Maritime Electric challenge offers break on customers' bills
JIM DAY The Guardian
Brenna Mae Howatt is joined by Watty as they watch one of the commercials advertising the Maritime Electric Winter Challenge. Winter Challenge is an energy efficiency program that rewards customers for electricity conservation during December. Guardian photo
Maritime Electric has come up with a program that should brighten the spirit of customers looking for a break in their electricity bill.
The utility announced Monday it will give customers a 10 per cent credit on their February or March 2010 bill if they use at least 10 per cent less this December than they did last December.
In addition to a combined savings of 20 per cent or more, customers can also qualify to win one of five grand prizes: Maritime Electric paying your bill for one year (up to a maximum of $1,800).
Residential customers can register now at www.maritimeelectric.com to be part of Winter Challenge. Customers must be a Maritime Electric residential customer living in the same home since Dec. 1, 2008, to be eligible to participate.
Maritime Electric CEO Fred O’Brien expects 50 to 60 per cent of customers to take part in the challenge.
In 2008, the company test
piloted Winter Challenge with more than 600 residential customers.
Almost half of participants met the challenge with most successful participants reducing their consumption by 21 per cent.
Participants reported doing simple things like turning off lights and electronics.
“Winter Challenge is a great opportunity for our customers to learn how they can save electricity in their homes, with achievable targets to help them save,” said O’Brien.
He hopes the challenge will lead in Islanders adopting energy-saving practices year-round.
An advertising blitz began Monday to encourage customers to participate in the challenge.
What does Maritime Electric have to gain from customers using less energy?
Quite a bit, says O’Brien.
He says the utility has to purchase its power from sources such as Point Lepreau and Quebec.
The cost of that purchase is passed on to the consumer so the more it costs Maritime Electric, the more it’s going to cost Islanders.
Sixty per cent of the money Maritime Electric spends is to buy electricity.
The rest of its money goes to costs such as poles and trucks.
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Bud from Charlottetown, PEI writes: This is alot of good to a person who was away last December but what should you expect from Maritime electric. I spent about 3 months in the hospital last year & my light bill went up over 30%. What does that tell you?
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reality check from PEI writes: People only change when impacted financially.
Identify how much every customer - residential and industrial and commercial and institutional - needs to save... say 25%.
So then you adjust the billing to provide current power rates for 75% of the KWh they purchase and then make that last 25% of KWh dramatically higher. Say a rate of 10 times the rate per KWh below 75%.
They'll change and find ways to conserve once they realize how expensive it is to continue with the status quo.
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Polly from PE writes: What do ME expect us to do, start living by candlelight? My electric bill went from $85 in November to $176 in Dec. last year! When I called them in Jan. to find out why the big hike, they couldn't explain it! I use LED lights inside and out and a clothes drying rack. That is such a joke that the rest of the money goes to costs such as poles and trucks and how about a Fortis 9.5% dividend to shareholders, guess Freddy boy forgot to mention that one! Not only do we pay the highest electric rate in the country, they gough us with over $300 a year in service charge, for what service?
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Debbie Reid from Charlottetown, PEI writes: Last winter ME randomly selected a limited number of residental customers from across PEI to participate in Winter Challenge. Unless you received an invitation from ME you could not participate. What they did not tell you was (accordinig to last years challenge) was Each participant must have their meter read by ME in NOVEMBER and DECEMBER and in JANUARY (the period between monthly meter readings is hereinafter referred to as a meter reading period). The partipants historical meter readings from NOVEMBER and DECEMBER and from JANUARY will also be used.
I registered and participated in the ME Winter Challenge last year (Dec 2008) where they compared your previous years bill (Dec 2007). I for one keep all my bills and on Dec 07 my KWH/Day was four. On Dec 08 my KWH/Day was two. So to me that indicated that I had met the challenge. No so!! So read the fine print before you take the challenge or take the challenge and be told that you do not qualify.
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Juke Streudel from Charlottetown, PEI writes: So Maritime electric moves in with the good guy PR machine on energy conservation complete with prizes and a photo of a youngster and a happy looking moose.
