" ON THE ROAD AGAIN" willie nelson

A Napoleon Bonaparte Mask

Think it's easy find a song with Napoleon in it!

So by now if your reading the blog. you know we are about to have a new city manager who's last position was city manager in Napoleon, Ohio.

Many comments on being on the AMP-OHIO Board and in that position how did she handle the higher electric prices in that city?

Memorandum

To: Napoleon Light and Power Customers
From: Monica Irelan, City Manager
RE: Higher utility rates

My staff and I are being asked "why is my Electric Bill so high?"
Hopefully this explanation will help.

1) Higher usage
If you take a look at KWH used, you will probably see a significant increase in the electricity being used. This is mostly due to air conditioning and/or fans being used to cool your homes. If you look at the bottom right hand corner  of your bill, there is a chart that shows your history of usage.

2) Higher Capacity Charge
The city pays a capacity charge based on our peak load contribution (PLC). A PLC is the electric demand we use during the five 1-hour intervals of the year when the demand on the electric grid is at its highest. A couple of years ago, we had a terrible winter known as the Polar Vortex. During this event, there was a shortage of fuel which impacted the production of electricity . Due to this, the cost of capacity has gone up. We are currently seeing the impacts of that.

3) Higher Power Supply Costs
The City of Napoleon has a very diverse electric power supply portfolio. This diversity protects the customers from extreme increases and unknowns of the market. The City participates in clean coal, natural gas, wind, solar, and hydroelectric generation projects.
WE are also on the market.
Several years ago, the City chose to participate in two new Hydroelectric Projects. These projects will be nearly free energy when the capital costs are paid off. Until then, the power is more expensive.

The hydroelectric projects are coming online at the same time our usage is higher and the cost of capacity is higher. The compounded effect of these items is contributing to our higher electric bills.

How has the City been protecting the customer on these items?

1) Higher usage
The city offers an energy efficient program called 'Efficiency Smart' which provides rebates, incentives and technical expertise to help customers lower electric consumption and reduce bills. For more information on the program visit the website
www.efficiencysmart.com

2) Higher Capacity Charge
The Mayor and I have visited our representation in Washington DC to lobby against these complicated and unnecessary increases in capacity. Our representation at AMP Partners concentrates on this as a lobbying effort. AMP staff has also joined committees in order to help educate and influence capacity  decisions at PJM.
The city tried to lower our capacity charge through peak demand curtailing, having an energy efficiency program, and have on-site generation. The City will continue to fight for more equitable capacity charges.
3) High Power Supply
The City did put a rate levelization plan in place to help levelize the rate increased tied to the hydroelectric project. We are using this plan and making decisions on a monthly basis to try and limit rate hike.

****************************************************************************

Well there you have it.
To her credit not just the weather was blamed. But also the Hydro Plants. Which brings up a question an AMP-OHIO Board member must know, for how long in months and years will we be paying $143.00 MWH.?
Also she at least took the time to address the residents.
She does see a problem, something not shared by many around here.
I don't believe she in anyway had anything to do with Prairie State, Hydro projects or the rest of AMP-OHIO's failures. These deals were determined 9/10 years ago.
Knowing she has a plant to curtail 'peak demand' by 'peak shavings' is a plus.
I also wonder why AMP-OHIO didn't again use levelization on the Hydro projects?


So let's see what she's got.

just wondering, but did AMP-OHIO have any part in this marriage?