Huh? Say what, SCE?
September 11, 2006
Seeing the electric bill drop from the $2**! to $145 was almost anticlimactic. I don’t know why, a hundred dollars is definitely significant, but it’s still over the $100 budgeted so I suppose it’s not as exciting as it should be.
The rather mindboggling co-occupant of the bill’s envelope was this little tiny fine print dealie:
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT PROPOSED CHANGES IN ELECTRIC RATES
[Now, you KNOW my heart dropped into my left pinky toe, not again!! NOW what’s the excuse?!?]
But ……
what’s this?
SCE is seeking a decrease [my bold, not theirs] in rates of $314.7 million, OR 2.7%.
Now, I don’t know what-all the 314.something something something is right now, but I do believe that my eyes read a word they don’t usually see: DECREASE!
Then I think, hm, I bet they’re talking about a decrease in their costs, somehow and are creating yet another fee to be passed on to the consumer. But no, apparently:
SCE is requesting this decrease because:
1. They have made so much money this summer alone, they actually don’t even have anywhere to put anymore money they’d gouge from you anyway,
ok ok ok, fine fine, that’s just me …..
1. Really now. gas prices and the related cost to purchase power for customers are forecast to be lower in 2007 than the costs that are currently included in customers’ rates; [now I’m a little proud of them for accurate use of the apostrophe]
2. higher sales growth is forecast to result in higher revenues in 2007; and
3. SCE proposes to refund over collections recorded in its ERRA balancing account.
The requested 2007 ERRA revenue requirement results in a revenue decrease of $314.7 million, or 2.7%, when compared to total system revenues at present rates (as of August 2006). The following table shows an estimate of proposed revenues and rate changes by customer group.
—- Table I’m not going to transcribe because you’re not going to want to read it anyway —-
If SCE’s proposed ERRA rate change is approved as requested, an average residential customer using 675 kilowatt-hours of electricity per month in the summer would see a decrease of $2.71 per month from $115.73 to $113.02.
Boy, and I thought a decrease of $100 was nothing to get excited about? Phew! Well, my first thoughts are #1: they’re admitting that their costs are going down?? Or that they THINK they’re going down?
#2: and they figure that they’re going to make more sales anyway,
#3: AND they’re going to refund money to people??
Unless this is some hidden code for *everything’s about to ka-blooey and we just don’t want you to think WE’re the bad guys* I think something’s gone terribly terribly right here, and I’m not sure who or what or how. But I’d love to find out so that I can shake that person’s (or people’s) hands and say keep on goin’! You go ahead, keep on goin’ now!! We LIKE this kind of notice!
