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July / August 2007
- Summer program offers cooling assistance to Ohio residents
- Stay cool while saving energy
- New federal rules address privacy of customers’ telephone records
- OCC in your corner
- Upgrading light bulbs will save energy
- Understand energy bills, control costs with OCC resources
- Q&A: Water softening
Summer program offers cooling assistance to Ohio residents
While many consumers around Ohio are familiar with the variety of programs to help offset the costs of heating bills in the winter, many are unaware that there is assistance during the summer too. The Summer Crisis Program, administered by the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD), assists households by making a one-time payment of no more than $175 toward their electric bill or by purchasing an air conditioner for the home. Some households may qualify for both types of assistance.
To participate in the Summer Crisis Program, households must have an income at or below 175 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. A chart is provided to assist consumers in determining whether their household meets the income guidelines. In addition to the income guidelines, there are other qualifications that must be met to receive assistance.
There are two ways to qualify to receive electric bill assistance. One requires a member living in the household to be 60 years of age or older. If there is no one that meets the age requirement, the household still can receive help by obtaining a statement from a doctor that a member of the household has a medical condition that is aggravated by heat.
To receive an air conditioner, a household must have at least one person with a medical condition, meet the income guidelines and must not have received an air conditioner through this program in 2004, 2005 or 2006.
Consumers who wish to use this assistance program must apply in person at a local community action agency. Although most agencies take a certain number of walk-ins each day, it is recommended that consumers schedule an appointment. Consumers may sign up for assistance through Aug. 31.
For information on the Summer Crisis Program, call or visit a local community action agency or contact ODOD toll free at 1-800-282-0880. Consumers also may contact the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel (OCC) toll free at 1-877-PICKOCC (1-877-742-5622). The OCC can provide information on additional utility assistance programs that are available.
| Summer 2007 Guidelines | |
| 1 | $17,867 |
| 2 | $23,957 |
| 3 | $30,047 |
| 4 | $36,137 |
| 5 | $42,227 |
| 6 | $48,317 |
| For households with more than six members, add $6,090 for each additional member. | |
Stay cool while saving energy
With temperatures rising and summer in full swing, many consumers are now thinking about ways to reduce their energy usage while continuing to stay cool. The Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel (OCC), the residential utility consumer advocate, provides the following information on ways to beat the summer heat and give the bank account a rest.
One natural way to keep a home cool is to use trees and shrubs to block the sun from reaching the home. Planting should be done on the south and southwest sides of the home where the sun typically shines the most. On the inside, using blinds, drapes and other window treatments will help reduce the amount of heat from the sun as well.
Many people prefer using fans to help cool their home. Studies have shown that consumers can save up to 50 percent in cooling costs over running the air conditioner when using fans during mild weather and at night. Some things to remember when using fans are to turn them off when leaving a room and that ventilation fans can be overused and pull cool air out of the home resulting in higher energy costs to cool the home.
Air conditioners are still a popular way to cool a home, and are considered a necessity by many. The recommended setting for the thermostat is 78 degrees. Raising the thermostat by one degree reduces energy costs by 3 percent to 6 percent. Another tip is to buy a programmable thermostat to pre-set the house temperature through the day. When using a heat pump, adjusting the thermostat can cause the heat pump to work harder to reach the desired temperature and use more energy than if it had been kept at the same setting. Consumers with heat pumps should ensure that they purchase the appropriate thermostat to reduce the amount of energy used to keep their home cool.
Additionally, by implementing some energy efficiency practices, homeowners can help reduce the amount of energy used. One way to help is to replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. These bulbs use less energy and produce less heat for an equivalent level of lighting.
For more summer cooling tips and ways to reduce energy bills, call the OCC toll free at 1-877-PICKOCC (1-877-742-5622) or visit www.pickocc.org.
New federal rules address privacy of customers’ telephone records
Recent laws and rules have been adopted to stop the practice of pretexting, which is the act of gaining access to a consumer’s telephone account information under false pretenses. For example, a person or business could contact a telephone company and pretend to be a consumer in order to receive that consumer’s calling information.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently adopted rules to help protect consumers by prohibiting telephone companies from releasing customer information without a password. Additionally, telephone companies are now required to notify a customer immediately when a change is made to his or her password, address or online account.
Also, telephone companies must receive a consumer’s permission before sharing account information with business partners and independent contractors for marketing purposes. The new rules will go into effect 30 days after their publication in the Federal Register.
Companies also could face fines and their employees could receive jail time for the illegal use of telephone records. A bill passed by Congress and signed by the president on Jan. 12 makes it illegal to obtain confidential telephone records – which could include customer account information – of residential consumers through deception or other fraudulent means.
