Scott Allan’s World

Alabama OKs utility option to cut air conditioner

Alabama Power Co. will give customers a way to save $20 annually by allowing the electric utility to cut off their home air conditioners for brief periods on the hottest weekdays of summer.
…
Customers who choose the cutoff plan will have a device installed on their air conditioner. When demand for electricity hits a peak on hot weekday afternoons between June and September, the utility will be able to cut off the air conditioners for 15 minutes out of every 30 minutes.

PSC staff members said air conditioners can be turned off between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays for up to a maximum of 120 hours during the four months. Customers who participate will get a $20 credit each November on their power bill.
…
People who leave their thermostats around 75 degrees when they go to work should realize a cost savings from the program, but people with well-insulated homes who turn their thermostats to 80 degrees or above while at work probably won’t see much difference in their power bills, they said.

Wow a whole $20/year. That’s awesome considering my electric bill sometimes hits $500/month in the summer.

You have to sacrifice 120 hours of air conditioning…
in the summer…
in Alabama …
to save $20…
a year.

Do you really think this benefits the customer or Alabama Power??

In September the benevolent, magnanimous Alabama Power Company initially asked for a 14.6% rate hike but out of the goodness of their hearts scaled it back to “only” 8.2 %.

Besides my mortgage, my power bill is the highest bill I have.

I needn’t remind you that Alabama Power is a monopoly regulated by corrupt politicians.

Conclusion: Alabama Power sucks.