Posted on 04/28/2011 1:28:49 PM PDT by cableguymn
I got my first natural gas bill from center point energy today. My last location had a different gas provider that did not care how much gas you used as long as you paid for it.
Well Center point has gone green and they have found a way to FORCE me to go green, or at least pay 4 times the amount for the gas to heat my business. The rate per "therm" is based on useage. 0-30 therm, 30-50 therm, 50-100 therm, 100-500 and 500+
Heres the kicker, at the low 101+ therm the rate is 4 times the amount of the 0-30 therm rate, the 500+ rate is 6 times as much!
This made the bill for my 1200 sqft shop 145 dollars for the month. My home, at 1400 sqft on a different providers lines was 38 dollars. Oddy, both locations used roughly the same therm units.
I called and asked them if they liked making money off their product. Of course they did. I asked if using more gas to keep my business at a temperature capable of maintaining the comfort of not only my customers but my live stock should cost me 4 times as much even though the cost to transport and produce the "therm" has not changed.
Their reply "sir, use less gas" My reply, no problem! Propane can be delivered and I can switch to electric heat as that bill goes DOWN as my use goes up. Plus it's provided by a clean nuclear power plant. The service rep's head must of exploded at that point.
When questioned about the delivery fee tacked on (does natural gas come on a truck?) and the affordable energy fee (affordable for WHO?) she was clueless as well.
Is it for everywhere.
My business is in Minneapolis MN. It does seem that this plan is everywhere centerpoint is in Minnesota.
“affordable energy fee”??
Is that something that is used to subsidize “poor” consumers?
“affordable energy fee”??
Is that something that is used to subsidize “poor” consumers?
That would be my guess. it sure as hell is not affordable to me. I am doing the math on the cost of switching to electric or propane heat. If possible, I am going to disconnect the gas in protest of this lame attempt to go green (in their wallet)
Some companies are saying that in honor of arbor day, they’ll plant a tree for every customer that enrolls in paperless billing. Wonder how much that’ll cost them in the end, if people were to sign up for that service for a couple of months and then de-enroll. Certainly, an envelope and stamp would be cheaper and it might make a point.
Sounds like what they do to us here in California for electricity.
Anything over about 560 kilowatt hours a month puts you into tier 4 with California’s PG&E. Tier 4 is just over $0.40 per kilowatt hour. Tier 5 was recently lowered from over 49 cents per kwh to be the same as tier 4.
It made going solar actually make sense at my house. Our PG&E bill went down from over $700 per month to under $100 per month as a result of installing an 8.1 Kilowatt grid tied solar system.
You better make sure it doesn't get cold there anymore...
Solar is something I have looked at. I can build my own panels and might do that to run the lighting in my shop.
Here in southwest Florida, LCEC has been charging an increased rate on usage as long as I’ve been a customer. First 500 at the “standard” rate, next 500 at a higher rate and above 1,000 at the highest rate. My home is 2500 sq ft and I keep lanai doors open. I only use A/C at the hottest times of the day in the hottest months and still get hammered.
CC
Drill, baby, drill, but we have the eco-freaks, the ones that get subsidized housing and heating, picketing to get the gummint to stop those evil drillers.
They have a monopoly, and if you actually use their product you are charged in geometric proportions to the amount you use!
Talk about obscene profits! They put Big Oil to shame.
They must be friends of Barry to get such a deal, and make no political contributions to Republicans. That's a no-no.
BTW, the way to fix it is to get a like minded group together and find the best way to lobby your state Public Utilities Commission.
They’re the ones who allowed this travesty.
Maybe you should contact your state senator.
The government has screwed up the power energy business so bad, it is laughable. Energy is the only business in the world where if you buy more volume, the price goes up. Any other business that tried that would eventually be run out of town. This is progressive stupidity at its finest.
Maybe you should contact your state senator.
Thanks for the link, my googling did not produce that. Contacted them, they are already for ending the tier pricing. Dayton will likely veto it though from what I was told.
You moved your business to a new location without considering the cost of operating the business in the new location?
I’ve had electric heat for the past 10 years. Everyone says, “that’s so expensive.” It’s funny, since the bill has gone up, but is still under $100/month, including the cost of hot water and all the other electricity I use. Natural gas bills seem to keep going up and up.
It is just the opposite here on the Texas coast. The gas bill is under $40. and the electric bill in summer exceeds $400. Air conditioning is the reason for that.
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