The Ontario NDP has caved into the greens.
“In fact, the NDP’s plan creates a more certain future for renewable energy in Ontario then the Liberal plan, which places a moratorium on all renewable power projects starting in 2018 when expensive new nuclear plants are projected to come on line.”
Result for you? Ever higher power bills.
Read more on this here.
Now, I did an interesting comparision. I posted my May-June power bill to an energy news group to see if others in other countries would respond and compare.
Here is my breakdown.
Total kwh 1,007.92, adjusted for line loss, 1,094.
Peak time: 200.26 @ 10.7 = $21.43
Mid-Peak 199.66 @ 8.9 = $17.77
Off-Peak 693.67 @ 5.9 = $40.93
Total power cost = $80.18
Delivery $68.40
Regulatory $7.36
Deb Retirement $7.06
Tax $21.18
Total billing $184.13
10% Government bribe (enticing people to re-elect the Liberals) $18.41 credit.
This is a couple of the replies, be seated as you read them.
"Wow those delivery charges are outrageous! We have a generation and transmission charge of about $12 and $5 respectively, our electric usage was 568 Kwh (down from 631 last year same time period) for a total of $23.87 for electric ($47.98 after all BS charges) with a total bill of $73.84 including gas. I sympathize, but can't help but think there are ways to cut usage more."
Jerry, NCal
"From May 19th to June 17th I used 208 kwh, for my 1400 sq. ft. home. I didn't skimp and do without to reach that number; I could have worked a lot harder to minimize electricity use. My charge for the power, which includes many small components, delivery charge, taxes, dam removal charges (very small), Columbia River benefits (a rebate), etc. is $29.13."
Susan, Oregon
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
Upcoming Election
Who you vote for is up to you, of course. I noted a while back I was using a back door to get some changes to the power system. Now we are close to the election I will tell you what that was. I have been on the Energy Policy Advisory Committee for the Ontario Progressive Conservatives. This group developed the current policy that Tim Hudak is presenting to the public. I cannot take credit for this policy, as those in the group shared my views, so it was a collective effort. The group was well represented, and had great research and reporting done for the Party to consider.
As for my plan for a new power conglomeration, it was submitted to the group and it was considered. How much of it will survive to become policy is now in the hands of the Party and the electorate. I will not stop my advocacy for this new system. Though some on the committee did not agree with my proposal, some did. Alternatives proposed are not that far off from what I have proposed. The big one being less government interference in the system. More autonomy in the organizations, and a restructuring of the organizations. I will continue to push for my proposal, even after the election.
Now that I have exposed my political bent, I do have a comment about the NDP's position to unite the "alphabet soup" of power organizations into HydroOne, essentially recreating Ontario Hydro.
Big mistake. Why on earth would you want to reward H1? If anything, H1 needs to be punished for its predatory behavior towards customers, and have its billing transferred to the IESO. H1 should look after the transmission system and that's it.
According to the polls, and the last Federal Election, looks like the Liberals are in serious trouble. Bye Bye Dalton!
As for my plan for a new power conglomeration, it was submitted to the group and it was considered. How much of it will survive to become policy is now in the hands of the Party and the electorate. I will not stop my advocacy for this new system. Though some on the committee did not agree with my proposal, some did. Alternatives proposed are not that far off from what I have proposed. The big one being less government interference in the system. More autonomy in the organizations, and a restructuring of the organizations. I will continue to push for my proposal, even after the election.
Now that I have exposed my political bent, I do have a comment about the NDP's position to unite the "alphabet soup" of power organizations into HydroOne, essentially recreating Ontario Hydro.
Big mistake. Why on earth would you want to reward H1? If anything, H1 needs to be punished for its predatory behavior towards customers, and have its billing transferred to the IESO. H1 should look after the transmission system and that's it.
According to the polls, and the last Federal Election, looks like the Liberals are in serious trouble. Bye Bye Dalton!
Clarification of Ontario PC Party’s Plans for Feed-In Tariff Program
http://windconcernsontario.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/132164_energy-law-update.pdf
The document states the following with respect to energy policy:
We will stop the expensive energy experiments that are driving up hydro bills.
A Tim Hudak government will end the Liberal government’s schemes that have families subsidize hydro prices. We will end the feed-in tariff program that, in some cases, pays up to 15 times the usual cost of the hydro. Hardworking farmers and other Ontarians who signed contracts to host energy production on their property will have their contracts honoured. But there will be no more of these deals.
We will end the king of all secret, sweetheart deals – the $7 billion Samsung deal – that happened without a competitive process or a guarantee of job creation targets. Building our green energy sector cannot be achieved by writing a cheque to one single foreign-owned multinational corporation that was handed every advantage.
We will give families a voice in how hydro rates are set.
