Energy Usage

[Gerry Clinchy]

A friend who works for PP&L was telling me of legislation passed here in PA (maybe Jeff has more info on this) ... which would legislate decreases in electric usage by a certain percentage within a certain period of time. For example, that in 20?? the utility would need to show that it had decreased usage by X%.

The problem would be how can the utility company do that to avoid being fined for failing to meet the requirements of the regulation. Many utility companies have installed "smart meters". They no longer have to send a fellow out to read your meter. The meter transmits the information directly back to the utility electronically.

Thus, if the utility is falling short of decreasing usage as required by the law, they can use the meter feedback to see who is being an "energy hog", and simply cut off the power to that consumer periodically to "decrease usage."

Except for raising prices to curtail consumption, the utility company (or companies) don't have much control over millions of consumers. There are some programs available to help with the costs of improving your energy usage, mostly related to heating costs.

With our local utility, PP&L, due to increase rates about 30% in 2010, I suppose that many people will be more conscious of their electric usage. It will be a double whammy for the consumers who have already been hit with higher costs for heating with gas and oil. For those of us who have electric heat in our homes, it's one giant whammy all at once. Pellet stoves are becoming a big topic of conversation :-) Seems ironic that here we sit in the 21st century & we're not talking about hi-tech solutions ... we're talking about going back to heating with wood products just like they did two centuries ago! Oops ... what about those nasty carbon emissions?

If more people become unable to pay their electric bills, where does that leave the utility company? Maybe utility companies will be the next industry to need a bailout?

[Patrick Johndrow]

Energy usage in this country will never be resolved because most American are very child like in there approach…when it is expensive i.e. $4 per gallon…everyone want an energy policy…when it goes back below $2 no one wants to do anything…like I said…very child like.

Utilities shouldn’t need to be bailed out…we as rate payers are paying for it…WE pay for the fines the utility companies incur as well.

[Terry Britton]

I believe the extremists want us all living in caves and tents.

[M Remington]

I believe the extremists want us all living in caves and tents.


The far right and far left want us living in caves and tents?

[badbullgator]

The far right and far left want us living in caves and tents?


No marx, we on the right only bomb people in tents...now if the left all lived in tents.........

[twall]

This does not surprise me at all. And, I think it is just the tip of the iceberg if congress continues to give him enough support.

MY wife gives me a hard time for being a "green weenie." My desire to reduce energy consumption is purely economic and for self-preservation. I use CFL's where ever possible. This past fall we bought a corn stove. It does not supply all of our heat but has cut our heating costs in half. While the stove does require some electricity it is much less than out natural gas forced-air furnace. We can run the stove on a small generator if our power goes out, or is shut off.

If my wife would agree I would move out in the country on enough land to be self-sufficient. Not to get closer to earth but to get further from our government. Most of Ohio has the potential for oil and gas wells. There is wind power potential. And, every training pond would have a small hydroelectric generator on it.

Very few of our elected officials have any interest in protecting us or our constitution. At this rate our country will be unrecognizable by the end of Chairman Obama's presidency.

Tom

[YardleyLabs]

A friend who works for PP&L was telling me of legislation passed here in PA (maybe Jeff has more info on this) ... which would legislate decreases in electric usage by a certain percentage within a certain period of time. For example, that in 20?? the utility would need to show that it had decreased usage by X%.

The problem would be how can the utility company do that to avoid being fined for failing to meet the requirements of the regulation. Many utility companies have installed "smart meters". They no longer have to send a fellow out to read your meter. The meter transmits the information directly back to the utility electronically.

Thus, if the utility is falling short of decreasing usage as required by the law, they can use the meter feedback to see who is being an "energy hog", and simply cut off the power to that consumer periodically to "decrease usage."

Except for raising prices to curtail consumption, the utility company (or companies) don't have much control over millions of consumers. There are some programs available to help with the costs of improving your energy usage, mostly related to heating costs.

With our local utility, PP&L, due to increase rates about 30% in 2010, I suppose that many people will be more conscious of their electric usage. It will be a double whammy for the consumers who have already been hit with higher costs for heating with gas and oil. For those of us who have electric heat in our homes, it's one giant whammy all at once. Pellet stoves are becoming a big topic of conversation :-) Seems ironic that here we sit in the 21st century & we're not talking about hi-tech solutions ... we're talking about going back to heating with wood products just like they did two centuries ago! Oops ... what about those nasty carbon emissions?

If more people become unable to pay their electric bills, where does that leave the utility company? Maybe utility companies will be the next industry to need a bailout?

I'm not sure what program you might be talking about. PA has mandatory energy efficiency standards for new construction and has an aggressive program for reducing state government use of energy. There are also a number of grant programs to support energy audits and energy conservation improvements. I am not aware of proposals to mandate that utilities impose energy usage reductions on their customers (Doesn't mean they're not there, just that I am not aware of them.).

My church installed solar panels and has reduced energy use by the majority of our $12000/year bill. We won't know the actual savings until the panels have been in place for a full year, but they seem much greater than our original estimates.