Showing posts with label FirstEnergy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FirstEnergy. Show all posts
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Common sense victory: FirstEnergy puts disastrous bulb program on hold. Just what were they thinking to begin with? http://ping.fm/BTZFD
ON HOLD: The 300% Markup
(this post updates one published earlier this afternoon)
Remember the good ol' days when a light bulb above the head meant someone had a good idea?
One has to wonder how that all changed in the executive offices at Akron-based FirstEnergy when it came to their program to unload millions of compact fluorescent light bulbs on consumers in what has to be one of the most expensive flip-a-switch programs of all time.
Breaking it down, the utility planned to "give" households across northeast Ohio a pair of the twisty bulbs to save energy. Unlike other power companies -- included next-door utility neighbor American Electric Power and fellow midwest utility XCEL Energy in Minnesota -- this program wasn't offering cost-saving coupons to spur us to buy more expensive bulbs to save power. FirstEnergy planned to have people going door-to-door carrying gift bags with bulbs and brochures extolling the virtues of the less-costly lights.
Except these really aren't less costly, at least not to you and me.
AEP's program -- ranging across multiple states -- offers a markdown program in partnership with bulb manufacturer and retailers, essentially allowing ratepayers to get the bulbs at a discount. Since they started the program in May, more than 700,000 have taken advantage of the discounts.
The bulbs -- which FirstEnergy admits cost them $3.50 apiece -- were to be paid for by consumers whether we want them or not, and instead of paying $7.00 for the pair we would be charged the equivalent of more than $21.00 over a three year period. The utility was tacking on the charge as a 60-cent add-on to your utility bill. A month. Over three years.
Did the Akron folks miss out on a utility conference where others shared?
Never mind you didn't get asked whether you want the light bulb.
Never mind if you are in the minority of people who reportedly get migraine headaches from the compact bulbs.
Never mind if it galls you to pay for bulbs you may or may not use.
Not only do you not have a choice on whether you are getting the bulbs, you don't have a choice on paying for them, either.
FirstEnergy's Mark Durbin earlier today told AkronNewsNow's Tina Kaufmann the utility was moving ahead with the program Monday regardless of what the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio said. Governor Strickland's objection to the contrary, they'd already made arrangements to hand-deliver millions of these bulbs to the doorsteps of people who didn't want to pay for something they didn't order -- whether it was subject to a 300% markup or not.
It would be on the bill; you have to pay it.
Less than an hour later, Durbin called back to tell us the bulb program has officially been put on hold.
I would have hated to be one of the souls unfortunate enough to have a job delivering these bulbs to residences where ratepayers may be actually home at the time. Would it surprise anyone if the welcome were hostile? Does anyone at FirstEnergy's executive suite live in a world where the word "trespass" comes to mind?
This is basic mail order 101: if I get something delivered to me I didn't order, I can refuse it. I can refuse to pay for it. What makes this different other than the fact the PUCO originally gave it's OK to a program without first checking to see whether it passed a common sense sniff test.
Mother Nature needs the help, environmentalists say, and utility companies have to help shoulder the burden by reducing electric use even as we pay more for fewer kilowatts. But I find it hard to believe even the most hard-shell greenie thinks making people pay $21 for what costs them $7 makes sense.
Based on today's quick turnaround, maybe common sense is exactly what arrived unordered at FirstEnergy's offices. And they didn't even have to pay for it, unless you count a public relations black eye as payment.
Remember the good ol' days when a light bulb above the head meant someone had a good idea?
One has to wonder how that all changed in the executive offices at Akron-based FirstEnergy when it came to their program to unload millions of compact fluorescent light bulbs on consumers in what has to be one of the most expensive flip-a-switch programs of all time.
Breaking it down, the utility planned to "give" households across northeast Ohio a pair of the twisty bulbs to save energy. Unlike other power companies -- included next-door utility neighbor American Electric Power and fellow midwest utility XCEL Energy in Minnesota -- this program wasn't offering cost-saving coupons to spur us to buy more expensive bulbs to save power. FirstEnergy planned to have people going door-to-door carrying gift bags with bulbs and brochures extolling the virtues of the less-costly lights.