Families understand that their hydro bill goes up if they leave the lights on. But why does it skyrocket for no apparent reason? The Ontario Energy Board sets rates, but this body has lost its independence. We will restore that independence by ending the day-to-day political interference of the last eight years. And we will establish a powerful Consumer Advocate at the OEB. The Consumer Advocate will represent only consumers. Not the bureaucrats. Not the energy sector. Not the special interests.
For any FIT Contract holders who do not yet have NTP at the time of a change in government, a PC Government would exercise its rights under Sections 2.4(a), (e) and (f) of the FIT Contract to terminate the FIT Contract, return the Completion and Performance Security, and pay the Supplier its reasonable Pre-Construction Development Costs (upon delivery of written documentation thereof).
The document states the following with respect to energy policy:
We will stop the expensive energy experiments that are driving up hydro bills.
A Tim Hudak government will end the Liberal government’s schemes that have families subsidize hydro prices. We will end the feed-in tariff program that, in some cases, pays up to 15 times the usual cost of the hydro. Hardworking farmers and other Ontarians who signed contracts to host energy production on their property will have their contracts honoured. But there will be no more of these deals.
We will end the king of all secret, sweetheart deals – the $7 billion Samsung deal – that happened without a competitive process or a guarantee of job creation targets. Building our green energy sector cannot be achieved by writing a cheque to one single foreign-owned multinational corporation that was handed every advantage.
We will give families a voice in how hydro rates are set.
Families understand that their hydro bill goes up if they leave the lights on. But why does it skyrocket for no apparent reason? The Ontario Energy Board sets rates, but this body has lost its independence. We will restore that independence by ending the day-to-day political interference of the last eight years. And we will establish a powerful Consumer Advocate at the OEB. The Consumer Advocate will represent only consumers. Not the bureaucrats. Not the energy sector. Not the special interests.
For any FIT Contract holders who do not yet have NTP at the time of a change in government, a PC Government would exercise its rights under Sections 2.4(a), (e) and (f) of the FIT Contract to terminate the FIT Contract, return the Completion and Performance Security, and pay the Supplier its reasonable Pre-Construction Development Costs (upon delivery of written documentation thereof).
Thursday, July 7, 2011
As many as 6 million Brits could be forced to choose between a hot meal or heating their homes this winter
A quarter of Brits are living in fuel poverty as energy bills rocket
by Ruki Sayid, Daily Mirror 6/07/2011
As energy prices go through the roof, shocking figures reveal one in four families has been plunged into fuel poverty.
Single parents are the hardest hit with 39% of mother or father and child households struggling to pay bills.
The figures are higher than the one in five first estimated and show for the first time wealthier families have also been hammered by spiralling fuel costs with 15% of middle classes now fuel poor.
Research from price comparison website uSwitch found the number would leap to one in three if housing costs were added in.
It means at least 18 million people are spending 10% or more of their take home pay on energy bills. Based on the new way of calculating fuel poverty, 47% of working class families and 22% of the middle classes fall into this bracket.
A quarter of families with a stay-at-home parent are fuel poor but uSwitch argues this figure would soar to 44% if mortgages or rents were included. The number of fuel poor single parent families would jump from 39% to 52% while pensioner numbers would rise from 33% to 36%.
According to the website, fuel bills have rocketed by 71% in the past five years rising from £660 a year in 2006 to £1,131 today.
And there’s worse to come as from next month, 2.4 million Scottish Power customers will be paying 10% more for electricity and 19% more for gas.
British Gas is expected to announce similar hikes ahead of parent company Centrica unveiling its results on July 28 with rivals following suit.
Consumer Focus warned as many as 6 million could be forced to choose between a hot meal or heating their homes this winter.
William Baker, Head of Fuel Poverty Policy added: “Rising energy prices will lead to a bigger bills and a huge upswing in fuel poverty. This will mean an increasing percentage of our population, especially those on low incomes, are more likely to live in colder or damp houses or face higher debt.”
Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/city-news/2011/07/06/a-quarter-of-brits-are-living-in-fuel-poverty-as-energy-bills-rocket-115875-23250279/#ixzz1RQZKWSVQ
by Ruki Sayid, Daily Mirror 6/07/2011
As energy prices go through the roof, shocking figures reveal one in four families has been plunged into fuel poverty.
Single parents are the hardest hit with 39% of mother or father and child households struggling to pay bills.
The figures are higher than the one in five first estimated and show for the first time wealthier families have also been hammered by spiralling fuel costs with 15% of middle classes now fuel poor.
Research from price comparison website uSwitch found the number would leap to one in three if housing costs were added in.
It means at least 18 million people are spending 10% or more of their take home pay on energy bills. Based on the new way of calculating fuel poverty, 47% of working class families and 22% of the middle classes fall into this bracket.
