Consumer Group Calls Out Inaccurate Electricity Study

Woman raising hand to speak

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) President David Holt released the following statement in response to a recent report released in New England by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) on electric and natural gas energy delivery:

“Rarely do you see such biased and misleading information paraded around as an authoritative ‘report.’ Natural gas and electricity markets work in a very straightforward way, so either the authors aren’t familiar with how electricity and natural gas markets work, or this was a cynical ploy by an anti-development group to make an unsupported accusation, in an increasingly one-sided conversation.

“All prices and rates charged by utilities are strictly regulated by officials at state public service commissions. The cost of energy is navigated through a process where it is approved by officials made with public input. Natural gas providers are obligated by regulators to provide 24/7 reliable service to all residential customers and other business or industrial customers who have contracted for guaranteed “firm” service – even during times where demand is high or where there are unpredictable weather conditions.

“The real victims are families, small businesses, and those living on fixed-incomes struggling to make ends meet in New England who have to pay the highest residential electric rates in the Continental United States – largely due to actions by those who have opposed new, upgraded, and expanded energy delivery systems at every turn.

“New England’s independent grid regulator, ISO New England, has been on record numerous times warning the public about the lack of adequate pipeline infrastructure, the amount or energy needed to meet local demand, and bottlenecks on high demand days – especially as the region has relied more on natural gas. If EDF is really concerned about the prices consumers are paying for electricity and home heating, they should do better to come to the table with realistic solutions that could help ease the situation they’ve helped create in the region.

“It’s long past time New England’s policymakers and the public stop listening to groups with an agenda that only puts families and businesses in further financial hardship – especially those trying to cover up their role in creating sky-high energy bills.”

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About Consumer Energy Alliance
Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) brings together families, farmers, small businesses, distributors, producers and manufacturers to support America’s energy future. With more than 450,000 members nationwide, our mission is to help ensure stable prices and energy security for households across the country. We believe energy development is something that touches everyone in our nation, and thus it is necessary for all of us to actively engage in the conversation about how we develop our diverse energy resources and energy’s importance to the economy. Learn more at ConsumerEnergyAlliance.org.

Contact:
Emily Haggstrom
P: 720-582-0242
ehaggstrom@consumerenergyalliance.org

5 Common Energy Saving Mistakes

Man adjusting the temperature on the thermostat of his house

1Skimping on Home Insulation Products

If you want to save energy and money in your household, don’t make the mistake of purchasing insulation products that that are made with inferior materials. The best choice for a strong home insulation product in most conditions is blown-in cellulose or spray foam insulation. Savvy contractors know to avoid purchasing rolled and batted insulation as a cheap alternative. Rolls and batts can make installation faster and easier for the inexperienced. However, these lower quality choices do not compete with blown-in cellulose and spray foam insulation in long term energy savings.

2Not Taking Advantage of Energy Efficient Light Bulbs

Energy efficient lightbulbs can be a lifesaver for households that want to better conserve energy. Although they can sometimes cost more upfront, with time they save consumers a significant amount of money. Energy efficient light bulbs make major impact on efficiency and cost. Energy efficient lightbulbs require at least 75 percent less energy, a significant improvement on incandescent bulbs. If you want to save energy like a seasoned expert, you should consider replacing any standard light bulbs in your home as soon as possible. The sooner you switch, the more you save!

3Failing to Shut Off Lights and Computers

We live in an increasingly digital world, and it’s common for people to keep their desktop and laptop computers running day and night. Personal electronics are responsible for a large part of wasted energy. If you want to save yourself from excessive energy bills every month, take the time to shut down your computers and unplug chargers from the wall when they’re not in use. A small amount of effort can go a long way for people who are serious about smart energy conservation strategies. It’s just as important to switch lights off when they’re not in use as well. Keeping the lights on when you’re not around is a total waste. It only takes a second to shut a light off, too.

4Avoiding the Benefits of Natural Light

Natural light can be great for your health and creates a beautiful full spectrum glow inside your home. If you want to save more energy, one of the first things you can do is make use of natural light sources. Skylights can give you the freedom to turn off the lights and the power meter during most daylight hours. Consider installing extra windows in locations that require more illumination for a permanent fix. Like skylights, a spare window can make artificial lighting totally unnecessary when it’s bright outside. Natural light has important and overlooked health, environmental, and financial benefits, and can provide extra warmth in the winter months as well.

5Dismissing Routine Residential Energy Audits

Residential energy audits can be an invaluable resource for households that want to save on energy. If you want to find out exactly how you can boost the energy efficiency of your home or business, nothing will beat the insight a professional energy audit can offer. A residential energy auditor can evaluate your property to determine the best way to strengthen your energy efficiency. If you want to go the extra mile and figure out what you should do to limit energy prices in your home or business, an energy audit will give you clear guidance. Saving energy doesn’t have to be hard, and these tips will make saving money easy. If you want to steer clear of typical energy mistakes, stay focused and be proactive!

