PUD instead of PPL/PGE?

crabbait · 10-31-2003, 09:31 PM

I am sure you have heard the ads denouncing a take-over of PPL/PGE in order to form a PUD. What do you think? Are we better off with the status quo?

10-31-2003, 09:40 PM

If it is set up right and the board overseeing it aren't crooks a PUD can be a good thing.

STGRule · 10-31-2003, 10:04 PM

How do those of you under a PUD feel about them? Are the rates fair? Do you have frequent fee increases? Do you have good customer service? If you had a choice would you stay with the PUD as opposed to a PGE/PPL?

AuntyM · 11-01-2003, 04:37 AM

I have a PUD. We moved into a PUD area on purpose. At the time, the rate charged by Puget Sound Energy (the "big" power Co up here) was a third higher than the PUD here charged.

With PSE it wasn't uncommon to get a $200.00 a month bill in the winter four years ago! It would easily be $300 today.

We now have a house that is 700 sq feet bigger and my winter bill is in the vicinity of $75 per month. We heat with a wood stove now, but the furnace is programmed to circulate the fan and redistribute the heat throughout the house when the heat rises above 72 degrees six feet away from the stove. We have no gas appliances, everything else is electric.

For comparisons sake:

With a PUD, we are paying a .46 per day customer charge (which is a bit over $13 a month) and a per kWh charge of 0.0516. (It had been .039 when we moved here.) That gives me a yearly average bill of less than $60 per month.

PSE's current "tier" system is a basic charge of $5.50. The current kWh charges are 0.062853 for the first 800 kWh used and 0.079270 for the next 600 kWh used. Then they tack on 0.001335 for a conservation program, but deduct 0.017400 in a tax credit. Of course, as is usually the case, they have a request in for a rate increase.

Our rate increases are voted in by the elected PUD board members. You can bet there is a great deal of citizen involvement and it's nice that the books are open to the customers.

I [img]graemlins/hearton.gif[/img] my PUD

[ 11-01-2003, 05:38 AM: Message edited by: AuntyM ]

freespool · 11-01-2003, 06:23 AM

PUD is the way to go if lower rates is what you want. Every PUD in the stste of Oregon has lower rates than PGE. An example is for 1kw of power in PGE's grid is $83. in Columbia county it's $38. But due the saturation of misleading and confusing attack ads by PGE this measure has little chance of passing. These are the people that told us the Trojan power plant was safe,then 2 months after the measure failed they closed it down due to unsafe conditions.

crabbait · 11-01-2003, 07:27 AM

I think this is an excellent example of what is wrong with the system today. The ads I have heard have been so far from the truth that it is scary and they are "citizens". Yeah, right.

Anybody else see through the smoke screen?

Pete · 11-01-2003, 08:05 AM

There's an interesting history involving PUD's in the Northwest. Ever wonder why there are lots of them in Washington and very few in Oregon? Oregon was poised to dive into the PUD pond, but they were about a year behind Washington in the process. After seeing the public take control of utilities in large areas of Washington, the private utilities mounted a huge campaign in Oregon and subverted the process, resulting in a proliferation of private utilities in Oregon. The name of the game was profits then. I don't think there's much changed now. I will concede that Keta's point about the quality of management in a PUD is critical, but I think there are enough skilled professionals and regulatory statutes to tilt the scales in the direction of expecting a PUD to work well.

crabbait · 11-01-2003, 08:36 AM

According to yesterday's Oregonian, there are 6 PUDs in Oregon, all have cheaper rates than PPL/PGE. Your comment about it being about profit is right on, Pete.

11-01-2003, 08:38 AM

As far as I'm concerned PUD's are the ONLY way to go.

BrionLutz · 11-01-2003, 09:17 AM

Crabbait,

A useful real world, current example. LA kept it's public utility when CA "deregulated".

LA didn't have any blackouts during the "Enron energy crisis". LA didn't have to go out and pay crazy inflated prices for fuel as did the rest of CA.

So they have low priced, reliable power via public utility when the rest of the state is hurting.

That PGE is owned by Enron and we have a chance to use the LA example to set up a public utility seems like an addes incentive.

Brion

24 on/ 48 off · 11-01-2003, 10:26 AM

PUD=

Lower rates; better customer service; local control.

I live in Paradise.

--spud-- :smile:

11-01-2003, 10:31 AM

[img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

Quote:

That PGE is owned by Enron and we have a chance to use the LA example to set up a public utility seems like an addes incentive

fisheromen · 11-01-2003, 05:10 PM

How do we pay for the transition though? They simply haven't made it clear enough for me to jump on the bandwagon. It isn't clear because it is simply not known. The PUD sounds great, I think the devil might be in the details and that the spin is coming from both sides.

BrionLutz · 11-01-2003, 05:17 PM

Fisheromen,

Quote:

How do we pay for the transition though?

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">How will whoever buys PGE pay for the transition? PGE is for sale.

Brion

11-01-2003, 06:03 PM

Keep your money in your pocket or let someone else put it in theirs.

BrionLutz · 11-02-2003, 08:55 AM

Crabbait,

Quote:

I am sure you have heard the ads denouncing a take-over of PPL/PGE in order to form a PUD. What do you think? Are we better off with the status quo?

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">You need to get a room, you provocateur you. Down at the powerhouse maybe? <grin>.

Brion

crabbait · 11-02-2003, 05:02 PM

Hey, I have no dog in this fight. I live in Vancouver and am happy with my electric bill (Clark County PUD).

fisheromen · 11-05-2003, 04:07 PM

Guess we won't know anytime soon. My understanding of the property tax/research measure was that it was only for if the PUD measure passed. The news made it sound like that weren't so. I'd gladly pay my .02 for a study or two if we got clear answers about the outcome of forming a PUD on rates and service.