Electric Bills Among Worst of Residents’ Economic Fears
ABINGDON, Va. – An almost universal concern expressed by many who are struggling to make it in the tight current economy is the escalating cost of electricity.
The difficulty of catching up on bills – and the added burden of deposits when they pay late – is exacerbated, they say, when the price goes up.
“It’s a story of the times,” John Shepelwich, a spokesman for Appalachian Power, said of rising power rates, the increasing difficulty for some to pay their bills and finger-pointing toward the power company.
“Everything else is going up. We’re not the only one raising prices, we’re not the only one that’s having our own economic problems with cost, we just tend to be visible,” he said.
Appalachian provides power to most of Southwest Virginia. As the economy has taken its downturn, Shepelwich said more people have received cutoff warnings, been
required to put down deposits and asked for payment plans to bring their bills up to date.
He said deposits, calculated based on a customer’s highest two consecutive months of power usage, are the only way for the company to protect itself against non-payment – and, therefore, the need to pass the unpaid cost on to all customers.
“It’s a sad situation that we see too often,” he said of low-income customers who have higher-than-average power usage and bills because of their housing situation.
“It’s something that we do see far too often in homes that perhaps are rented and the resident cannot afford or is unable to do any kind of energy-efficiency upgrade on the property.”
But, he says, there are a few things electric customers can do when they anticipate trouble paying their bills, including:
* Learn about power usage and ways to conserve at http://www.wattwhyandhow.com
* Make needed repairs to your home and heating system for energy efficiency – or, if you rent, ask your landlord to make repairs.
* Call the power company before you get into trouble paying a bill.
“Always give us a call,” Shepelwich said. “Don’t be hesitant. There are a lot of people going through this right now. ... We want to help.”
| (276) 791-0701
Finding aid
For help with housing-related needs:
People Incorporated of Southwest Virginia: (276) 623-9000
For help with other needs:
* Bristol Virginia Department of Social Services, (276) 645-7450
* Russell County, Va., Department of Social Services, (276) 889-2679
* Scott County, Va., Department of Social Services, (276) 386-3631
* Smyth County, Va., Department of Social Services, (276) 783-8148
* Sullivan County, Tenn., Department of Human Services, (423) 279-9164
* Washington County, Va., Department of Social Services, (276) 645-5000
* Wise County, Va., Department of Social Services, (276) 328-8056
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Reader Reactions
“Ask your landlord to make repairs.“ That’s a good one. My landlord never fixes anything until he has to. If I moved out of this pigsty tomorrow, it would be unrentable until he spent thousands in repairs.
yea it all sux!how many TVA employees have problems with there power bill?not many,insiders can fixit im sure.try moving to elizabethton!ha they really dont give a big @@@@,get this 200 DEP+35.00 RECONNECT+35.00 TO SHUT YOUR POWER OFF ![IM SERIOUS]+YOUR BILL TO RECONNECT. WHAT REALLY PISSES ME OFF IS THE FACT THAT JOHNSON CITY AND ELIZABETHTON RUN YOUR CREDIT TO DETERMINE YOUR DEPOSIT THATS A JOKE WHAT ABOUT PEOPLE THAT DONT HAVE ENOUGH CREDIT?THEY PAY THE MAXX.THATS HOW THEY MAKE THE MONEY TO BUY ALL THEM NEW TRUCKS,RIDING THE BACKS OF THE POOR.
I live in Erwin and it’s not much better here either. Our power bill is almost always over $200.00 every month and some times it’s close to $300.00 a month! We have an air conditioner that runs during the day and I have cut back on cooking so much to keep from using anymore electricity then possible. We have one computer that we use ( other then my laptop ) I wash clothes once every week ( about 4 loads ) I have a husband and two kids cutting back too much is hard when we have to have food cooked and laundry washed. I think that it’s just a rip off myself. There is no way possible that it should cost so much to have power run into our homes with as many people as there is here in the great ole’ U.S.A we live in having to pay that much every month. That’s a whole lot of money going in to the power company!
(eltimo), You are so correct with your energy saving ideas, But do you know what will happen if enough customers begin to practice this, The revenue at the electric company will decrease to a point that they appeal for a rate increase due to the drop in revenue.
They offer such ideas as floesent (piggy tail) bulbs for reduced energy, lower water heater temp., replace windows, replenish attic & wall insulation, ect. Never-the-less, They’re in a recession proof business. They don’t worry about local or foreign competition, they dont lay off, reduce wages, driver older vehicles, Their customer base is locked in. No need to worry about customers going to a competitor. They can plunder revenue without fear of reprisal. When our local goverment gave away control of the local power facilities, they gave us to dictators with plush, lavish, appetites.
“It’s a story of the times,” John Shepelwich, a spokesman for Appalachian Power, said of rising power rates, Everything else is going up. “We’re not the only one raising prices, we’re not the only one that’s having our own economic problems with cost, we just tend to be visible,” he said. WRONG!! you fail to understand one important item, “ We the people did not arrive yesterday and your ploy of higher cost while others are reducing rates due to lower cost is a insult to the peoples intelligence.
I have been in the same boat before. Fortunately, your electric bill is one thing we all have some control over. In my case I cut off the AC, opened my windows and run fans. I also stopped using the clothes dryer and hung my clothes outside on the porch to dry. Yes, it looked tacky and I have 5 kids with lots of dirty clothes but it didn’t cost anything. I grilled out alot also. This kept me from running the stove and it also kept the house from getting hotter than it was already. If we think hard enough there are lots of ways we can keep our money instead of sending it to the electric company. Think of using less electricity not as an enviromental issue but as an economic issue.
Here in Johnson City we are suffering through the NAZI Johnson City Power Board. They could care less what your hardship is or what problems you are having they just cut off the power. Without another source of power they play monopoly with a vital service and turn a blind eye and ear to the plight of thousands in this area suffering through layoffs and hardship. I have noticed however all their JCPB trucks and cars are brand new and they have a big nice building with marble floors. Federal Government plus TVA plus Johnson City Power equals NAZI Big Brother, It’s time we shut down the power monopoly in this area and go wind/solar. I would love to see a mass protest in front of the JCPB building. If that does not work we may need to adopt French underground tactics and disrupt the system.
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