A quarter of families with a stay-at-home parent are fuel poor but uSwitch argues this figure would soar to 44% if mortgages or rents were included. The number of fuel poor single parent families would jump from 39% to 52% while pensioner numbers would rise from 33% to 36%.
According to the website, fuel bills have rocketed by 71% in the past five years rising from £660 a year in 2006 to £1,131 today.
And there’s worse to come as from next month, 2.4 million Scottish Power customers will be paying 10% more for electricity and 19% more for gas.
British Gas is expected to announce similar hikes ahead of parent company Centrica unveiling its results on July 28 with rivals following suit.
Consumer Focus warned as many as 6 million could be forced to choose between a hot meal or heating their homes this winter.
William Baker, Head of Fuel Poverty Policy added: “Rising energy prices will lead to a bigger bills and a huge upswing in fuel poverty. This will mean an increasing percentage of our population, especially those on low incomes, are more likely to live in colder or damp houses or face higher debt.”
Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/city-news/2011/07/06/a-quarter-of-brits-are-living-in-fuel-poverty-as-energy-bills-rocket-115875-23250279/#ixzz1RQZKWSVQ
Monday, June 27, 2011
‘Green' jobs: Shrewd PR, bad economics
STEPHEN GORDON
Globe and Mail Blog
Posted on Monday, June 27, 2011 6:27AM EDT
"Job creation should not be a goal of environmental policy, no more than it should be a policy goal in the fields of health or national security. If, instead of hiring people, we could use magic to stop disease, crime and environmental degradation, we would. Pointing to jobs ‘created’ to fix these problems is an error that Frédéric Bastiat identified in his ‘parable of the broken window’. Broken windows generate work for glaziers, but that doesn’t mean that breaking windows will increase national income. "
Read it all here: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/economy-lab/stephen-gordon/green-jobs-shrewd-pr-bad-economics/article2076663/
Globe and Mail Blog
Posted on Monday, June 27, 2011 6:27AM EDT
"Job creation should not be a goal of environmental policy, no more than it should be a policy goal in the fields of health or national security. If, instead of hiring people, we could use magic to stop disease, crime and environmental degradation, we would. Pointing to jobs ‘created’ to fix these problems is an error that Frédéric Bastiat identified in his ‘parable of the broken window’. Broken windows generate work for glaziers, but that doesn’t mean that breaking windows will increase national income. "
Read it all here: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/economy-lab/stephen-gordon/green-jobs-shrewd-pr-bad-economics/article2076663/
Friday, June 17, 2011
On The Hijacking of the American Meteorological Society (AMS)
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/06/16/on-the-hijacking-of-the-american-meteorological-society-ams/#more-41788
"I am very disappointed at the downward path the AMS has been following for the last 10-15 years in its advocacy of the Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW) hypothesis. The society has officially taken a position many of us AMS members do not agree with. We believe that humans are having little or no significant influence on the global climate and that the many Global Circulation Climate Model (GCMs) results and the four IPCC reports do not realistically give accurate future projections. To take this position which so many of its members do not necessarily agree with shows that the AMS is following more of a political than a scientific agenda. "
Bill Gray Professor Emeritus, Colorado State University
(AMS Fellow, Charney Award recipient, and over 50-year member)
"I am very disappointed at the downward path the AMS has been following for the last 10-15 years in its advocacy of the Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW) hypothesis. The society has officially taken a position many of us AMS members do not agree with. We believe that humans are having little or no significant influence on the global climate and that the many Global Circulation Climate Model (GCMs) results and the four IPCC reports do not realistically give accurate future projections. To take this position which so many of its members do not necessarily agree with shows that the AMS is following more of a political than a scientific agenda. "
Bill Gray Professor Emeritus, Colorado State University
(AMS Fellow, Charney Award recipient, and over 50-year member)
UK faces job losses as businesses threaten to flee abroad to escape green energy levies
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/8570141/UK-faces-job-losses-as-businesses-threaten-to-flee-abroad-to-escape-green-energy-levies.html
Sir Roger Carr warns in an interview that the Coalition must give "some sort of support" over rising energy costs to UK manufacturers or else risk seeing businesses relocate abroad with the consequential loss of jobs.
"Not every country in the world has the same commitment to climate change [as the UK] and therefore you may feel commercially disadvantaged," Sir Roger says, adding: "That gives you cause for thought as to where you want to invest."
Sir Roger Carr warns in an interview that the Coalition must give "some sort of support" over rising energy costs to UK manufacturers or else risk seeing businesses relocate abroad with the consequential loss of jobs.
"Not every country in the world has the same commitment to climate change [as the UK] and therefore you may feel commercially disadvantaged," Sir Roger says, adding: "That gives you cause for thought as to where you want to invest."
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