News about the Electric Industry http://www.line-man.com/forums/forums.html Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:48:56 -0700 1 http://www.line-man.com/forums/Power-Georgia-Power-win-t19178.html Georgia Power wins ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year for Program Delivery


Georgia Power has earned the 2010 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award for Program Delivery from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Energy (DOE) in recognition for educating and delivering energy efficiency programs to consumers throughout Georgia. Georgia Power will accept the award on March 18, 2010.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050216/CLW066LOGO )

This is the fourth consecutive year ENERGY STAR has recognized the company for its energy efficiency achievements. This is the first time Georgia Power has won Partner of the Year. Previously, the company has won the Excellence in ENERGY STAR Promotion Award in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Being named Partner of the Year is a considerable accomplishment, with only a few utilities earning this level of recognition. This year's award, which is a higher honor than the previous three years, recognizes the combined marketplace impact of our ENERGY STAR programs. These include customer education, qualified products, New Home and Home Performance.


http://www.intelligentutility.com/article/...rogram-delivery]]> Sun, 07 Mar 2010 17:39:12 -0700 http://www.line-man.com/forums/Power-Georgia-Power-win-t19178.html http://www.line-man.com/forums/Power-State-tiered-el-t19155.html DENVER — Colorado's largest power supplier is going to charge more this summer for customers who use the most electricity.

XCel Energy Inc. won approval from state utility regulators Wednesday to institute tiered electric rates during summertime. That means residential customers will pay higher rates for each kilowatt-hour once they exceed a monthly threshold.

Utilities in California and elsewhere already use tiered billing so that big electricity consumers pay more. XCel's plan would give the utility's 1.1 million Colorado customers a lower rate for the first 500 kwh per month and a higher rate for all electricity above that amount.

Regulators say the typical residential customer uses about 687 kwh a month from June to September.


http://www.gazette.com/articles/tiered-95088-allow-xcel.html]]> Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:22:47 -0700 http://www.line-man.com/forums/Power-State-tiered-el-t19155.html http://www.line-man.com/forums/Power-Court-rules-Fla-t19148.html Florida utility companies regulated by the state can keep secret what they pay top executives and employees, an appeal court ruled Wednesday.

A three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal reversed orders by the Public Service Commission to make that information, including stock awards and other incentives, public in rate cases filed by Florida's two largest power companies.

The judges called the commission's decision "clearly erroneous" and ordered the panel to keep those records confidential because disclosure would harm the utilities' competitive interests.

"According to the companies affidavits and testimony, such information is kept strictly confidential to prevent other utility companies from stealing their employees," wrote Judge Bradford Thomas for the court. "The utility companies were also concerned about morale and infighting among employees who have the same positions but varying wages."


http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9E7AFTO3.htm]]> Thu, 04 Mar 2010 19:23:35 -0700 http://www.line-man.com/forums/Power-Court-rules-Fla-t19148.html http://www.line-man.com/forums/Power-BC-Hydro-seeks-33-t19145.html BC Hydro rates could rise by 33 per cent over the next four years, according to figures released in Tuesday's provincial budget.

The Crown corporation has already asked the B.C. Utilities Commission to approve an increase in electricity rates of more than nine per cent this year.

If approved, the rate increase would add about $7 to the average customer's monthly bill starting in April.

The budget projected additional rate increases for the subsequent three years of six, 12 and six per cent, respectively.

BC Hydro says the increases are necessary so that it can upgrade its infrastructure, but critics say the government is taking utility in the wrong direction.

Melissa Davis, executive director of BC Citizens for Public Power, said the rate increases would mostly affect low-income British Columbians and people living in northern and remote communities.


http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/...-increases.html
]]> Thu, 04 Mar 2010 19:17:34 -0700 http://www.line-man.com/forums/Power-BC-Hydro-seeks-33-t19145.html http://www.line-man.com/forums/Power-City-pulls-plug-t19139.html The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to begin power supply talks with MidAmerican Energy Company and to adjust to the fiscal year 2010 budget to include storm repair costs.

The city plans to use MidAmerican Energy as a “broker” to get the best possible rate on generated power, City Manager Allen Gill said at the meeting.

MidAmerican can access several sources of power, Gill said.

AmerenCIPS, the city’s current power supplier, will still be responsible for distribution of the power, he said.

If it were to enter into an agreement with MidAmerican now, the city could save up to 18 percent on its energy supply bill, Gill said. But distribution and metering costs will still be with Ameren and likely to go up, he said.

MidAmerican supplies power to 80 percent of Iowa and a portion of northern Illinois, as well as to closer municipalities such as Mt. Vernon, MidAmerican spokesman Michael Ellis said at the meeting.

“The power is all getting dumped into a giant bucket,” Ellis said to the council. “I’m just taking a different bucket and pouring it into that bucket that has your name on it … Ameren will still be responsible to get it to you.”



http://dailyegyptian.com/2010/03/02/2918]]> Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:53:31 -0700 http://www.line-man.com/forums/Power-City-pulls-plug-t19139.html http://www.line-man.com/forums/Power-City-manager-blam-t19132.html The Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors plans to send a letter asking the city of Danville for an explanation for high heating bills faced by some county residents.

Danville’s acting city manager says the Danville Utility Commission will discuss the matter at its next meeting March 22.

“We’re expecting the letter and we’ll respond very quickly,” said Joe King, Danville’s acting city manager.

The city utility system has about 42,000 customer accounts, with about 40 percent in Pittsylvania County and the rest in Danville, King said.

County residents complained to the Board of Supervisors during its regular meeting Monday night about rising power bills, with some doubling or tripling. The board unanimously voted to ask for an explanation of the expensive bills and to request someone from the commission speak to the board about the matter.

King said rates for electricity — from which almost all the city’s county customers get their heat — have not gone up since July 2008 and that colder temperatures have increased consumption this winter. As the outside air gets colder, it takes more and more energy to keep a home at the same temperature, King said.


http://www2.godanriver.com/gdr/news/local/...er_bills/18540/]]> Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:09:24 -0700 http://www.line-man.com/forums/Power-City-manager-blam-t19132.html http://www.line-man.com/forums/Power-Pacific-Power-see-t19131.html March 02, 2010, 1:35PM
Pacific Power is seeking a 20 percent increase in electricity rates starting next January to cover major investments in transmission and generation as well as forecasted higher power costs next year, according to filings with the Oregon Public Utility Commission.

The company also intends to file an additional request for a rate increase of about 1.5 percent later this year to cover the eventual removal of dams on the Klamath River.

Pacific Power is Oregon's second largest investor-owned utility. It's 553,000 Oregon customers are spread in pockets throughout the state, from the coast to Portland, and from Enterprise and Bend to Klamath Falls and Medford. Its territory includes some of the areas in Oregon hardest hit by the recession.

The new requests come on top of rate increases earlier this year that added about 5 percent to customers bills. They also come as the state's largest electric utility, Portland General Electric Co., has filed a request for a 7.4 percent rate increase.


http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.s..._percent_1.html
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