Ravi Seethapathy’s Post

Would a Income-Graduated Fixed Charge violate California's Constitution because the charge approved by the CPUC exceeds the reasonable costs of providing the service or product? Would a Income-Graduated Fixed Charge constitute a utility tax requiring statewide voter approval? In 2010 voters added article XIII C of the California Constitution, which requires local and regional governmental entities to secure voter approval for new or increased taxes (Cal. Const., art. XIII C, § 2, subds. (b)-(d)) and defines taxes broadly to include any charges imposed by those entities unless they fall into one of seven enumerated exceptions (id., art. XIII C, § 1, subd. (e)). The second of these exceptions covers charges for services or products that do not exceed reasonable costs. (Id., art. XIII C, § 1, subd. (e)(2).)

Important signal from Governor Newsom on utility rates. As one example, Gridium customers have seen Pacific Gas and Electric Company rates climb 75% in just four years! Key drivers here are massive wildfire expenses, the commissions own tortuous reforms on reliability and continued distribution investments to decarbonize. Public benefit programs mentioned in the order are a scant 7% of total spending and haven't substantially moved in a decade. I'm hopeful this is the beginning of the end of using the utility system as a public policy funding grab bag. Its regressive to low income ratepayers, bad for business, and toxic to the fuel switching economics we need to drive gas out of residential space and water heating. https://lnkd.in/ggZxjiaT

From the 1st of July, the new price cap will be reduced to £1,568 per year for a typical dual-fuel household that pays their bills via direct debit. This represents a significant decrease of £122 from the current £1,690 price cap. Households should take a metre reading this week to prevent energy companies from inaccurately estimating their energy consumption and overcharging them. https://lnkd.in/g-CiK7MH If you are a householder living in Perth and Kinross, why not ask your local free energy expert, The HEAT Project, for advice? We provide free home energy advice throughout Perth and Kinross. • Heating and hot water advice • Supply+tariff switching • Condensation+dampness • Renewable technologies • Keep your home warm in the winter • Saving you money https://lnkd.in/d_YYSXg #meterread #energyprice #energybills #savingenergy #energyefficient

My Energy Institute blog post today digs into the data to look at who will actually see bill increases and decreases under California's just-adopted income-graduated fixed charge and associated reduction in volumetric electricity price when/if it goes into effect in 2025 or 2026. https://lnkd.in/gED9Fak9

Good, factual, accurate analysis….

Let’s not encourage government to take choices away from consumers. More efficient energy use and viable free market plans to transition away from fossil fuel consumption are not going to be achieved with crony capitalism style green energy subsidies nor by government mandate. Get out of the way of innovation!

Exercising your right to disconnect from the gas grid & electrify your home. Really interesting to see this call for input from Ofgem today off the back of 'reports from consumers and consumer advocates [on behalf of domestic consumers] who say that the current process to disconnect their supply is costly and a potential barrier to those wishing to transition away from gas'. Ofgem is looking for info & views on: ❓ The current & future disconnection framework - how it can operate more effectively to move to net zero and protect consumers. ❔ Key factors in the process for disconnections and the roles of each party involved. ❓ Historic and future volumes of disconnections and the factors that may impact the anticipated number of future disconnections. ❔ Costs of disconnections, including labour, regulatory, and material costs and how these costs are recovered. ❓ The factors which affect demand, supply and competition in disconnections and their impact on viability, quality and profits of disconnection services, plus the current guidance available for consumers on the disconnection process. Expect there will be more tricky discussions to come like won't more consumers moving away from gas mean there are higher costs for those who remain & how to protect more vulnerable consumers. Not to forget the policy elephant that always seems to remain in the room when it comes to electricity & gas bills - rebalancing energy policy costs. The call for input closes on 7 March 2025 - linked in the comments 👇Ofgem then intends to commence a formal review of gas disconnection arrangements for households and small businesses.

A quick observation here. While this has been the case for using gas appliances for years this 1 to 1 comparison is not valid any more when it comes to heat pump technology. Right now if electricity at 3.5 times more expensive then gas and (this will vary greatly across the country) that is pretty much the break even point for the worst heat pump vs the best gas heating appliance. A 92-96% efficient gas furnace/water heater is equal to a 320-336% efficient heat pump. The catch here is that is the lowest efficient heat pump units. Many heat pump space or water heaters are now 400-500% efficient. Meaning that even with electricity being 3.5 times more expensive the heat pump unit is cheaper to run. Since heat pumps have moved into the technology realm they will continue to get better and cheaper over time just like all other technology items. When it comes to new construction homes it's not even a question when it comes to water heaters. With the extra costs of running a gas line and venting the exhaust gasses the cost comparison isn't close. Heat Pump water heaters are the best choice for a standard, Energy Star, Zero Energy Ready, Net Zero or Passive House build. They are far less expensive to install and use.

With PG&E rates potentially rising over 10% by 2027, now is the time for homeowners to consider the long-term savings and stability that come with home #electrification and #solar solutions. We’ve seen this trend before, and it’s only going to continue. Learn more about the future of energy costs:

Excellent summary by Spokane Public Radio of Avista's updated My Energy Discount-Washington program eligibility limits: Cost-of-living adjustments mean more WA households qualify for Avista discounts Utility company Avista says more of its Washington customers are now eligible for discounted power bills. Senior Energy Manager Kelsey Solberg told SPR News the company used new data about the cost of living to adjust the criteria to qualify for Avista’s “My Energy Discount Program.” According to the company, currently, about 52,000 households have signed up. “We have about a little over 140,000 eligible households in Washington. So it's ‘estimated eligible.’ So we're at about 37% of those that are eligible are actively enrolled," Solberg said. "So we have another 90,000 or so customers that we're still working to reach.” Most of the feedback that Avista has gotten in the program's first year has been positive, especially about the sign-up process, Solberg said. "You do not have to provide any paperwork or proof of income," she said. "We go off of whatever your self-attested or self-declared household size and income is to qualify. So it's very, very quick and easy." Avista customers who are at or below 200% of the federal poverty level or 80% of their county’s median income can now qualify for a discount on their energy bills. In Spokane County, a single person can make up to $54,800 per year or $4,567 each month and qualify, while a household of four can have a combined income of about $78,300 per year or $6,525 each month and be eligible for a discounted bill. For Stevens, Ferry, Pend Oreille and Lincoln Counties, the income limits are a bit lower. A household of one can make up to $4,200 per month or $50,400 per year. A household of four can earn a max of $6,000 per month or $72,000 per year. You can find more about the county-by-county criteria and how to sign up at https://lnkd.in/gVp4fQGJ. https://lnkd.in/e2t3tY32