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Dominion East Ohio bill reveals changes
By Betty Lin-Fisher
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Sunday, Nov 08, 2009
Here are a number of updates having to do with energy issues — both for natural gas and electricity.
Bill change
Your most recent bill from Dominion East Ohio shows the ''Basic Monthly Charge'' has gone up again, but another part of your bill has gone down.
Let me explain: the basic monthly charge, which is for such costs as meter readings, rendering bills and running Dominion's call center was a flat $5.70 until October 2008 when it went to $12.50.
An additional 30-cent surcharge to recoup costs to install automated meter reading equipment (AMR) brought that charge up to a flat $12.80 per month.
These changes were part of an approved settlement between the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and Dominion when the gas utility requested a rate increase in 2007.
Overall, the commission approved smaller increases than the regulated gas company requested. The PUCO cited the tough economy and its impact on consumers' ability to pay bills. In the settlement, what happened was the monthly service charge was to go up twice — once in October 2008 and again this past October — while ''usage-based charges,'' for delivering gas to your house, went down.
The Ohio Consumers' Counsel, the residential utility advocate, at the time was not happy with that settlement, saying the increased fixed charges penalize people who conserve energy and that it would be especially hard on low-income consumers. But the settlement was cheaper than the $17.50 flat rate the PUCO staff was suggesting.
Dominion officials said last year's increase and decrease netted about $4.50 per month for the average customer.
Starting with October's bills, the new monthly service charge is $15.70 (which includes the 30-cent AMR rider) from $12.80 and the usage-based transportation charges are now $2.04 per thousand cubic feet (mcf) compared to $2.31/mcf.
Dominion officials said the new rates together mean the average residential customer will see a $1.06 total decrease in their
monthly bills for the winter months of November through March and an increase of 70 cents per month for other times of the year.
I crunched some similar numbers and found about the same thing. During the winter months when you're using more gas, it does net a slightly lower bill. But it's pretty negligible at a few bucks.
Gas prices
If you've been procrastinating but still want to choose a gas supplier for the winter months, fixed prices have increased since August when I first wrote about pricing. However, even though most are in the high $7/mcf range, that's still lower than last year's rates in the high $9 and $10/mcf range.
The cheapest fixed rate, according to the PUCO's Apples to Apples chart, is Integrys Energy Services' $7.52/mcf for 12 months with a $25 cancellation fee. The company also has a plan with a capped rate of $7.40/mcf and a current rate of $7.21 for November with no cancellation fee.
Direct Energy spokeswoman Yvette Hamilton said beginning Monday her company will have a $6.99/mcf six-month rate with a $50 early cancellation fee (888-566-9988). That would get you through the winter, if you stick with it. (I chose MXenergy's $6.79/mcf six-month rate with no cancellation fee, but that rate is no longer available).
For those of you who want to continue to ride the market, monthly variable prices have continued to inch up, but they're still lower than the fixed rates. You might be able to save money that way, but you're taking a chance that prices could still go up.
Dominion just announced its monthly rate beginning Nov. 16 will go up 10.9 percent or 56 cents to $5.69/mcf from $5.13/mcf for October. Many marketers try to beat Dominion's price with their own monthly rates.
Remember to check with your current supplier about cancellation fees. To see all pricing, check out the charts at http://www.puco.ohio.gov or http://www.pickocc.org for the two state agencies. You also can see previous Beacon Journal articles at http://www.ohio.com/energy.
Gas aggregations
There also are several aggregations, or governmental buying groups, that have gotten some decent rates that beat the publicly available ones recently. Aggregation prices can sometimes be better than you can get on your own, but other times the groups don't get as good of a deal if they've negotiated at a time of high prices. In general, aggregations don't have cancellation fees for their contracts, but make sure you check.
Here are a few of the area's cheapest programs, but you can check with your municipality to see if there is an aggregation for you and what company is working with the group:
• Barberton: Through Direct Energy, customers can enroll for $6.66/mcf fixed for the first year of the program (through November 2010) with a 10 cent/mcf discount for seniors and no cancellation fee. (Call 866-803-4618)
• Doylestown, Marshallville, Orrville and Wadsworth: Through IGS Energy Services, you can enroll for $6.42/mcf through October of 2010 with no cancellation fee. (Call 877-448-6719)
Door-to-door sales
I've received a few complaints from consumers who say they've had some run-ins with door-to-door sales teams marketing natural gas contracts. Many of the companies do use door-to-door marketing techniques and said the complaints I've forwarded to them are not typical of their marketing practices. This serves as a good reminder that you don't have to enroll with someone who comes to your door.
