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

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