PEPCO rates to rise 39% this summer

[LiberalEsto]

according to the Washington Post.
Funny, our income hasn't gone up 39%.

[seemunkee]

1. Was discussing this with an economist friend this weekend

He was asked to testify on the BGE merger and asked them what was the point? Ehrlich has stacked the process to the point that he didn't see any reason to bother trying to protest it.

[LiberalEsto]

2. It SHOULD be a campaign issue

Unfortunately Maryland Democrats supported deregulation, and I doubt they will make more than a token effort to fight this increase.

What the heck, everything else has gone up in price since B*sh became president -- gasoline, natural gas, insurance, property taxes, college tuition, housing costs, health care, prescriptions and so much more. If their goal is to wipe out the middle class and further impoverish the poor, the rethugs are definitely gaining ground.

[aintitfunny]

3. BGE's increase was higher

reported to be 40 to 80% increase, with the average annual increase to be around $750.00. Lovely, and on top of the 50% or so increase in natural gas. WIth all the price hikes my monthly expenses have increased about $600.00 in total. You are right, income is not keeping pace, maybe even lagging for those of us running small businesses.

[dcfirefighter]

4. Devil's Advocate: No better way to conserve

That being said, I think there should be a universal energy credit for maryland residents, paid for by taxes on fossil fuel use. E.G. $X / Ton Carbon Fuel Tax => $Y per person fuel credit. Energy would be more expenive, but people would have more money to pay the bill; people would have a financial incentive to conserve, and a financial means to pay for conservation activities.

[many a good man]

5. Green energy plan rates announced; prices doubled in last 4 years

Three or four years ago I signed up for PEPCO's 100% Green Energy plan. At first it was less one cent more expensive than the normal plan at just under six cents per kWh. Last year it was 7.35 cents/kWh.

The new price starting in April is 11.43 cents/kWh !

I'm curious to hear what customers for regular service are paying. I'm in Montgo.

[LiberalEsto]

6. I'm in MoCo too

Pepco is currently charging us 6.47 cents per kwh, up from 6.13 in January 2005. This is for regular service.

The woman I work for signed up with Pepco Energy Resources (at least I think that was the name) right before deregulation was approved in Maryland, thinking she'd get in ahead of the crowd.

Her rates skyrocketed beyond belief.

All anyone has to do is look at what happened in California when deregulation allowed Enron and its counterparts to do whatever they wanted. Deregulation is the corporate translation of the phrase "license to steal."

[dcfirefighter]

7. "Deregulation" isn't descriptive enough

But, in the energy markets, there are a lot of potential monopolies that generally need regulation:
You've got the distribution monopoly (which is usually still regulated)
and the fuel monopolies (Crude Oil and Coal don't act like other 'unregulated' commodities - Price increases don't spur produciton increases).