Conservation is a laudable goal but for most Islanders the cost of electricity has become a major problem, many people chosing between warm homes and properly fed children.
Mariitme Electric truly has a lot of gall, maintaining the highest rates in the country for years while conspriring with Ghiz, Brown, and co. on mysterious, unseen strategies ranging from exploiting our wind resource right through to a possible behind the scens deal to sell out to Hydro Quebec. As is the case with most mergers and acquisitions the hot shot executives focus their energies on where they are going to land and how they are going to benefit, and roll out nice little PR distractions.
And our elected government stumbles along with them, Premier Ghiz looking dazed and confused during the Quebec take over of NB Power last week and this week still not admitting to Islanders what he is really up to.
Oh well Islanders, we may be losing control of what could have been our salvation- an increasingly viable aleternative to fossil fuels in our common wind resource.
But we have prizes, and a photo of a youngster and a nice moose.
PEI- a state sponsored rube factory!
That may have to be shortened for the license plates, replacing the now defunct Canada's Green Province.
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shurting from Charlottetown, PE writes: This a great effort on the part of Maritime Electric to reduce energy consumption and there is nothing like a contest to arouse the interest of customers, especially when we think we might win! I wonder though, how much incentive are we providing those customers who have always been energy conscious? Should they be left out of the equation because they have always been concerned with energy consumption. Also notice ME has justified the high cost of energy by the fact that they have to buy from Point Lepreau and Quebec (one and the same soon). This justification only highligths the need for the Island government to create our own energy consortium. Time to amend the Electrical Act and allow others to sell energy on PEI...shut down the monoply ME now enjoys. They now have a pretty good deal. Buy the energy whereever, add on our cost and 9% guaranteed rate of return and voila...the customer pays. I am betting that once Quebec Hydro takes over NB Power they will increase the rates until the force ME out of the market and then move into the Island. You can rest assured our government will do nothing to stop it...to many pockets to line. Better be nice to Danny Williams...we will need an alternative. Monopolies are not good for the customer at any time.
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where's IRAC or ALC? from PEI writes: mmm.... seems as if this is a rate adjustment. Doesn't IRAC have to be involved? Oh, wait, it's a contest. Wonder if the lottery commission is happy about that!
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D from PE writes: Thats a lot of good.....We use 10% less and then they give us the 10% back? Jees I could use 10% less and get that off the bill anyways....what a joke!
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garth from PEI writes: Lets say YES to conserving energy and NO to being ripped of by maritime electric and the select few that benifit financially on the backs of their FELLOW ISLANDERS.
No doubt most are from within the govt, and THAT is why there is no way on gods green earth it will ever change !!!! Think about that people !!
ONLY ON P.E.I. MR GHIZ !!!!
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oh my from god writes: who is speaking for maritime electric scroge or mybe the grinch.this is bs when other electric companys make there way here you guys will be bankrupt sam as island tell when other phone companys got here offering better rates then they started so not to many years left befor another company steps in the the boycott will start. blackmailers
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Dick Buttkiss from Charlottetown, PE writes: Is this the best Maritime Electric could do as far as giving people a break on their electric bills??? Pretty pathetic if you ask me!!! Drop the rates year round to something close to what the rest of Canada is paying and then we'll have something to talk about. No matter what way you look at it, the private shareholders at Maritime Electric are still making millions of dollars and robbing the people of PEI for a shotty service. Blaming squirrals for drops in service and people having as many as 4 or 5 service drops a month that can last an hour or more.....thats pathetic.
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Black Out from PEI writes: Quite the challenge. Next thing we know there will be black out periods after 10pm.... oh wait - the lights already dim after 10pm..... and with no warning at all when the moon is high and literally no wind at all - the lights go out!! Power bursts like that potentially damage every piece of power driven electronics people own. Makes you want to go back to candlelight and wood burning stoves!
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Wow from pe writes: It's great to see the mascot, Cut-Off-Your- Power Moose, can make the journey all the way from Newfoundland! Gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling that ME/Fortis is really a much nicer company than they pretend to be. I wonder if the moose travels to Belize as well, where Fortis charges high power rates as well...?