Do your research on your own to find the best rate. If it's the person at the door, that's fine. But don't just take them at their word. Also, Dominion, the regulated utility, does not go door-to-door asking to see your bill, so if someone is asking to see your bill, it most likely is a marketer and you don't need to show them your bill. They can give their pitch to you without seeing your bill.
Electricity aggregations
There hasn't really been much public competition when it comes to electricity prices, so most of the savings have been seen through aggregation groups.
This summer, many communities did strike deals with either FirstEnergy Solutions, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., and NOPEC, the large buying group that includes much of northern Summit County and Portage County.
Last week, FirstEnergy Solutions said it had signed agreements with 22 area communities through its Powering Our Communities program announced in September. That program offers $9 million in community grants in exchange for extending aggregation agreements for additional years.
People in those communities have been automatically included in the savings plan, unless they called to opt out. Depending on the deal your community chose, there's either a flat savings through 2012 off half of your bill (6 percent for residential, 4 percent for businesses) or a graduated savings starting at a higher rate (10 percent and going to 4 percent).
These communities in our area have agreed to extend their contracts beyond 2012 for an additional six years for the 6 percent for residential and 4 percent for business rate: Barberton, Alliance, Aurora, Mogadore, Munroe Falls, Silver Lake, Ravenna, Streetsboro, Stow, Akron, Green, Norton and Rittman.
Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at
330-996-3724 or blinfisher@
thebeaconjournal.com.
Here are a number of updates having to do with energy issues — both for natural gas and electricity.
Bill change
Your most recent bill from Dominion East Ohio shows the ''Basic Monthly Charge'' has gone up again, but another part of your bill has gone down.
Let me explain: the basic monthly charge, which is for such costs as meter readings, rendering bills and running Dominion's call center was a flat $5.70 until October 2008 when it went to $12.50.
An additional 30-cent surcharge to recoup costs to install automated meter reading equipment (AMR) brought that charge up to a flat $12.80 per month.
These changes were part of an approved settlement between the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and Dominion when the gas utility requested a rate increase in 2007.
Overall, the commission approved smaller increases than the regulated gas company requested. The PUCO cited the tough economy and its impact on consumers' ability to pay bills. In the settlement, what happened was the monthly service charge was to go up twice — once in October 2008 and again this past October — while ''usage-based charges,'' for delivering gas to your house, went down.
The Ohio Consumers' Counsel, the residential utility advocate, at the time was not happy with that settlement, saying the increased fixed charges penalize people who conserve energy and that it would be especially hard on low-income consumers. But the settlement was cheaper than the $17.50 flat rate the PUCO staff was suggesting.
Dominion officials said last year's increase and decrease netted about $4.50 per month for the average customer.
Starting with October's bills, the new monthly service charge is $15.70 (which includes the 30-cent AMR rider) from $12.80 and the usage-based transportation charges are now $2.04 per thousand cubic feet (mcf) compared to $2.31/mcf.
Dominion officials said the new rates together mean the average residential customer will see a $1.06 total decrease in their
monthly bills for the winter months of November through March and an increase of 70 cents per month for other times of the year.
I crunched some similar numbers and found about the same thing. During the winter months when you're using more gas, it does net a slightly lower bill. But it's pretty negligible at a few bucks.
Gas prices
If you've been procrastinating but still want to choose a gas supplier for the winter months, fixed prices have increased since August when I first wrote about pricing. However, even though most are in the high $7/mcf range, that's still lower than last year's rates in the high $9 and $10/mcf range.
The cheapest fixed rate, according to the PUCO's Apples to Apples chart, is Integrys Energy Services' $7.52/mcf for 12 months with a $25 cancellation fee. The company also has a plan with a capped rate of $7.40/mcf and a current rate of $7.21 for November with no cancellation fee.
Direct Energy spokeswoman Yvette Hamilton said beginning Monday her company will have a $6.99/mcf six-month rate with a $50 early cancellation fee (888-566-9988). That would get you through the winter, if you stick with it. (I chose MXenergy's $6.79/mcf six-month rate with no cancellation fee, but that rate is no longer available).
For those of you who want to continue to ride the market, monthly variable prices have continued to inch up, but they're still lower than the fixed rates. You might be able to save money that way, but you're taking a chance that prices could still go up.
Dominion just announced its monthly rate beginning Nov. 16 will go up 10.9 percent or 56 cents to $5.69/mcf from $5.13/mcf for October. Many marketers try to beat Dominion's price with their own monthly rates.
Remember to check with your current supplier about cancellation fees. To see all pricing, check out the charts at http://www.puco.ohio.gov or http://www.pickocc.org for the two state agencies. You also can see previous Beacon Journal articles at http://www.ohio.com/energy.
