High Hydro Cost Power

It is that time of the year again.

Over the weekend, we had to turn back our clock from Daylight Savings Time to Standard Time. It meant that summer was gone and that winter was approaching. Nighttime started earlier and everything was turning dark so quickly it seemed in the late afternoon. Lights had to be turned on so much earlier as well outside, especially when driving.

Of course, it means that we may have to prepare to shovel snow (assuming of course that you are not living in a Condo or an apartment where someone else has that task). Naturally, it is a lot colder outside as well and the sweaters, hats and the heavy jackets are coming out to keep us warmer.

We souls who like the warm temperature are not very happy with all of this and know that some people who are our friends are starting to head down south for the winter months to stay nice and warm. Some of us even have agreed to look after our friends' homes while they are away for the winter to make sure that everything is fine there.

I am certain that there are many matters to talk about but I just want to deal with one about which I have become much more familiar. It is a matter that I am not very happy about to be honest and one that I think should change. However, I suspect the likelihood of that happening is quite remote even if a whole bunch of people get onside to what I want.

Are you familiar with this? Just read it and see what I mean. You should understand what I'm going to talk about:

As you can tell, the cost of electricity depends on the time when it is being used. Its cost during the week is dramatically higher during the daytime. The cost reduces quite significantly, by over half, from the highest cost in the daytime to the lowest cost in the evening. In the middle, there is a mid-peak rate. There are the weekend rates as well.

Here is a listing of the rates as set out by Essex Powerlines:

"The current energy time bands and rates as set by the OEB are as follow:

Summer (May 1 - Oct 31) and Winter (Nov 1 - April 30)Summer Weekdays 11am to 5pm / Winter Weekdays 7am to 11am & 5pm to 7pm - On Peak 18 cents per kWh

Summer Weekdays 7am to 11 am & 5pm to 7pm / Winter Weekdays 11am to 5pm - Mid Peak 13.2 cents per kWh"

Summer Weekdays 7pm to 7am / Winter Weekdays 7pm to 7am - Off Peak 8.7 cents per kWh

Weekends and Statutory Holidays, All Day will be at Off Peak - 8.7 cents per kWh"

What troubles me about all of this is the high cost that has to be paid during the "peak hours." I guess the idea is for people to use electricity a lot less during the very active daylight hours. After all, who needs to put on lights or roast meats or poultry during the daytime, right. Control how electricity is used to keep rates down to as low a cost as possible.

To be honest, that bugs me. I am just speaking for those of us who are retired and generally are of age 65 or older. We are living at home during the very cold days of winter and the very hot days of summer. Seriously, in winter, at most times because of the coldness we need the heat on during the day and on at night time as well but probably at a slightly lower temperature rate. In the summer, although not as much, we put on our air-conditioning to keep us cool during the very hot temperatures of the day and night.

We use electricity for almost everything don't we. We use electrical lights. We plug TV sets, stereos and radios into the electrical units in the walls. Just so many other matters as well: we cook with electrical appliances, cleanup the rooms with electrical vacuums, go on the Internet with our PCs, do a wash with electrical appliances using the washers and dryers and so on. Electricity is the powerhouse behind so much of what we do in our homes.

We need to keep our heating and cooling operations working so that we do not get ill. Generally, I don't use air-conditioning in the summertime until the temperatures get very warm. In the winter though, I like turning on the heating system anyone temperature and keeping it on continuously, because I don't like feeling chilled.

Most of us who are over the age of 65 and older are not working anymore. I don't know how much money other older people have but I know that for a lot of them they have financial difficulties. They just have not saved enough money in their lives to give them the ability to spend money as our government utility rates increase. And of course, hydro rates are having huge increases.

I have to admit it seems to me that older people are facing some financial difficulties because of the way that electrical charges are set out. Aren't most of the older people at home at the time when the electrical utility rate is the highest? Let me be direct. The answer is obvious: Yes. After all, now that people are 65, I suspect many of them are retired and stay at home quite a bit. It means then that, unless people are prepared to remain in darkness or with air-conditioning or heating systems off or to cook or do laundry at strange times, they pay electrical charges at the highest rates because they are at home during time periods when the rates are the highest.

I don't know the full particulars about the electrical industry and its rates they charge to their customers. All I know is that the Hydro rates are going up very high quite quickly at least in a good part of our area. There are all kinds of huge amounts of money that have to be paid out by residents as part of the monthly fee as customers of the electrical industry.

Again, just like other matters, the whole situation with respect to Hydro, its cost and how we are being charged for buying power is something that needs to be discussed now. It is something that we as citizens should be doing immediately with our politicians before their next election. We need to get a good result, now!