New Haven Independent

Posted by: Sheila | February 1, 2007 9:24 AM

Connecticut seems to be overrun with crooked agencies. In addition to the rate hikes UI has enacted, Metro North wants to charge a $1/ride surcharge in 2008 to help cover cost of repairs! I received my UI bill last week and the price increase wasn't a mere $50, but the entire bill doubled!! When calling UI they told me I could look forward to add'l rate hikes in April AND July - and they don't know what the rates will be then, but it can easily reach $.25/kwh Call your State Rep today! The state needs to step in immediately and further demand the resignation of the entire DPUC!

Posted by: Concerned Engineer | February 1, 2007 12:04 PM

Just to put things into perspective, what would happen if we asked UI executives to forfeit their $1,000,000 compensation packages and use it directly to lower the cost of electricity for consumers. UI sells about 6400 GigaWatt-hours of electricity each year. That comes to about .02 pennies per KWh. This would lower the average 700KWh bill by 1.4 pennies (out of a $110.00 power bill).

Everyone is so quick to start pointing fingers all over the place when they get a big bill. I'm not surprised that this movement has a lot of support, but guess what? You can re-regulate all you want, fire the DPUC or whatever but still, someone has to pay for the power we use. Major congestion problems through Fairfield are a component of this. Major fuel increases is a big component (oil went from $25/barrel to over $50 over this period). Major opposition to new generation capacity also shares the blame. But the big factor is the sticker shock caused by our Governor and Legislation ingoring a white elephant for 10 years. This forced an artificially low "standard offer" that no one could compete with.

A moritorium on price increases is pretty much what we've had since deregulation and all it's done is stifle competition.

We obviously need to make sure UI is not taking more profit than they should be -- after all, they are still completely regulated by the state. We also need to make sure generators are not gouging us. But in the end, costs have gone up and we are going to have high bills. We need to focus on decreasing demand by using less electricity. Period.

Posted by: Robert Frank | February 1, 2007 2:02 PM

The most important thing we can do this coming year is educate ourselves on the UI disasterous rate hike. In reading scores of news stories and blogs there appears to be a lot of dissappointment with the way CT's Citizens are treated these days. Lets face it, you, me, and everyone alike, has been (and continues to be) an awesome opportunity for big business to procure revenue on behalf of themselves and investors. In some cases we are the investors reaping the rewards of the misery big business pushes on others. A case in point is the staggering profits of Exxon Mobil and I assure you as I was cursing the Gas pump there were countless others who invested in Exxon that got their Gas money back in spades.

Unfortunately I do not believe UIL stock is going to show the same level of gratitude I would suggest that anybody and everybody who own UIL stock sell every penny of it and inform their friends and relatives to do the same. This is the best message we can send.

I believe that this rate increase is not because of anything, other than, recouping lost profit from an 18 Million dollar loss on UI's Xelcom nightmare, and pressure to get the "Filthy Five" back in business burning natural Gas. Gas delivered from a horrific LNG nightmare off the coast of West Haven.

Every one knows that gas burns cleaner hence resolving the coal burning pollution trouble of UI's "Filthy Five" problem. The massive rate hikes quite coincidentally erase their irresponsible losses on the Xelcom fiasco too perfectly.

The old CEO left pretty much in a hurry and the new guy Mr. Torgensen does not give a hoot about us the consumers. UI has offered nothing to the poorest of the poor so far. At the moment His entire day appears to be consumed battling politicians, arbitrating down UI's employees, and counting wall street profit. The only time we, the CT consumer, are ever thought of is when we fail to afford our electric and the power is shut off.

As a small business owner I just opened a little company called the ComputerFox right here in Milford Ct on New Haven ave. and I cannot tell you how every penny counts in starting a business. Up front losses are expected but thanks to UI's 50% rate hike for commercial locations I am quite certain that that my growth plans are being impacted.

The consensus of many of my collegues at the chamber of commerce is that business is becomming more and more challenging in CT. I can only hope that some one sees that the aggregate carelessness of utilities, taxation, insurance, and services directly impact the already micro-wage economy that we have built.

The problem goes full circle in that the same underpaid people just return to your business and force small business to either collect less or nothing. Blumenthal is correct in calling UI'S rate hike a "Tsunami" I see it more as the "final nail in the coffin" of New Haven as well as the modern harbinger furthering the spread of poverty. It would appear that the BIC corporation closed its plant just in time. I fear Sikorski will move out of state next taking dictaphone with it. This newspaper, I believe, will also be impacted as many small businesses who advertise in it will have to chose between fewer ads or power.

The only good news I see in the distant future is that Deregulation may be accelerated and new companies will be offering competitive rates, however Gov. Rell says that she see's no short term solution in sight due to UI's contract obligations. For now we may all have to buy more efficient light bulbs and use less power. Keep CT in your prayers.

Robert J. Frank
ComputerFox
www.computerfox.com

Posted by: Cedar Hill Resident | February 1, 2007 4:10 PM

That is the plan for the weekend light bulb shopping (how sad)
mine went up about $50.00 but that was with conserving, if I did not conserve I would of been in worse shape.

I told my kids blue jeans were invented so you would not have to wash them with every use!!! towels need to be reused hang them on the door rack to dry. We do not need all 5 TV's on at the same time you are playing video games and chatting on the computer with your stereos playing and please stop letting the the man in the spaceship use an extension cord to charge his dang craft!! Because we live in Connecticut!!!

Posted by: ComputerFox | February 15, 2007 1:38 PM

Some interesting facts I learned from MSN

CT out of 50 States CT has the 3rd highest Property taxes.

CT out of 50 States Has the 2nd Lowest Economic Growth.

CT out of 50 States Now has the 2nd highest Electric Rates in the U.S.