CEA Working for Fair Solar Metering in Pueblo, Colorado

Rooftop Solar

Last year, Colorado ranked 11th of all states for installed solar capacity – which is excellent progress. This progress has been achieved by the hard work and dedication of policymakers in finding a successful balance between reliable, affordable power with clean air, water, and land. Based on the PUC’s 2016 decision to start “Phase II” of this docket, our state is at a critical crossroads to set ourselves up for a vibrant renewable energy future – particularly in the Pueblo area where families and businesses live with a higher than average electricity rate.

To CEA’s members, that means we can do better, and we need to look for policy solutions that do better because the status quo is not working. While it is not perfect, the proposed tiered energy usage rate at hand may be a step in the right direction to ensuring that solar continues to grow, that the grid remains strong, and that families and businesses have access to fair, affordable power.

The key tenets of the proposal are set out to achieve one very basic goal – they seek to advance solar while making electricity rates fair for all consumers by preventing cost shifting. CEA believes that this proposal asks solar families to pay for the costs of the solar systems they chose to purchase, while helping to maintain the grid for solar and non-solar customers alike, and keeping electricity prices fair for all.

“Black Hills offering people a way to conserve and be efficient–that is something solar providers and those who use solar energy should be proud of–is saving and conserving,” said Emily Haggstrom, with Consumer Energy Alliance. “The allocation is something we look at to make sure all customer classes are treated fairly. In other words, they’re paying their fair share of the cost,” said Black Hills VP of Operations Vance Crocker, who has been with BHE for about a month. “As you invest in the grid, those costs do go up,” Crocker later explained to News 5. “And you see those costs going up nationwide, not just with Black Hills Energy,” he added.

Watch the Video – KOAA News 5

Energy & Pipelines Help Make Everything Around You

Larimer Street in Denver Colorado

CEA’s Chief Operating Officer, Andrew Browning, explains the important role pipeline infrastructure plays in every sector of Colorado’s economy. Pipelines work invisibly beneath our feet, fueling the economic activity that powers our daily lives. Every routine habit relies on consistent and affordable energy access, and there is no safer or more efficient solution than pipelines.

Without conventional energy and its accompanying pipeline infrastructure, many Colorado-made necessities, like the plastic used in manufacturing skis and snowboards, plus the electricity used to power ski lifts, wouldn’t exist. We also wouldn’t have locally-grown, fresh foods from Colorado’s 37,000-plus farmers who need electricity generated by natural gas to operate their vast irrigation systems. They also need pipelines to funnel the fuel needed to power farming equipment and delivery trucks. Per statistics, 99.999 percent of energy moved through pipelines safely reaches its destination. Conversely, opposing pipelines would increase vehicular traffic, air emissions and the chances of an accident or spill.

Read More – The Denver Post

The Top 5 Stories This Week in The Energy Industry

energy

Top Five Stories in Energy This Week

In the wake of the devastating 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season, Americans are not only paying more at the pump; they are facing a higher overall cost of living. The uptick in fuel prices has finally broken through the low inflation period that the U.S. Federal Reserve has been closely following in recent years. As long as fuel prices continue to climb, economists believe that inflation will follow suit at a gradual pace, thereby prompting retailers and utilities to increase prices on goods and services.

As climate systems in the tropics begin to settle down and the cold fronts start to make their way across the Plains and throughout the United States, household heating bills are a concern, particularly since the price of heating fuels is expected to climb gradually this fall and winter; for this reason, many Americans are turning to the Nest Learning Thermostat system, which has been proven to reduce annual heating and cooling costs by an average of 30 percent. Depending on the furnace system, the Nest Learning Thermostat can be installed on a DIY basis.

Switching from a fuel-only car to a hybrid or electric vehicle is not within the reach of most American drivers. Fuel efficiency and ultra-low emissions come at cost; in terms of dollars and sense, it is cheaper for a small family to purchase a Toyota Yaris than a Toyota Prius. The enthusiasm projected by Tesla owners has not been as infectious as environmentalists would like; however, some analysts believe that more affordable electric cars are right around the corner. According to a recent CNBC report, automakers are preparing to lower manufacturing costs of electric vehicles for the purpose of passing on savings to car buyers by the year 2020.

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by nearly two dozen North Dakota landowners who alleged the developer of the Dakota Access oil pipeline and a consultant used deceit and fraud to acquire private land easements for the project. In North Dakota, U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland in a ruling dated Tuesday sided with a subsidiary of Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners and Contract Land Staff, a land acquisition consulting business also based in that state. The two companies disputed that the landowners had any valid claims, and Hovland also found their arguments lacking.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt could help the U.S. make a significant dent in emissions of carbon dioxide if he were to start a sincere effort to replace the Obama-era Clean Power Plan with a more modest regulation, experts say. Pruitt in announcing his intent to repeal the Clean Power Plan this week said the Obama administration had exceeded its legal authority in creating the Clean Power Plan, the centerpiece of former President Barack Obama’s plan to battle climate change.

 

More Americans Are Living in Energy Poverty

Americans in Energy Poverty

For Americans living near or below the poverty line, basic necessities like electric power can break a budget. In some jurisdictions, landlords can evict tenants for unpaid utility bills and social services can take away children. For some American families, energy poverty can strike first and push them into complete financial poverty, leaving their children and grandchildren at a disadvantage.

