[lug] Anyone else hate to get rid of old equipment?

[Nate Duehr]

On 5/26/2010 11:26 AM, dio2002 at indra.com wrote:
> regarding rate hikes, i can't say i've personally every experienced a
> utility / energy based rate hike rate hike related to the "greenifying" of
> my grid.  have you?  where are the examples?

http://cbs4denver.com/news/xcel.summer.energy.2.1716029.html

Xcel's rate hike was directly related to higher operating costs 
associated with wind farms, if you dig into the numbers. IREA in the 
same time-frame has had none.

Even better... Xcel in July of 2009 asked for a rate hike *specifically* 
for houses with solar energy to recoup losses.

http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_12933360

Xcel's got the Colorado PUC in their back pockets... pretty much.  
Natural Gas has (strangely) remained at record-lows for a couple of 
YEARS now, and coal hasn't exactly been expensive.

The only thing pushing Xcel's costs up is the "green" projects they're 
undertaking, with the blessing of the PUC, digging into your wallet.  
They'd already budgeted in the new coal plant in Pueblo.

For the Boulderites on the list there's also the government grants and 
higher costs of Xcel's "SmartGrid" system being deployed in Boulder... 
interestingly not on the Boulder taxpayer's dime, but on the entire 
State.  In a state where some school districts are now going to charge 
kids to ride the school bus.  Seriously.  Yeah, that's my money well 
spent on you all, I guess.

SmartGrid is nothing more than a more palatable way to handle rolling 
blackouts, really.  They leave the lights on and kill the air 
conditioner.  Is that their decision or mine?  They're providing me a 
service, not the other way around, right?  Yeah... sure...

I'd love to be an IREA customer, if there were any competition in 
Utilities.  If they have a good year, you get a check back from them, 
since they're a cooperative -- and you also get lower rates across the 
board EVERY year.

Oh, and they actually listen to customer's needs/wants at regional and 
local public meetings.

For more PUC "fun", Qwest has also been allowed a 13% rate hike on 
business phone service by the same PUC this year.  Just to show how 
"rate hike happy" the PUC is right now.  Did they offer more/better 
service in that timeframe?  Was 13% more than the average rise in 
inflation since their last rate increase?

The Colorado PUC is a mess.  Has been for a very long time.  Try filing 
a complaint.  See how much response you get back. (I know of three 
people who've filed serious complaints against regulated industries with 
the PUC in Colorado... faxes, registered mail, nothing garners responses.)

Nate