Save Money, Pick Your Electric Provider

Back in November we wrote a post about having a Home Energy Audit done on our home. It was free, fairly fast…and eye-opening. It revealed several “illegal points of entry” for cold air to come rampaging into our otherwise snug little abode, and once we got those little buggers sealed up our energy efficiency improved quite a bit. But, there is still room for improvement in our home’s energy usage.

A couple of weeks ago I got an email that piqued my interest. It explained that if you are currently a customer of Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P) or United Illuminating (UI), you are NOT obligated to keep them as your electricity provider and showed how to save money by switching to one of the many providers of wholesale electricity available to state residents. The one used in the example was Viridian Energy, a relative newcomer to the cast of companies providing electricity to Connecticut residents.

During my research into switching electric providers, I was surprised to learn that only about 16% of Connecticut residents have chosen an electric supplier. This was particularly surprising given the fact that CL&P and UI offer the most expensive electricity in the state at about 12.4 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh). Of the 40+ electric suppliers and aggregators currently available, none of them charges more than 12 cents per kWh, and Viridian Energy is the lowest at 9.79 cents per kWh. That’s about a 21% savings over CL&P and UI, which could mean a significant savings over time.

There’s Always a Catch…

There is one catch to this, though: if you live in Wallingford (as we do), you stuck with Wallingford Electric as your source of electricity. I mean that in a good way, though. Wallingford Electric has some of the lowest electric rates in the state, and is currently in their Winter billing cycle (from November to April) with rates at 9.63 cents per kWh for usage up to 700 kWh, and 9.4 cents per kWh for anything over that. During the Summer billing cycle the rates go up to 10.93 cents per kWh for the initial 700 kWh, and 11.6 cents per kWh for additional usage.

If you’re currently a customer of CL&P or UI, do yourself a favor and head over to the CT Energy Info web site and compare your current rates to what’s available through the other providers. There’s a ton of info there to help you make an intelligent decision and you just might end up saving a few bucks, too.

In these uncertain economic times, that’s a powerful incentive!

Post from: Wallingford Wired©2009 by Pat & Wayne Harriman

Save Money, Pick Your Electric Provider

This is the first in what will be a series of posts by experts in various fields related to real estate, such as home inspection, mortgages, and home improvement. This inaugural post is by Jim Quarello, founder of JRV Home Inspection Services in Wallingford, CT. Find out more about Jim and what he can offer on his web site.

Does Your Uncle Understand The Subtleties of Home Inspection?
By James Quarello – Connecticut Licensed Home Inspector

Usually about once a week I have someone call me inquiring about whether they need a home inspection. You see, their Uncle Bob, who was a ______ for 30 years, walked through the house and he said everything looks fine structurally. They trust and love their Uncle Bob and really are kind of uncertain about spending all that money on a home inspection. After all, buying a home is expensive and saving a few bucks can sure help.

Nonetheless, their Realtor said it was a good idea as well as their friends at work and so they’re calling to find out if they should have an inspection.

Now I like Uncle Bob too. He is often a smart, friendly guy who knows a lot of stuff, but he is not a trained and experienced professional who can recognize subtle problems.

Electrical deficiencies are often where many Uncle Bobs and some “professionals” are going to be weak. Working on electrical systems is best left to licensed electricians. Electricity can kill you if you don’t know what you’re doing!

Home inspectors during the course of the inspection will remove the cover from any electrical panels in the home to
view the wiring inside. Here are a couple of recent discoveries in homes where “professionals” wired these panels.

Both these panels are what would be called “sub-panels”. They look like main service panels (remember those subtleties), but are wired differently.

The first panel has two new circuits added as part of a complete remodel of the home.This is an older panel and wired with BX or metal sheathed cable. The new wires are romex (look inside the green box) or plastic sheathed cables. The arrow is pointing to one of the ground wires from these new cables. It is connected to the neutral terminal of the panel. This is wrong because the circuit is not grounded. This panel was rewired by the remodeling contractor, not an electrician.

The second panel is a completely new service installed in this home by another “professional”. The arrow is pointing to a jumper between the right and left terminal bars. It should have been removed. The left bar is the ground terminal. The green box is indicating the main ground wire. But even removing the bar does not entirely correct the problem. The ground wire must be in contact with the panel itself. A bonding jumper to the panel must be installed.