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Alot too little too late from PEI writes: NOT INTERESTED!
Try again ME......
But doubt anything at this point will make you any friends on PEI ! Unless you'd be willing to pay my $6500. Electric Bill which is over 60% of what it actually should be given our life style and energy saving practices!
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I did it from Stratford, PEI writes: I received an invitation last year.
I was successful in reducing my consumption by 10% as well.
But what was utter deception by ME is that they ESTIMATED my January bill by over 15% from last year's total and deducted 10% as a gift to me.
So where did I save?
I would soon er get cash in hand....even if only a few dollars...then ME to put the screws to me yet again.
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Dick Buttkiss from Charlottetown, PE writes: I like the little side note at the bottom of the article.
Sixty per cent of the money Maritime Electric spends is to buy electricity. The rest of its money goes to costs such as poles and trucks.
So 60% is buying electricity and the rest is going towards poles and trucks is it??? I'd say 5% is going towards poles and trucks and the other 35% is going into the pockets of the private shareholders who are laughing all the way to the bank.
Why can't they just tell the truth for once and be honest about where the money is going. We pay the highest prices in Canada, the least they can do is be honest about where out money is going! Its going towards luxury homes, fancy vehicles, trips around the world and whatever else these private shareholders want to spend it on. At least put a picture in with our bill once in a while to show us how much fun these people are having with our money.
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BS from PE writes: Lets find a way for every Islander to shut their power off for one day.
'ME' would be scrambling then, and I bet they would lose profits for that day to.
Lets make it Dec 6, 2009. The Day all Islander's say, Kiss my #$% Maritime Electric.
They want power to be saved....lets give it to them.
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pooh, pooh, pooh from pe writes: This is unreal!-a 9.5% dividends company offering this poohy scheme to soften us by false pretense. What politician(S) are going to stand up and be counted? Where is the business community who's always saying we can't affort wage increases(can't compete) in attracting business to p.e.i. but say nothing when electricity rates compared to our sister provinces are 5-6 cents more per kilowatt. Again, I ask where are the politicians who will stand up right away and fight to change this robbery? I'm and others are looking for them now and not waiting for the next campaign.
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God is your judge from PE writes: ME put a spin on everything but really their words are as incomprehensible as the spokes kid on the TV commercials.
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Hey Polly from pe writes: Maybe it's the grow-op in your basement.
If you can't sell your weed for more than the power needed to grow it, stop growing.
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Moose Licence from PEI writes: Anyone got a moose licence yet? When is the season? Is it December?
Isn't that adorable. What does a moose and a little kid have to do with power rates? I even had a voice message on my phone about this 'contest'. I already conserve energy and no contest could make me use less. If I cut back more, then I would bath in cold water, use only candle light, and stop doing laundry. This kind of PR is offensive to people who are already conscious of energy savings.
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Head Shaker from pe writes: Offensive is thrown out too often.
If you already conserve, this is probably not meant to be aimed at you. Objectively, I don't see how a message aimed at people who aren't conserving to suggest they do can be offensive to people who already conserve.
It is like saying that a campaign to fight obesity is offensive to thin people.
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Old Tory from P.E.I. writes: I still say that we should throw ME(Fortis) out of here and take over the utility thus obtaining sovereignty over our electricity. No state should allow the private sector to make a profit off infrastructure on the backs of its citizens. We sure don't want to end up like New Brunswickers who have been sold out to Quebec by their premier. We need a Danny Williams to lead the Tories in the next election so we can turf Ghiz and Fortis.
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spell it as it is from pei writes: Its nauseating when adult based compamies use kids to promote their wares just as it is to use kids in picket lines, adult protests etc imo
Its nauseating when kids are used in grown up advertising speaking like little adults and its just nauseating period.
The little girl should be in kids commercials. Nothing against her. Just stop using kids to try and soften adults . ugh
It probably wont make us love Maritime Electric anymore.
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Here's a Challenge for ME from PEI writes: LOWER ISLANDERS' ELECTRIC RATES 15% BEFORE JANUARY 2010 SO WE CAN PAY THE SAME AS NB IS PAYING
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