On Dec 6, 2:33*am, "Pete C." wrote:
David Nebenzahl wrote:

On 12/5/2008 9:07 PM Pete C. spake thus:

scorpster wrote:

Based on my most recent Nov electric bill, my CA rate is 20¢ per kWh. *A big
reason for the inflated rate is the ridiculous Tier 1, 2, 3, 4 structure
where they put me in Tier 4 even though our 4-person household is already
very efficient with our energy use. *I think Tier 1 and 2 is reserved for
singles living in apartments.

I feel like I am being ripped off because of
the coal and fossil fuel-loving nuclear-haters.

You are, in part, but the mock "deregulation" CA tried to pull also
backfired badly.

There was nothing "mock" about it--and by the bye, we have a California
Democrat, Steve Peace*, to thank for that disastrous deregulation that
left us open to the depredations of Enron, et al. (See "The Smartest
Kids in the Room" for the full story.)

* Not to mention the deposed Gov. Gray Davis, also a Democrat.

It was indeed "mock" deregulation as in typical CA fashion, they tried
to lock consumer utility rates while making the utilities absorb all
risk from fluctuation in the energy markets.

Here in Texas deregulation is legitimate and we have a wide array of
supplier choices and rates that are pretty midrange relative to other
states. We can even select a 100% wind generation source if we want for
a few cents more per kwh. Of course given the intermittent generation of
wind, we're still dependent on other generation technologies to fill in
the gaps, the primary drawback of wind generation, but they claim 100%
wind on an equivalent KWH basis at any rate.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I would have to question just how legitimate the deregulation is in
Texas. Yes, it has been deregulated to the point that you have
options to choose from more than one provider but the way they have
setup the system, it really doesn't provide for true competition. The
base rates are still set based on the cost structure of natural gas
even though more cost effective fuels are used for much of the
generation. Most of the providers are actually resellers who buy on
bulk rates and resell to consumers. Several have gone under during
the last year because they were buying on the spot market and the
price they were paying was well above what they were charging. True
deregulation will only come when there is true competition in the
generation of power.