Except these really aren't less costly, at least not to you and me.
AEP's program -- ranging across multiple states -- offers a markdown program in partnership with bulb manufacturer and retailers, essentially allowing ratepayers to get the bulbs at a discount. Since they started the program in May, more than 700,000 have taken advantage of the discounts.
The bulbs -- which FirstEnergy admits cost them $3.50 apiece -- were to be paid for by consumers whether we want them or not, and instead of paying $7.00 for the pair we would be charged the equivalent of more than $21.00 over a three year period. The utility was tacking on the charge as a 60-cent add-on to your utility bill. A month. Over three years.
Did the Akron folks miss out on a utility conference where others shared?
Never mind you didn't get asked whether you want the light bulb.
Never mind if you are in the minority of people who reportedly get migraine headaches from the compact bulbs.
Never mind if it galls you to pay for bulbs you may or may not use.
Not only do you not have a choice on whether you are getting the bulbs, you don't have a choice on paying for them, either.
FirstEnergy's Mark Durbin earlier today told AkronNewsNow's Tina Kaufmann the utility was moving ahead with the program Monday regardless of what the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio said. Governor Strickland's objection to the contrary, they'd already made arrangements to hand-deliver millions of these bulbs to the doorsteps of people who didn't want to pay for something they didn't order -- whether it was subject to a 300% markup or not.
It would be on the bill; you have to pay it.
Less than an hour later, Durbin called back to tell us the bulb program has officially been put on hold.
I would have hated to be one of the souls unfortunate enough to have a job delivering these bulbs to residences where ratepayers may be actually home at the time. Would it surprise anyone if the welcome were hostile? Does anyone at FirstEnergy's executive suite live in a world where the word "trespass" comes to mind?
This is basic mail order 101: if I get something delivered to me I didn't order, I can refuse it. I can refuse to pay for it. What makes this different other than the fact the PUCO originally gave it's OK to a program without first checking to see whether it passed a common sense sniff test.
Mother Nature needs the help, environmentalists say, and utility companies have to help shoulder the burden by reducing electric use even as we pay more for fewer kilowatts. But I find it hard to believe even the most hard-shell greenie thinks making people pay $21 for what costs them $7 makes sense.
Based on today's quick turnaround, maybe common sense is exactly what arrived unordered at FirstEnergy's offices. And they didn't even have to pay for it, unless you count a public relations black eye as payment.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Another Typical Akron Tuesday
A week after the elections and already the news hounds are bored; how the last five hours provided the spice of life for the ink-and-electron stained wretches doing your news for you. Too bad we don't get paid by the hot story.
First things first the big wreck on I-77 at South Arlington that basically left the world south of downtown a parking lot for four hours. NewsChannel 5 reports the driver of a pickup truck was critically injured.
Then there was the electrical vault fire that spewed black smoke over downtown and spoiled the late afternoon for the lizards still pumping down a drink or two near Canal Park (OMG, how did the late crowd at Brico wet their whistle?) but worse yet knocked out power to just about all of the business district of America's 74th largest radio market -- including the corporate headquarters for FirstEnergy, parent company of Ohio Edison. Power may not be fully restored until Wednesday.
The resulting scramble was such a mess the Akron PD begged people to avoid downtown at all costs since it was pure gridlock. Our partners at WKYC had Akron-Canton anchor Eric Mansfield standing in the dark on their 6p broadcast and their 630p cablecast news; usually his perch beside the ballpark is a fine location to show off the lights downtown but not this evening.