So do you think good ol’ Uncle Bob would have been alert to these problems? Is it worth the price of a home inspection to find out?

Post from: Wallingford Wired©2009 by Pat & Wayne Harriman

Does Your Uncle Understand The Subtleties of Home Inspection?

Back in December we reported about the price hike that Wallingford Electric was implementing to correct an “error in calculation”by CMEEC (Connecticut Municipal Electrical Energy Cooperative), the company they purchase their energy from. We were hoping that was the last increase we’d see for a while. It seems we were mistaken.

The New Increase

Faced with increased operating expenses and decreased demand for electricity, the Department of Public Utilities is hoping to raise electric rates by 2.5% in the coming year. If it’s approved, the average residential customer using 700 kilowatt hours of electricity would see an additional $2.50 added to their bill, making the average bill about $99.50. Department Director george Adair said the increases were necessary due to declines in sales during the past year that were causing revenues to be lower than expected. He attributed the drop in sales to a sluggish economy and the success of the department’s energy conservation efforts.

“A Double-Edged Sword”

Robert Beaumont, a member of the Public Utilities Commission, said the department’s energy conservation programs is a “double-edged sword”, since they help consumers decrease their energy consumption but also cause a drop in revenue that must be made up elsewhere. Richard Hendershot, General Manager of the Electric Division, said that they never told consumers that energy conservation would lower their rates, they said it would lower their consumption.

Well, isn’t that the one of the purposes of conserving energy, to lower your energy bill? We all want to save energy to help the environment and conserve our resources, but don’t most people first think of energy conservation as a means to save money in this economy? Don’t we use fluorescent light bulbs, programmable thermostats, home energy audits and Energy Star compliant appliances because of the potential savings on our electric bill? We know we do. We’re persuaded to think that lower consumption equals lower cost, so we follow all the energy-saving tips we can find to help put a few dollars back in our overtaxed wallets. Now the Electric Division is showing us the error in our math.

Other Utility Hikes

Also part of the budget proposal that contained the electric rate hike were hikes for Water and Sewer customers as well. Slated to begin June 1st, charges for water usage could rise from $2.66 to $2.88 per hundred cubic feet, while sewer rates would rise from $3.52 to $3.73, a quarterly increase of about $9.00.

Mayor William Dickinson has said that he has asked all departments to submit budgets that do not show an increase from the previous year, but the Department of Public Utilities couldn’t comply, citing salary and benefit increases and the previously mentioned “error in calculation” from CMEEC as primary causes. The budget still has to be approved by Dickinson and then go before the Town Council for approval before the rate hikes will take effect. We hope that they will see reason and ask for an amendment to the department’s budget before passing it.

Please feel free to weigh in with your opinion on this proposed rate hike in the comments.

Post from: Wallingford Wired©2009 by Pat & Wayne Harriman

Wallingford Electric Roller Coaster Ride Continues

Well, in a report from the “What comes down, must go up” file, the Wallingford Electric Division will be raising their rates, just 60 days after giving their winter rate decrease. The Public Utilities Commission voted unanimously to approve a clause that would allow it to adjust electric rates beyond its normal twice yearly recalculation process. The new rates will go into effect in February.

We reported here back in May when they raised the rates for the summer and then added another increase on top of it; then we reported here in October when they lowered rates for the winter season. Now, Wallingford Electric is deciding to pass on what they are calling an “error in calculation” by the company they buy their electricity from, CMEEC (Connecticut Municipal Electrical Energy Cooperative), to their customers in the form of a 9% increase. For the median residential customer who uses about 700 kWh of electricity a month at cost of $89.00, this will mean an additional $7.94 tacked on to their bill in 2009. And even though the rate hike won’t take effect until February, this delay is only because the PUC is using some of its reserve funds to accomplish it. The Commission says that consumers should keep in mind that, even with the rate increase, Wallingford Electric charges some of the lowest power rates in the state, and will continue to do so.