Gas aggregations
There also are several aggregations, or governmental buying groups, that have gotten some decent rates that beat the publicly available ones recently. Aggregation prices can sometimes be better than you can get on your own, but other times the groups don't get as good of a deal if they've negotiated at a time of high prices. In general, aggregations don't have cancellation fees for their contracts, but make sure you check.
Here are a few of the area's cheapest programs, but you can check with your municipality to see if there is an aggregation for you and what company is working with the group:
• Barberton: Through Direct Energy, customers can enroll for $6.66/mcf fixed for the first year of the program (through November 2010) with a 10 cent/mcf discount for seniors and no cancellation fee. (Call 866-803-4618)
• Doylestown, Marshallville, Orrville and Wadsworth: Through IGS Energy Services, you can enroll for $6.42/mcf through October of 2010 with no cancellation fee. (Call 877-448-6719)
Door-to-door sales
I've received a few complaints from consumers who say they've had some run-ins with door-to-door sales teams marketing natural gas contracts. Many of the companies do use door-to-door marketing techniques and said the complaints I've forwarded to them are not typical of their marketing practices. This serves as a good reminder that you don't have to enroll with someone who comes to your door.
Do your research on your own to find the best rate. If it's the person at the door, that's fine. But don't just take them at their word. Also, Dominion, the regulated utility, does not go door-to-door asking to see your bill, so if someone is asking to see your bill, it most likely is a marketer and you don't need to show them your bill. They can give their pitch to you without seeing your bill.
Electricity aggregations
There hasn't really been much public competition when it comes to electricity prices, so most of the savings have been seen through aggregation groups.
This summer, many communities did strike deals with either FirstEnergy Solutions, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., and NOPEC, the large buying group that includes much of northern Summit County and Portage County.
Last week, FirstEnergy Solutions said it had signed agreements with 22 area communities through its Powering Our Communities program announced in September. That program offers $9 million in community grants in exchange for extending aggregation agreements for additional years.
People in those communities have been automatically included in the savings plan, unless they called to opt out. Depending on the deal your community chose, there's either a flat savings through 2012 off half of your bill (6 percent for residential, 4 percent for businesses) or a graduated savings starting at a higher rate (10 percent and going to 4 percent).
These communities in our area have agreed to extend their contracts beyond 2012 for an additional six years for the 6 percent for residential and 4 percent for business rate: Barberton, Alliance, Aurora, Mogadore, Munroe Falls, Silver Lake, Ravenna, Streetsboro, Stow, Akron, Green, Norton and Rittman.
Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at
330-996-3724 or blinfisher@
thebeaconjournal.com.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
Orrville, Oh
Posted 05:03 PM, 11/08/2009
Since when; does the US Constitution; support PUCO Bureaucrats; agreeing; to support; Dominion East Ohio Stockholders (money marketers); marketing more stock dividends (money); in the wholesale and retail price; of electricity?
Demanding; Fathers disqualified for affirmative action with white skin, Union workers, consumers, taxpayers, and Americas grandchildren’s children; pay for this money; with money; derived from wages or independent business profit; that gets; ONLY electricity.
And pay; unemployed workers, casino, lottery, and keno losers, aliens, waitresses that pander for life for $2.00 per hour; insubordinate, low-income; defiant of realities demands; volunteers without wages; nonunion parasites willing to work for fewer wages than they can afford life; and righteous; with a faith-based belief; that it’s a sin; to engage in free, fair, and affordable commerce; or get an agreement (union contract); With a corporation, business, or nonprofit, tax-exempt, organization, or Church; Agreeing to comply with demands; Of natural law (what Mother Nature, God, or Whatever Power decreed to be the reality of the real world), God, democracy, capitalism, the US Constitution, and free, fair, and affordable commerce; electric bill.
This; Makes electricity UNAFFORDABLE; Makes free, fair, and affordable commerce IMPOSSIBLE; Makes funding schools, infrastructure, and etc. IMPOSSIBLE; Makes balancing every budget IMPOSSIBLE; Makes union workers, consumers, taxpayers, and America’s grandchildren’s children LIFE UNAFFORDABLE; and created the $40 trillion social security and the $9.3 trillion national debt. America’s grandchildren’s children are responsible to pay interest with this debt until they are 18 years old. Then pay the debt with the $7.30 per hour government mandated labor wage!
Akron, OH
Posted 01:31 AM, 11/09/2009
Oh, God, please stop.
Posted 07:49 AM, 11/09/2009
Thanks for you help understanding this Betty. Another informative column.