Oh, by the way down the pike today the auction began on the guts of Hoover. The once-mighty worldwide sign of northeast Ohio corporate and industrial dominance has been reduced to people coming from around the country to cart off machines and whatever else is ready to go from the North Canton location where Boss Hoover once ruled a worldwide empire made possible by machines that sucked -- literally. How the King of Vacuum has been reduced to this still makes me shake my head but now even the marble topped fireplace facade in the private office where Boss used to do his business is up to the highest bidder. Hell, even the room where the Boss really did his private business is up for grabs; as of this writing I hadn't heard if anyone was able to cart off the tile floor, sink or commode in Mr. Hoover's private bathroom.
Before I wrap up: Akron Council President Marco Sommerville and a handful of other members of Council were taking their annual junket to the National League of Cities meeting in New Orleans when they ran into a snag; seems Marco forgot to pull his piece out of his carry-on. The TSA at CAK felt and FYI was DOA and arrested city government's second most powerful politician for packing heat in his bag. WKYC's coverage was anchored by Bill Safos but Eric Mansfield tells me the law enforcement community, as a whole, as unavailable to comment on this bust but the Barberton prosecutor has the case since Akron-Canton Airport is in the Barberton Municipal Court district. Early word suggests Sommerville will face charges since the feds have a well-deserved reputation for not thinking too kindly of people smuggling weapons onto planes, whether they just forgot or not. I'm guessing here that Marco has a legit reason for a concealed carry permit but that doesn't mean squat on a plane. Our efforts to get a call on the cell returned failed but we'll try again tomorrow.
I think this Friday night's NewsNight Akron program on PBS 45/49 should be interesting...
First things first the big wreck on I-77 at South Arlington that basically left the world south of downtown a parking lot for four hours. NewsChannel 5 reports the driver of a pickup truck was critically injured.
Then there was the electrical vault fire that spewed black smoke over downtown and spoiled the late afternoon for the lizards still pumping down a drink or two near Canal Park (OMG, how did the late crowd at Brico wet their whistle?) but worse yet knocked out power to just about all of the business district of America's 74th largest radio market -- including the corporate headquarters for FirstEnergy, parent company of Ohio Edison. Power may not be fully restored until Wednesday.
The resulting scramble was such a mess the Akron PD begged people to avoid downtown at all costs since it was pure gridlock. Our partners at WKYC had Akron-Canton anchor Eric Mansfield standing in the dark on their 6p broadcast and their 630p cablecast news; usually his perch beside the ballpark is a fine location to show off the lights downtown but not this evening.
Oh, by the way down the pike today the auction began on the guts of Hoover. The once-mighty worldwide sign of northeast Ohio corporate and industrial dominance has been reduced to people coming from around the country to cart off machines and whatever else is ready to go from the North Canton location where Boss Hoover once ruled a worldwide empire made possible by machines that sucked -- literally. How the King of Vacuum has been reduced to this still makes me shake my head but now even the marble topped fireplace facade in the private office where Boss used to do his business is up to the highest bidder. Hell, even the room where the Boss really did his private business is up for grabs; as of this writing I hadn't heard if anyone was able to cart off the tile floor, sink or commode in Mr. Hoover's private bathroom.
Before I wrap up: Akron Council President Marco Sommerville and a handful of other members of Council were taking their annual junket to the National League of Cities meeting in New Orleans when they ran into a snag; seems Marco forgot to pull his piece out of his carry-on. The TSA at CAK felt and FYI was DOA and arrested city government's second most powerful politician for packing heat in his bag. WKYC's coverage was anchored by Bill Safos but Eric Mansfield tells me the law enforcement community, as a whole, as unavailable to comment on this bust but the Barberton prosecutor has the case since Akron-Canton Airport is in the Barberton Municipal Court district. Early word suggests Sommerville will face charges since the feds have a well-deserved reputation for not thinking too kindly of people smuggling weapons onto planes, whether they just forgot or not. I'm guessing here that Marco has a legit reason for a concealed carry permit but that doesn't mean squat on a plane. Our efforts to get a call on the cell returned failed but we'll try again tomorrow.
I think this Friday night's NewsNight Akron program on PBS 45/49 should be interesting...
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