[Rant] Ontario Hydro-you used less energy so you have to pay more. Huh?

[Shwa Girl]

Ontario Hydro increased rates at the beginning of the year.
We had a fairly mild winter.
Plus.

People used less hydro during peak times.


So this week Hydro says, they don't have enough $$ to pay the past debt. So people have to pay more. There is another rate increase coming in 2016.



So we do something right and they penalize us for following their suggestions on how to conserve energy.



That's it!
Going to set up a tent in the library and live there. Use their internet and air conditioning all summer.



How you like me now, Ontario Hydro?

Your move!

[YOU AND ME]

LOL you sometimes just can't win

[Ciel]

There was a second selling of shares recently for Hydro One. I also recall that now that Hydro is partially private, we won't be seeing the $100,000+ earners club names in the next Sunshine List.

Shareholders want returns on their investment. Businesses want to have a profit (first rule of business).

Same pricing logic applies to municipal water-infrastructure costs money and exists/needs upgrades even when water use drops.

Now since libraries tend to be on public properties, there would likely be some swift authority action to any tents sprouting on greenspaces or parking lots or sidewalks adjacent to libraries (inside a mall, you'd have mall security). Indoors, rules of conduct apply (many libraries don't allow people to wash clothes or hair in the bathrooms). Newmarket Public Library was in the news this week for having a letter policy-a letter is given to someone that other patrons have complained about over body odour. The publicity/public reaction is that this mostly affects the homeless but I say even homed patrons can be au naturel in body odour (no deodorant) or partial to strong foods that reveal themselves via skin/sweat and it can be really offputting. Sit in a newspaper section during the daytime often enough and you'll notice the regular offenders.

There is very little greenspace around Ontario Hydro's downtown Toronto location but those shiny windows probably heat hot enough to cook eggs or other light foods during the daytime. As long as one can tolerate the traffic along University Avenue (park/statues nearby) including ambulances, it could be home sweet home.

[Ciel]

So this week Hydro says, they don't have enough $$ to pay the past debt. So people have to pay more. There is another rate increase coming in 2016.

And wasn't the share sale/privatization of Hydro One promoted as causing the drop of the debt retirement charges from bills?


Found this item from 2015 about a hydro board challenging some ideas:
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/no...110000517.html

A decision 16 years ago to divide Ontario Hydro into several different companies resulted in a new charge that’s still on all electricity bills — and a multibillion-dollar debt that critics warn will keep driving up power rates for years to come.
The residual stranded debt stems from the 1999 breakup of the province’s giant electrical utility, which had $38.1 billion in debt, mostly from building nuclear plants in the 1970s and ’80s.

Only a portion of that debt was supported by the assets of the new hydro companies — Ontario Power Generation (OPG), Hydro One and the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) — leaving $20.9 billion in so-called stranded debt.

Between 2002 and 2014 — the last year for which statistics were available — Ontario households and businesses paid out more than $11.5 billion in a residual stranded-debt charge on their electricity bills. The outstanding balance is still over $2.5 billion.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2...ians-115b.html

[Ciel]

May 1 time of use rates when the times of use change and peak period is 11am to 5pm-18cent per kwh on weekdays.
http://www.ontarioenergyboard.ca/oeb...ces_Summer.pdf

Notices of Applications for various energy providers: http://www.ontarioenergyboard.ca/html/notice/index.cfm

[seylz_gurl]

Yep, course they sneak this on us in May. Looks like I turned my heat down during the night to no avail.

Its hurting business too private companies like Magna have stated they won't locate in Ontario because of our hydro rates. Ontario pays double what people pay in Manitoba and Quebec.

[Shwa Girl]

LOL you sometimes just can't win

Yes.
We can win.
Just join me at the library.
Ours opens up to 7 days per week

[walkonby]

sigh......well my DH was right! ( and I don't like to admit that ) but he predicted this long ago when I first started doing laundry in the night hours. He said. " o.k. so if everyone really tightens their belts and starts using less hydro, they ( Hydro ) are just going to increase rates to make up for that loss ". I figured he was just being negative and didn't want to start turning out lights and cooking at odd hours.
sigh.......

[Shwa Girl]

sigh......well my DH was right! ( and I don't like to admit that ) but he predicted this long ago when I first started doing laundry in the night hours. He said. " o.k. so if everyone really tightens their belts and starts using less hydro, they ( Hydro ) are just going to increase rates to make up for that loss ". I figured he was just being negative and didn't want to start turning out lights and cooking at odd hours.
sigh.......

You have a smart husband.

Some people wanted this government in, because Tim Hudak said he would save money by getting rid of 100000 jobs through retirements etc. But this government has gotten rid of way more than 100000 jobs. Very quietly.

They gave teachers secret bonuses for not striking. 10 million in bonuses, the press found out.

But this. To penalize people for doing good and not wasting energy - that's awful.

On a positive note, I found a library that has a fireplace with TV over the fireplace. There is a cafe on their second floor.

Hmmm.. maybe it will be cosy at the library.

So, I wonder what they will do when they see that our hydro rate for the summer is way less than the average person, because we 'live' at the library

[anisa]

I am up late doing dishes and laundry. I use valuable family time to do chores that should be done during the day. This is the reward?

eff you Hydro :p

[anisa]

I have long said that the TOU structure is discriminatory against families who have a stay at home person who use to be able to run the household while others were at school and work for the day.
Now household chores run into time that used to be family time.

The general public shouldn't have to support all the flaws in the system.

[SassyAshley]

Basically Hydro is saying we are screwed no matter what
We over use, we pay
We under use, we pay

It is not just families with someone who stays home effected. I work full time but hours do not work with TOU, I cannot come home and do what I need to do at home because of Hydro. So now I give up my weekends to sit at home and do all of these things I cannot do during the week. That is if you do not lose Hydro like we did yesterday and you sit here going we are off peak and I cannot do anything.

[anisa]

oh yeah, screwed any way you look at it lol

How do you win when the gov't does not give a flying poop?

[samm07]

Amen. I've been reading story after story of families and retired couples sitting in the dark because they need food and have to pick between hydro and groceries 😔 way to fail your residents Ontario.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Natalka]

I know I'm far away from you guys, but just so you have a form of comparison.
We get our electricity from the city, who gets it from SaskPower, which is a crown corporation.
Our latest increase was September.

We don't have time of day pricing.

We pay 14 cents/KWh
Service charge is .73 per day

Our last bill was 21.20 service charge, usage 512 KWh 71.12, GST 4.62 = $96.94
Two adults in a very small house.

There's an appliance usage chart midway down this page, I find it very interesting

https://www.saskatoon.ca/services-re...ectrical-rates