IS IT TRUE? February 27, 2012
IS IT TRUE that it was reported last week that the winter of 2012 has thus far been one for the record books?…this record is for a winter where the snow never came and the temperatures have been overall a bit higher than what we normally get?…that in spite of such things the three people that we are closest to and ourselves reported record high Vectren bills in the month of January?…that maybe the warmer winter made us all inch that dial up a few degrees to keep from shivering indoors as had become the mode of operation for the immediate few years?
IS IT TRUE that SW Indiana has had unexpected positive surprises with the weather in the past?…that there was a winter about 10 years ago that had nearly no snow and lots of pleasant days?…that as this writer recalls that one was followed by a doozy with a 24 inch snow before Christmas and a pond that stayed frozen for months?…that there was a summer of 2007 or 2008 where it was so temperate that people were able to turn their air conditioning off to the point that it sent shock waves into Vectren?…that the use of electricity that summer was about 10% below normal and expected use?…that the temperate weather enabled us all to save money on our electric bill and conserve energy as we had been admonished to do since childhood?…that as summers go that is one of the best in the memory bank for weather in SW Indiana?
IS IT TRUE that following that wonderful summer Vectren’s accountants put forth the news that their top line was so adversely effected that they would be needing a rate increase to make up for our energy conserving ways?…that the Indiana Utilities Regulatory Commission rolled a seven for Vectren and granted them the increase so that their top line was not hurt by the good weather?…that the next summer was hot and sweaty and people turned their AC back on only to learn that record bills were the result of the rate increase?…that we do not recall a request for a rate decrease following that year of record heat and record bills?…that we really hope that Vectren does not pull the “guarantee my top line†argument out again to request another rate increase based on our once a decade nice winter?
IS IT TRUE that things like that are reminiscent of the game of flipping coins where the bully on the playground would set the rules of the game with an iron fist?…that the rule of the bully was “HEADS I WIN, TAILS YOU LOSEâ€?…that there are so many things where that rule or the accompanying rules “MIGHT MAKES RIGHTâ€, and “HE WHO HAS THE GOLD MAKES THE RULES†seem to beat everyday people to a pulp?…that the CCO hopes that this year’s good weather will not become a reason to increase utility rates and that decoupling that we supposedly have at least for gas will do what has been advertised as one of its benefits to ratepayers?
IS IT TRUE that today is the day that the Indiana Senate will begin discussions on a statewide smoking ban?…that the state Senate would be well advised to study each and every constitutional challenge that has been upheld for “arbitrary and capricious†exemptions?…that the piece of junk that the State of Indiana came up with last year had so many exemptions that even the American Cancer Society rejected it?…that passing something that has loads of “arbitrary and capricious†exemptions will just cause unnecessary legal expense that the people of Indiana will have to pay?…that if Indiana is to have a smoking ban let it be a good one that is not “arbitrary or capricious†in its granting of exemptions?
Hey , it’s the free market!! (for them) Us poor folk just keep paying out the ——-!!!
On all my Vectren bills this winter, it is the electric portion that causes the terribly high total figure to be paid.
Vectren is now promoting a free home energy inspection to see how its customers can “save money”. I can tell them how but they would not like it. In fact, we have had a home energy audit and even a blower door test at our own expense and followed through as the tests indicated. We still pay out the whazoo for our electricity.
It is interesting that a couple of years ago our bill was still very high when we lived part time out of town and were not here four out of the seven days in a week to use energy.
Wish I could speak to the state if I ran short of money and they would magically hand me a few million to help make up for my shortage.
Vectren uses coal to generate electricity that is sold to us. Vectren’s owns coal mines. Vectren buys coal from its own mines to use to generate electricity. Vectren pays itself 50 % more for the coal they burn for generating electricity that they sell to us. The high coal purchase cost is automatically passed on to you. There is no government approval required for the high coal prices Vectren pays itself. That is one big reason we are paying out the whazoo for our electricity. High electrical cost is a major deterrent in attracting new businesses to Evansville. Vectren’s electrical rate is the highest in the State.
Goldentoe, this is why we need to step up and create our own Evansville Power and Light. At EPL, we will only charge the customers our COST for the coal, not a 50% premium like Vectren–so they can pay million dollar salaries and dividends. Hey folks, if Henderson, KY can pull this off . . . why can’t we ?
because Henderson already owns the infrastructure to bring electricity to your house. It would take many millions of dollars to duplicate what Vectren already has. And you’d be over half a billion to build a power plant to burn that coal you want touse, providing you could get it permitted at all.
Think Revenue Bond, City of Evansville. No mark up on that infrastructure !
then you have to deal with easements and right of ways that Vectren owns. Why do you think all the cable and telephone companies rent pole space from Vectren?
It seems to me that a while back someone wrote on this subject that Vectren really only wants to be paid for use of their infrastructure and would be happy to get out of the gas and coal business. If true, then why not “rent” the infrastructure and buy the electricity from a less expensive source than Vectren. Would Duke energy and its wind mills help? What about natural gas sources?
What Vectren meant by that was complete decoupling which is good for them as they have insulation from market forces but bad for us when the market goes high like it inevitably does. More importantly when consumers are decoupled from commodity prices they lose all incentive to adopt good energy policy within the home.
the cost to use and maintain the infrastructure has been estimated at about 75% of your electric bill during the decoupling part of the last rate hike hearings, which is a big reason it didn’t happen. And as a Vectren customer you also get electricity from natural gas powered turbines, windmills located in northern Indiana, and a methane powered generator near Oakland City, in addition to the coal fired power plants in Warrick and Posey counties.
The other Vectren sources of electricity (natural gas turbines,windmills, methane) are very small compared to what is genereated from coal.
They are, mostly because coal is still the cheapest
The A. B. Brown Generating Station is a four-unit, 700-MW power generating facility, located on the northern bank of Ohio river, 8 miles east of Mount Vernon, Indiana and 5 miles southwest of Evansville, Indiana just west of the Posey-Vanderburgh County Line.
Each of the two coal-fired units has a name-plate capacity of 265.2 MW. Bituminous coal is used as a primary fuel type, which can be substituted for natural gas.
There are also two gas turbine units, 88.2 MWe of nameplate capacity each.
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Henry, Evansville Power & Light will have the political power to void the Vectren easements as not being in the best interests of the public, or we could just bury the wire. There may actually be some pretty good buys to acquire transmission lines in the Vectren foreclosure proceedings !
You Go Leo!!!!!
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