HYDRO ONE TO ALL CUSTOMERS: BEND OVER AND TAKE IT

As of May 1, 2010, Hydro One changed the rates. From our friend that wishes to remain anonymous due to H1's predatory nature:

For customers not on time of use they decreased the number of kw hours you get to buy for your home per month before you pay their higher rate.

One year ago you could buy your first 1,000 kw of power at the then lower rate of 5.6 cents per kw hour (commodity cost only) and then for the balance of your consumption that month you paid 6.5 cents per kw.

As of May 1st, 2010 we pay 6.5 cents per kw hour on the first 600 kw and then we pay 7.5 cents per kw hour on the balance of our monthly bill. What this means of course, is that we start paying the highest price for hydro 400 kw hours earlier each month than we did a year ago. So the price of that 400 kw hours each month actually rose from 5.6 cents per kw hour to 7.5 cents per kw hour.


Time of use customers did not fare any better on May 1st. From the onset, our government has hailed time of use as the answer to Ontario's hydro woes. Consumers would have access to cheap power where they could save money at night and on the weekends while Ontario could reduce their peak use problems and eliminate their fossil fueled generators on schedule.

Once again the spin doctors at Hydro came up with a new plan to rape an unsuspecting public on May 1st with their revised pricing for time of use customers.

They increased the peak rate a tiny bit, left the mid peak alone, but they increased the commodity rate of the precious money saving off peak rate by almost a full penny per kw hour raising the price to 5.3 cents per kw hour.

Raising the off peak price for electricity hurts every consumer and creates a gray train of new income for Hydro One.

Hydro One carefully crafted this time of use system so the population would have to use more power during off peak or pay a huge price if they didn't.

Now, as citizens have scrambled to make due with less by staying up late at night to have dinner and do laundry, hydro has hit the off peak rate the hardest with their new increase.

This leaves me wondering if the politicians and the bean counters at Hydro One really believe the public is stupid enough not to see what they are doing. In reality, they have created increases far greater than the percentages approved by the Ontario Energy Board.

Do other people not get this? Do others not see what they have done?

By lowering the number of kw hours per month before the price jumps and hitting the off peak price the hardest for time of use customers, Hydro has worked their magic, backed by the government, to steal additional money from an already financially abused public.

I am outraged and so should every electricity consumer in the Province.


Here is what a bill will look like before and then after this change (my Dec 2009 bill):

Notice delivery rate increased, regulatory changes increased, and debt retirement increased. To top it off the Federal Government gets a 14.5% increase in the GST from you on this change. How nice for them.

Here is what the bill will look like with the HST:

How nice for McLiar.

How the Ontario Energy Board could approve a 14.6% increase in rates, in a recession with an inflation rate less than 2%, is, well, I was going to say beyond me, but I think we all know why.

Bonuses for H1 executives, and reduce the self-inflicted debt McLiar and crew have left us with, and counting.

Oh, and BTW, hidden in one of those charges is the cost of the smart meter. You pay for it, H1 owns it.