Quote:
Originally Posted by timun
I'd start with publishing delivery charges, rate riders, etc. on everyone's bills. We show the math for the energy charges: we should show it for everything else.
With respect to pushback in rate proceedings: in my experience the average consumer doesn't even know the AUC exists, let alone what they do and that they have rate proceedings in the first place. Hence the anger at the situation: they have no idea what the charges on their bills are, just that they're there and it doesn't seem to matter how much energy one uses, and they feel they're getting ####ed one way or another.
|
Having worked at a utility for a dozen years myself I can fully support this. I can’t count the number of times people came at me with the discussion around their gas costs were only $20 this month but the delivery charges were $80, it’s such a ripoff. I’d calmly explain they are paying for billions of dollars of infrastructure that extend back from their house all the way to the wellhead basically. Then, and since this conversation often took place at the golf course I’d ask them what their new driver cost. Often it was nearly $500, and I’d ask them how much actual raw material is in that driver, we’d probably agree at most it’s $50 bucks, The rest is to pay for the advertising, the factory, the r and D costs, and obscene profits, etc, the difference is you don’t get an itemized bill for it.
Understanding utilities isn’t that hard, but most people don’t take the time to.