Electricity prices see biggest jump in 25 years

[Lone_Star_Dem]

Source: CNNMoney

The East sees largest price jumps, as price caps were lifted in many markets in 2006.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The average retail price of electricity increased by more than 9 percent last year, the largest jump in 25 years, the government said Monday.

Electricity prices rose in 2006 by 10 percent or more in 14 states and the District of Columbia, according to an annual report released by the Energy Department's Energy Information Administration. The average price increase was the largest since 1981.

Prices rose nationwide but most of the larger jumps were in the East, mainly due to the lifting of retail electricity price caps in states transitioning to competitive retail markets. That means consumers paid more from previous cost increases that had not been completely reflected while the caps were in place, according to the EIA.

Households that use electricity are expected to pay $32, or 4 percent, more this winter, with the price of power climbing 2 percent to 10.3 cents per kilowatt-hour, the EIA predicted earlier this month. Thirty percent of U.S. households are heated by electricity.

Read more: http://money.cnn.com/2007/10/22/news/economy/electricity.ap/index.htm?postversion=2007102214

[Tyler Durden]

1. Heeeeeeere we go!

BOY that deregulation is GREAT!!!

[Lorien]

6. My friend in Glendale, CA is still paying over $900.00 each month

for her electric bill, and she doesn't use AC or heat the house! She has eco friendly bulbs in all the fixtures, she unplugs unused items, and her home is somewhere around 2,500 sq. feet. She's had auditors and electricians come out and they can't find anything that's a real drain on electricity. Her neighbor spends over $1,300.00 a month for electricity. Californians gets screwed because the utilities can get away with it.It's insane.

[Tyler Durden]

10. One of the few GOOD things about Michigan lately.

Haven't had an electric bill over $150 in 2 years. I'm not gloating here; I'm sorry you guys are getting screwed.

[kestrel91316]

16. I am in the City of Los Angeles, until this past weekend was in a little old

1940s house with miimal insulation. Except for summer when I had to run the AC, my electric bills routinely dropped below $50 a month. 2-BR, 1-BA house with spare room (office). In the summer it hit $150 a month a few times.

I live alone, live fairly simply, and set the thermostat at 85 during the day. Most nights I never needed AC, just opened all the windows wide. I know, I know, this is COMPLETELY IMPOSSIBLE for everyone else on earth. So the price is $900-1200 electric bills.

I just moved into an all-electric apartment with an electric water heater (all mine, no cold showers, yay). I am extatic about the large north-facing windows in the BR and LR, and the little DR window, and the bathroom skylight. I rarely need to turn on the lights at all before dark. I'm betting I can get the bill under $30 during the months when I need neither heat nor AC.....

[arikara]

17. That's outrageous...

It would be cheaper for her to use a generator. We're looking in to one that once it gets running supplies its own power.

We have a lot of outages here in the winter, last year December bill was only $12 as the power was out for nearly 3 weeks. Thankfully we heat with a wood stove and keep lots of lanterns and batteries on hand. I really don't mind when it goes out, its so quiet and peaceful.

[shanti]

23. wow, unbelievable!

i just paid my september electric bill and it was $56 and my home is all-electric! i live in (northern) cali, but my home is only 979 sf. before i replaced the furnace (ac and heater), it was around $100. i can't even imagine bills of the magnitude you report!

[Gman]

2. But, but the TV commercials said energy would be cheaper from competition

you mean they lied to us? How can it be on TV and be a lie?

[dkofos]

7. Yes Gman, they lied to you again.

[Gman]

12. OMG! Say it ain't so!

[dkofos]

15. I wish I could, but when the news media can lie to you, and politicians

can lie to you, do you expect the corporations to tell the truth??

[bluerum]

22. Awright - "it ain's so". BTW, how is them tax cutz workin out fo ye?

[PunkPop]

3. Let's see:

1. Electricity prices UP

2. College costs way UP

3. Gasoline prices way UP

4. Property taxes UP

5. Heating Oil (expected to be) UP

6. Food prices UP

7. Budget deficit UP

8. Dollar DOWN

I know Republicans. They're my neighbors and coworkers. I deal with them everyday. I don't want to hate them but goddamn, what a bunch of stupid gullible motherfuckers. "Don't want them Democrats in power, they'll raise your taxes!". Stupid, stupid motherfuckers.

[RawMaterials]

4. NO Inflation they say?

Just don't count food and energy they are too volatile

[onehandle]

5. They'd rather pay Bush's cronies directly instead of through their taxes.

But the joke's on them. Thy pay Bush's cronies directly and through taxes.

Idiots.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

11. I ran into one of those "Democrats will raise taxes" types last week.

I told them someone had to since right now we're looking at a $9 trillion in national debt, and a falling dollar that's going to make it really hard to sell our debt off in the future. All thanks to this admins irresponsible spending, their tax cuts for the wealthy and their continued lack of concern for the working class of America.

[Baby Snooks]

20. "Well, the Democrats have controlled Congress for 10 months..."

"Well, the Democrats have controlled Congress for 10 months so don't blame the Republicans." What a Republican responded with to my comment the other day about how we are in a recession despite Bush constantly talking about the booming economy. She didn't deny we were in a recession. She just blamed it on the Democrats.

That's about all the Republicans seem able to do. Blame the Democrats. They controlled Congress for 12 years and have had Bush in office for 7 years. But the Democrats of course are to blame for everything.

[dkofos]

8. 10.3 cents /kwh what a bargain. I am paying .15-.16/kwh in Tx.

[PunkPop]

9. We are getting screwed.

Unless you live in Austin where the electricity company is still municipal. But that's practically communism ya know. Can't have that! Let's pay out the ass the deregulated, Republican way!

[dkofos]

13. My brother in Washington state pays .05/kwh. I may join him.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

18. My daughter is paying .14 and I thought that was insane.

I'm paying between .09-.10, but I do have to pay a monthly access fee of $15 no matter how much I use.

[kestrel91316]

14. ......but there's no inflation in the cost of living.......... RIIIIGHT.

[Javaman]

19. But in 2007 adjusted numbers...

blah blah blah. It's still fucking expensive. I don't care about what the fucking price was back in 1981!!! my pocket book hurts now!

damn, I just so loath and hate those pricks that flout those screwy ass fucking adjusted for inflation bullshit.

yeah, it was more expensive in 1981, but in 1981, I had cost of living raises, we didn't have an money pit of a war sucking my tax dollars dry, we didn't have a fucking housing bubble killing the economy like death by a thousand cuts, etc fucking etc!!!

We are fucked by an oil bastard* in the white house!! I mean, jesus isn't just fucking blatantly obvious? Damn it to hell, some people just need a friggin engraved bronze plaque before they get the damn message.

:banghead:

[pattmarty]

21. Fuck this free market shit.

[Thor_MN]

24. "competitive retail markets", my ass.

How many people actually have a choice of electric utlities? I have never lived in a location where one had a choice of electric, phone, gas, water or cable companies. Granted, you can now choose satelite TV or internet phone, but there never has been a choice of companies for the above utilities. No choice means no competition means monopoly means they charge whatever they want, and tack on fees for sealing the envelope for your bill.

Free market? Bite me.