Oncor attempts to soothe customers
Posted On: Thursday, Feb. 11 2010 05:05 AM
By Jade Ortego
Killeen Daily HeraldAn open house meant to address increasing concerns about high electric bills was held by Oncor Electric Delivery Wednesday, assuaging the fears of at least a few residents, many of whom already go without heat to reduce their energy usage.
Many residents brought their bills with them to the open house to ask about charges that tripled or quadrupled from November to December, soon after the installation of new "smart" meters.
The meeting was held, at least in part, to show residents that there is not a cause-and-effect relationship between the new meters and the cost of electricity, said Oncor spokesperson Catherine Cuellar.
The goal was also to teach residents about energy conservation, Cuellar said.
Oncor representatives led residents around displays that showed the effects types of light bulbs and insulation could make on energy usage. A presentation showed the relative amount of electricity used by household appliances. Space heaters, Cuellar said, are even less energy efficient than hair dryers.
Other displays showed how to go online and compare the rates of different providers available in the area.
Bill counselors spoke to people about their charges. The counselors were armed with a usage report that showed in some cases that high bills corresponded to increased use of electricity, sometimes four times as much in December as November, with both the new and old meters.
"What caused the high usage were the cold temperatures, and many days of it. Every degree that you raise your thermostat can raise your bill 5 percent," Cuellar said.
Some customers, however, had lower usage in December than the previous month. Oncor encouraged them to shop around for different providers with better rates.
"Paying 13 to 14 cents per kilowatt hour is like paying $5 per gallon of gas. Switching from 13 to nine cents, that can take a third off your bill," Cuellar said.
Elizabeth Melvin of Killeen said her bill was the same last month as it was over the summer, and she keeps her heat off, she said.
"My usage is lower so it's obviously an issue with my provider," Melvin said. "Now I need to look at who my provider is and be a little smarter in that area."
Cherie Williams, whose bill quadrupled from November to December, said that she would be taking several measures to prevent it from happening again.
Williams, of Killeen, is planning to have companies go to her house to inspect her ventilation, heat pump and indoor heater, and she has already replaced her thermostat with a digital one.
Not everyone was satisfied with the information Oncor presented, however, and left still convinced the new meters were the problem.
Suzanne Meller of Killeen said her bill went from about $200 to $1,092 from one month to the next, though she used less electricity the second month.
"(Oncor) told me to talk to TXU (Energy), and TXU told me to talk to Oncor. I'm just getting the runaround, and I can't afford to pay $1,000," she said.
Contact Jade Ortego at
jortego@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7553. Follow her on Twitter at KDHcourts.