Free Republic

DENVER — Xcel Energy customers are sweating the possibility of another rate hike. They're making their opposition known to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) as the agency considers a $45 million electric rate increase. “They make more than enough money. They don’t need to gouge their customers any further,” said Loren Meaux, an Xcel customer, in a public comment hearing Tuesday. Xcel originally filed for a $312 million increase to pay for investments in transmission projects and its commitment to meet Colorado greenhouse gas emissions goals. After negotiations with state regulators and consumer advocates, the company dropped the increase to...

MANCHESTER, N.H. — New Hampshire officials are warning residents to prepare for higher utility bills, with electricity rates expected to rise this year and one utility proposing more than a 100% increase. According to the Office of the Consumer Advocate, several factors are at work in driving up energy costs. One is that New England heavily relies on natural gas, which means our electric bills in the region are tethered to the global market, which has been shaken by the war in Ukraine. "Unfortunately, I have to deliver the bad news that consumers can expect some pretty drastic increases in...

European energy prices might be at record levels, but there is still room for prices to run... Of course, natural gas prices are soaring everywhere—not just in Europe. The U.S. benchmark price for natural gas has nearly doubled over the last year, ... U.S. gas exports are soaring more, hitting all-time records. ... Germany is battling the highest inflation since 2008, thanks to higher energy prices. Typically, demand for natural gas this time of year is still low. Today’s high prices, at a time when demand is typically low, are worrisome for Europe, which is now looking at a difficult...

Gee, that sounds like a dumb question, right?  After all, what Governor Jerry Brown did as one of his parting reminders is very clear. On September 10, 2018, he signed into law that power production by renewables be increased from the current 29.7% to 50% by 2026; 60% by 2030; and 100% by 2045.  He could not be satisfied that his bullet train to nowhere was actually going nowhere and would cost $77 billion, so he had to come up with some other more radically dumb idea. According to a November 2016 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, titled "Capital...

An unexpected drop in U.S. electricity consumption has utility companies worried that the trend isn't a byproduct of the economic downturn, and could reflect a permanent shift in consumption that will require sweeping change in their industry. Numbers are trickling in from several large utilities that show shrinking power use by households and businesses in pockets across the country. Utilities have long counted on sales growth of 1% to 2% annually in the U.S., and they created complex operating and expansion plans to meet the needs of a growing population. "We're in a period where growth is going to be...

EAST AMWELL, New Jersey (Reuters) - Michael Strizki heats and cools his house year-round and runs a full range of appliances including such power-guzzlers as a hot tub and a wide-screen TV without paying a penny in utility bills. His conventional-looking family home in the pinewoods of western New Jersey is the first in the United States to show that a combination of solar and hydrogen power can generate all the electricity needed for a home. The Hopewell Project, named for a nearby town, comes at a time of increasing concern over U.S. energy security and worries over the effects...