Regarding Joe Fries story FortisBC claims two-tiered electricity rates working as intended published in the Western News on Dec. 22, 2014:
Wow. Reminds me of the navy policy that the beatings will continue until the morale improves.
What’s wrong with two-tier is the unfairness of the policy. Only those who have gas heat can consider this OK. Since the majority of the people heat with gas it should be obvious that they can conserve electricity.
Those of us with even high-efficiency heat pumps are punished for simply having some heat. We live with the semi-tropical daytime temperature of 18.5 C and a night time (6 p.m. to 7 a.m.) of 16.5 C.
The BCUC office is snug and warm. Guess what? They heat with gas, I know as I have been in their building on Howe Street in Vancouver.
They have listened to the complaints and we the people are still awaiting some relief. I have little faith at this point. Will they surprise me?
All of this started with the Campbell Liberal government and the carbon reduction policy. Two-tier was implemented for electric consumption. Why no tiering of gas use, or gasoline and diesel consumption? At least then we would all fare equally and bear the pain collectively.
Picking on electric heat consumers is causing depravation not conservation. We all agree that conservation is a good thing. However, it must be applied fairly. With two-tier we have made heating ones home a luxury. Come on guys this is Canada and we have winter even in Fortisland.
There are many solutions. Separate rates for electric heat customers or some other fair idea.
I would have natural gas at my home in a heartbeat. It is however, not available. We are on a well, so every litre we use is pumped up by an electric pump. We are a complete electric household and our non-heat and non-air conditioned house uses approximately 1400 kW hours per billing period. Wow we have 200 kW hours to heat our home before the gouging second rate kicks in.
The B.C. Government and their servants the BCUC have thrown all electric heating customers under the bus. All of our energy star equipment in the world won’t make this policy fair. We conserve and can do no more except pay and pay and pay!
Seniors and those who are ill need a decently heated house. When we built our home 19 years ago it was cheaper to heat with electricity than with gas and we put in the necessary electric heat infrastructure. Why just three or four years ago the various governments were giving out big dollar grants for folks to install electric heat pumps. I bet those folks are really happy now that they have gouge rates when they use their systems.
I do not agree that the tier system works fairly. Furthermore, no one in Fortis world is paying less. In 1996 we paid $5.121 cents per kW hour.
It will be $9.42 cents and $14.02 cents on Jan. 1 , 2015. This is progress?
James McGinnigle
Oliver