The Commission also wanted to point out that this increase is not going into their coffers, but is a “pass-thru” charge, necessitated by transmission and capacity charges generated by a number of new projects undertaken throughout the region by the New England Independent System Operator, or ISO-NE. And because ISO-NE has even more projects coming up, the PUC says that customers should “get used to the idea of further increases in their electric bills in the years to come”. That is contrary to what Commissioner George Adair indicated back in October when the winter rate decrease was announced. He stated then that he was cautiously optimistic that next summer’s peak energy cost would also be lower.

Wallingford Mayor William Dickinson isn’t happy about the situation, saying that in his opinion, the system is broken and favors the supplier to the detriment of the consumer. Mr. Mayor, we couldn’t agree more.

So, it will be interesting now to see if Commissioner Adair’s cautiously optimistic prediction regarding next summer’s electric rates will come to pass, or if the time of summer energy savings is a thing of the past.

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• Wallingford Electric Gives Winter Rate Decrease

Post from: Wallingford Wired©2009 by Pat & Wayne Harriman

Wallingford Electric Rates To Change…Again

We were getting our annual furnace check-up from Yankee Gas a couple of days ago and after telling us our furnace was good to go, the service tech said something in passing about getting a home energy audit. I had heard that these audits could be done, but I was under the impression that they were on the expensive side, and mentioned this to the tech. “Not at all,” he said, “they’re really cheap considering the potential savings in energy costs you can get.”

Did someone say savings in energy costs?? OK, that officially hooked me, since I’m all about saving money on whatever I can. So, I asked him where I could find out more and he said to just call Yankee Gas and they’d point me in the right direction, and I did just that.

They told me to go to their web site for more information, and I found some great info on the Home Energy Audit Program. Administered by Yankee Gas and Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P) and with assistance from the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund, the program provides a wealth of energy efficiency services. First, download the application in PDF format here , fill it out and mail it to the applicable address on the form or fax it to the appropriate number listed, depending on if you’re a customer of CL&P or United Illuminating (UI). They tell you that there may be a wait for the service (assuming you’re eligible for it at all; there are income restrictions) and it’s subject to availble funding, but it’s worth it to applt and see what they say.

Here’s a list of the services the technician will perform during the visit:

• A home energy assessment including a blower-door test which pinpoints critical drafts and air leaks. After they are found, the technician will professionally seal them during the visit.
• A duct test to assess air leaks within the duct work system. The technician will seal those significant leaks.
• Hot water saving measures including low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators will be installed.
• Rebates up to $600 for qualified central air conditioning systems and up to $400 for replacement of certain inefficient appliances with qualifying energy-efficient models.
• Incentives for insulation upgrades (gas and electric heated homes only)
• Installation of energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs. (not available for Wallingford electric customers)
• A “kitchen table wrap-up” where the technician will review the work that was done in your home and tell you about additional resources that can help you save energy and money.

The fee for this service is a paltry $75 for those who heat their homes with electricity or natural gas, $300 for any other type of fuel; however, for a limited time, the fee is reduced to $75 for customers who heat with oil, propane or kerosene. For more information on OPM programs available for oil, propane or kerosene heat users, including a furnace “Clean, Test & Tune service, please visit CTEnergyInfo.com. The fee is collected at the time the audit is performed.

So, for a measly $75, you can find out just how well your home uses the energy you pay so dearly for. Even the $300 fee would be a bargain if the savings realized are substantial. We sent in our application and will now wait to see if we qualify. In these hard economic times, any money saved is a good thing, so we recommend that you also consider applying for this valuable service. Plug the holes in your home, and you’ll plug some of those holes in your wallet.

UPDATE: Wallingford Electric customers can go to this web site to complete an energy profile for your home. You can choose to do a full profile which is very detailed, or an EZ Profile, which still asks a lot of questions, but is not as detailed as the full profile. It would be best to have all your electric and gas bills (if applicable) with you when you create your profile, as it asks for figures from those bills. The results, when complete, are also very detailed and include energy tips as well; the report can also be printed as a PDF document. We highly recommend our Wallingford readers complete this audit, especially if you cannot qualify for the Home Energy Audit. Stay warm this winter!

Post from: Wallingford Wired©2009 by Pat & Wayne Harriman

Is Your Home Energy Efficient?