Over 900,000 families lost power in Texas alone last summer because of unpaid utility bills, almost triple the number from a decade ago. California broke their previous record last year with 714,000 homes losing electricity, as the average price for residential power rose 18 percent between 2007 and 2016. Millions of families across the United States live in energy poverty, and desperately need affordable power. At Consumer Energy Alliance, we believe that an all-of-the-above energy policy is the key to ensuring reliable power is available to everyone who needs it. Learn how we can make energy more affordable to Americans in poverty.

“It’s indicative of an economy that’s still recovering,” said Katrina Metzler, executive director of the National Energy and Utility Affordability Coalition in Washington. “Underemployment is still common, and many families live paycheck to paycheck.” About 10 percent to 15 percent of people who are disconnected never get reconnected, according to the Utility Reform Network, a San Francisco-based consumer group also known as TURN.

While the U.S. jobless rate fell to a 16-year low of 4.2 percent last month — compared with 10 percent in 2009 — many Americans are struggling. Forty-four percent of adults told the Federal Reserve Board of Governors last year that they wouldn’t be able to cover a surprise $400 expense or would have to sell something or borrow to raise the money.

Read More – Bloomberg

Keystone XL Is a Must-have for Nebraska — and Its Farmers

Older farmer on a tractor

Executive Vice President of Consumer Energy Alliance, Michael Whatley, appeared in the Grand Island Independent news to discuss the benefits of pipeline infrastructure, particularly for Nebraskans working in the agriculture industry. Recent USDA studies have shown that some farmers spend more than a third of their budget on energy costs. Pipelines like the Keystone XL reduce costs for farmers, and the environment.

Bottom-line: Energy is a necessity for farmers. So is having the means to transport it cost-effectively. Keystone XL would help do both. The safety record of pipelines demonstrates why Keystone XL – slated to be built with high-strength carbon steel and state-of-the-art spill and mitigation technology – would be an environmental benefit. So, too, does its economic marks. That’s why it’s important that the Nebraska Public Service Commission do the right thing and approve it.

Read More – The Grand Island Independent

Federal Regulators Approve Two Major East Coast Pipelines

Team of Construction Workers

With the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regaining their quorum, energy infrastructure projects are again being approved after rigorous environmental and technical review processes take place.  Construction will begin soon on two projects which will inject over $8.5 billion into local communities across the East Coast and put thousands of Americans to work.

Federal regulators on Friday approved two major natural gas pipelines for construction on the East Coast, a move heralded by business leaders and condemned by environmentalists. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission granted approvals for the Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast pipelines, according to The Associated Press.

Read more – The Hill

Why You Should Vote “YES” for Louisiana’s Constitutional Amendment #1

Vote Yes on Louisiana Amendment 1

Voting YES on Amendment 1 is saying YES to jobs in Louisiana

Voting yes to Constitutional Amendment #1 on Saturday means voting yes on jobs, families and the economy in Louisiana. That’s because Amendment #1 would prohibit the assessment of property taxes on all projects during their construction.

Such a tax would be a time killer – or worse, project killer – for industries dependent on construction, the lifeblood of our economy. That includes ports, shipyards and much-needed infrastructure expansions like pipelines and transmission lines, all of which small businesses need to keep costs low and remain profitable. Consumers need them even more.

Consider how energy costs impact those less well-off. Per reports, the 938,000 households in Louisiana with incomes under $50,000 – about 55 percent of all households – spent, on average, 17 percent of their take-home income on utility and gasoline bills in 2015. The 606,000 households earning less than $30,000 before taxes spent an even larger percentage, 23 percent. Both are far higher than the six percent experts deem affordable.

The antidote is obvious: Expand energy production and its adjoining infrastructure, especially in a state recently labeled the nation’s largest energy consumer per capita. But both are either far-fetched or long-term scenarios if more taxes are added on.

That brings us back to Constitutional Amendment #1: It’s a winner. Constitutional Amendment #1 provides certainty to every business seeking to invest money and create jobs in Louisiana by ensuring it’s not targeted with a new, unexpected property tax bill. If it fails, new construction projects will be in danger of moving forward slothfully or not at all. That includes the energy infrastructure projects that low-income households need to make ends meet.

Colorado Senators Debate Energy Policy at the Energy & Manufacturing Forum

Colorado Energy & Manufacturing Forum 2017

U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, a Republican, and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat, on Tuesday spoke to a group of local executives at the Colorado Energy and Manufacturing Forum, organized by the Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) and Colorado Business Roundtable’s (COBRT) and held at the History Colorado Museum near downtown.

“Today in Washington they’re dismantling the Clean Power Plan,” Bennet said, referring to the plan that sought to cut carbon emissions from the nation’s power sector. “I don’t believe it’s a great idea because I believe it’s the most significant thing he [Obama] did on climate change, it’s rational and Colorado would have no trouble meeting the standards. It would have created jobs in the US., just as the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act did, both of which were signed by Republican presidents, not Democrats,” Bennet said.

Gardner, in contrast, hailed the move, saying he was troubled by the Clean Power Plan because “it was an executive order, and wasn’t done through legislation.”

Read More – Denver Business Journal