Seems ass backwards to me but we are talking about CA here. 

[bkg]

So much for Equal protection... yet again. Full-on price controls are going to be here very, very soon.

[Baruch Menachem]

If you are the type who manages a house on 500kw or less, you probably conserve more by tree hugging choice rather than really being that weird about money. 

I was reading somewhere that scientists have figured out how to make LED lights for about 10% of the current price.  Those things are wonderful.  And when they come on line, just watch the Electric cos whine

[Chris_]

I was reading somewhere that scientists have figured out how to make LED lights for about 10% of the current price.  Those things are wonderful.  And when they come on line, just watch the Electric cos whine

We will likely need them to offset (in small part) the fact that Cap & Trade is going to quadruple our electric costs over the next decade......

doc

[Ralph Wiggum]

  Link

We had a similar thing here recently.  For several years the city has been pushing for water conservation, it worked too well.  Water department revenues dropped so much that they almost doubled the basic water rates.

That was one of my favorite things about living in Chicago proper.  You didn't pay for water/trash based on usage, just on the square footage of your property.  One of the few reasonable things about living there.

[thundley4]

That was one of my favorite things about living in Chicago proper.  You didn't pay for water/trash based on usage, just on the square footage of your property.  One of the few reasonable things about living there.

Does that mean that one person living in a huge house alone would pay more than a family of ten crammed into a small two bedroom house?

[Ralph Wiggum]

Does that mean that one person living in a huge house alone would pay more than a family of ten crammed into a small two bedroom house?

Yep.

[thundley4]

Yep.

And you thought that was good thing?

[Ralph Wiggum]

And you thought that was good thing?

We paid about $40 a month, and could use all the water we wanted.  I have no problem with it.

[bkg]

Was just thinking about this. Since it's all conserve/conserve/conserve... but when you do that, it's bad?

Use too much - punished.
Use too little - punished.

WTF??

[Chris_]

Was just thinking about this. Since it's all conserve/conserve/conserve... but when you do that, it's bad?

Use too much - punished.
Use too little - punished.

WTF??

It's Kalifornia.....everything is bad except for illegal immigrants.......

doc

[MrsSmith]

Was just thinking about this. Since it's all conserve/conserve/conserve... but when you do that, it's bad?

Use too much - punished.
Use too little - punished.

WTF??

This is why many energy companies back green legislation...they stand to make a lot of money.

[vesta111]

Some time in the 1980's in Virginia.

Family built a home of the future, they erected wind mills and used solar power. They had a deep well and big septic tank.

They were self sufficient with a pellet stove for heat and other ways to go green.

One day they noticed the power company running lines from a just put up poll to their home.

They were told that there is a law that all occupied homes have access to power.

OK, no problem until they received a $1,250 bill for the pole and the lines run that did not connect up to anything.

Then they find they have to pay a service charge every month just to keep the non-used electicity used ready to vamp up at a later date.

We have become a country that punishes those who are resourcefull enough to find a way not to pay into big industry, So much for living in a cabin on a lake way into the woods.   

SHHHHH whats that noise, oh no it is the power company putting in poles we have had no need for in the last 45 years.