Back in May, we reported here about the increase in electric rates that Wallingford Electric put in place to offset the higher cost of power during the heavy usage months of summer. But, as the old saying goes, “what goes up, must come down”, and Wallingford Electric is proving that the maxim holds true, even for electric rates.

The Public Utilities Commission voted Tuesday to approve a 2.8% decrease in winter power charges that will go into effect on November 1st and continue until the end of April 2009. What this means for a household that uses 870 kilowatt hours of electricity is that they will pay $96.58 this year for the same power they paid $99.34 last winter. I know, that’s not a huge savings, but at this point in the current economic storm that’s pounding the entire country, every little bit helps. It should also be noted that this should not be considered an official total until all the final numbers are in and total costs have been determined at the end of the month.

Usually, electric rates typically fall in the winter, then rise again in the summer to encourage energy conservation during peak periods. Even so, the costs usually balance out over the course of the year. You may pay more seasonally in the summer, but with the winter adjustments you end up paying about the same annually. Wallingford is blessed (thankfully!) with some of the lowest electric rates in New England, with the exception of some areas of Maine, and PUC Director George Adair is cautiously optimistic that next summer’s peak energy costs may also lower than usual. That would be something to look forward to.

So, mark your calendars for November 1st and watch for those extra $$$ to appear on your electric bill.

(And by the way, don’t forget the Fall Electronics Recycling event for Wallingford residents, coming up on Saturday the 25th at Lincoln Middle School in Meriden from 9am to 1pm. See blog post here.)

Post from: Wallingford Wired©2009 by Pat & Wayne Harriman

Wallingford Electric Gives Winter Rate Decrease

Wallingford residents are about to get a double jolt when two increases to their electric rates go into effect. The summer rate increase, made during May to October, will add $7.46 to your monthly bill. But, because of the rising costs of wholesale energy, the Public Utilities Commission has also approved an additional $11.41 increase to the bottom line. This amounts to an $18.87 increase to your monthly electric bill during the summer months. This total is for an “average” residential customer who uses 870 kilowatt hours of electricity. If you are good at conserving energy, you’ll see a smaller increase; if you run all your electric appliances full tilt all the time, your rates will jump accordingly.

According to the Wallingford Electric Division, the price they pay for wholesale power has increased from $37.6 million in 2004 to $62.1 million in 2008. The division buys its power from a Norwich-based co-op of municipal power companies.

I don’t know about you, but any time the price of something I can’t do without goes up, I get a little testy. The cost of gas has been headed north of $4.00 for some time with no end in sight, taking a lot of other things with it, like food, transportation, leisure activities, etc. I suppose it was only a matter of time before electric rates jumped on the bandwagon. The summer rate hike is only temporary, of course; it should be lowered again once the peak energy season is over in October. But I sure don’t have to like it.

So what do ya do to ease the pain? Here are a few tips to take the bite out of those increases:

1. Replace incandescent bulbs with compact flourescent ones. (Make sure you dispose of the fluorescent ones properly!)
2. If you ain’t using it, turn it off! This includes lights, TV, stereos, computers, appliances, transformers, chargers, AC, etc.
3. Take shorter showers. Heating water can be up to half of your electric bill!
4. Rinse dishes and do laundry in cold water.
5. Open your curtains on cold days to let the sunshine help heat the room; close them on hot days to keep heat out and help increase the efficiency of your AC.
6. Use ceiling fans correctly to draw cold air upwards through the room. (Cold air sinks, remember?)
7. Line dry your clothes when possible.
8. Use programmable thermostats. Set your thermostat to 78 degrees when you are home and 85 degrees or off when you are away.
9. Don’t open the fridge door too often, and fill up the fridge with food. Having lots of food in your fridge keeps it from warming up too fast when the door is open. So your fridge doesn’t have to work as hard to stay cool.
10. Lastly, if you’re looking for energy-saving investments, use ENERGY STAR® appliances and windows, install a whole house fan, increase attic insulation, consider using window shading, fix faulty weather stripping and caulking, or use a more efficient AC unit.

While these tips (and there are many more) won’t eliminate your energy drain, it could possibly lower it enough to where you can still enjoy the warm weather, and rate hikes be damned.

Post from: Wallingford Wired©2009 by Pat & Wayne Harriman

Wallingford Electric Customers Get Double Jolt