Deregulation of utilities...... I didn't realize how much I disliked this until I moved to San Antonio where electricity is public utility company that belongs to the city.
I called to get the power connected at Rocky Creek and here is what I found: when I called NRG and Green Mountain I am 99% certain the calls went to the same call center - same voice greeting, same menu options, same notifications, etc. What!? Add in the amount of time I spent calling around to get the "best rate", and I found myself wondering why?! Electricity is a part of every household across the city, state, country. Why would this first-world necessity be a price driven commodity? Signing annual contracts, shopping around, wondering if you have the best rate - for a service that is required? Then there is the issue of ownership. For our house Texas New Mexico own the meter and lines, NRG own the power, and another company is a re-seller??? I am not even sure I have that straight.
In San Antonio, the utility company is owned by the public. This allows the company to invest in energy saving initiatives, community rebate programs for energy efficiency, and if I have any questions about my electricity I can get all of my answers in one spot. What is the cost? Less than I am paying in Houston.
Houston:
NRG - .14 cents per kilowatt hour
Green Mountain - .09 cents account
San Antonio:
CPS Energy - .06 cents per kilowatt hour
No comments:
Post a Comment