The legislation outlaws the practice of obtaining consumer telephone information from a telephone carrier by “making false or fraudulent statements” to a telecommunications employee or customer, “providing false or fraudulent documents” to a telephone company or “accessing customer accounts through the Internet” without prior authorization.
Violators of the new law face fines and imprisonment of up to 10 years. The fines double and five years could be added to a prison term if the violations eclipse $100,000 or involve more than 50 customers.
OCC in your corner
The
Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel (OCC) has made significant
contributions toward improving several types of rules so that electricity
options are easier for consumers to pursue. The rules involve net metering
(used by consumers generating some of their own electricity through,
for example, solar panels. The “net” result of how much
energy is provided to and used from the utility is applied to a consumer’s
bill), interconnection (the physical connection of the energy generated
by customers to a utility’s distribution line) and demand response
(management of electricity by customers in response to supply conditions).
The positions of the OCC and other stakeholders resulted in the Public
Utilities Commission of Ohio’s (PUCO) March 28 adoption of new
interconnection regulations, fewer limitations on microturbines and
requirements that utilities offer time-differentiated rates, among
other outcomes.
An agreement was reached for American Electric Power (AEP) to withdraw its proposed plan to raise customers’ rates.
Under the plan, AEP would have been able to raise customers’ rates by approximately $71 million over the first 18 months of the company’s proposal to improve its service. The OCC opposed AEP’s plan since it would raise rates during a time when rates are frozen and the company had not demonstrated that reliability would be improved.
The OCC encouraged consumers to provide testimony at seven local public hearings on the AEP plan held in January and February. Consumers spoke about problems with AEP’s service reliability and the affordability of their electric service. Service reliability refers to the ability of AEP to keep consumers’ electricity on without interruption or the degradation of service quality.
The agreement was reached among the OCC, AEP, the staff of the PUCO and other parties and approved by the PUCO Commissioners. By withdrawing the case, a rate increase to consumers will be avoided. The agreement also targets $10 million toward cycle-based tree trimming efforts. The $10 million was ordered by the PUCO in July 2006 as part of a related case involving AEP’s service reliability. At the time, the PUCO reserved oversight as to how the money would be spent. The company cannot recover this money from consumers.
Customers of AEP and Duke Energy have the option to support the use of electricity from renewable power sources as a result of the collaborative efforts among the OCC, the utilities and other stakeholder groups. The PUCO approved both green pricing programs in May.
Under both the AEP Green Pricing Option and the Duke GoGreen Power programs, customers have the opportunity to pay a small premium – estimated at $5 – and purchase a minimum of 200 kilowatt hours of renewable energy credits each month. Consumers can choose to purchase a greater amount of renewable energy credits as well. Renewable energy credits support the development of new renewable facilities and reflect renewable power generated regionally.
A similar green pricing option was proposed for FirstEnergy customers and is pending PUCO approval.
Upgrading light bulbs will save energy
In less than a minute, consumers can make a lasting difference in how much electricity they use. By purchasing compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, an investment is made that will produce long-term savings and help the environment.
While the CFL bulbs cost more up front, they use 66 percent less energy and can last 10 times longer than incandescent light bulbs. A single CFL bulb can save consumers $30 or more over its lifespan. Since many local home improvement stores, groceries and other retail outlets sell these light bulbs, it is an easy and simple way that residential consumers can make a difference.
According to the 18Seconds partnership (www.18seconds.org) – whose name is based on the mere 18 seconds it takes to replace a light bulb – if every American replaced a 60 watt bulb with a 13 watt Energy Star labeled CFL bulb, $8 billion in energy costs would be saved.
While manufacturers are improving the technology behind CFL bulbs, consumers should be aware of some limitations. For example, for outdoor lights and those with a dimmer, special CFL bulbs should be used that are appropriate for those types of lighting. A recent news article shows some consumer disappointment with the current dimming bulbs but that new and improved models should be available soon. Also, CFL bulbs should not typically be used in ceiling fans.
Some consumers also have expressed concern about the brightness of CFL bulbs. The current models make significant improvements over the older generations of fluorescent bulbs which flickered and distorted colors. However, consumers may need to try several types and wattages of the newer bulbs to find which amount of lighting best suits their needs.
All CFL bulbs contain a trace amount of mercury, small enough to fit on the tip of a ball point pen, and about 1/125th of the mercury found in some older household thermometers. As a result of the mercury, some states have passed laws prohibiting these bulbs from being disposed of in the trash. In Ohio, consumers have the ability to dispose of bulbs at a hazardous waste disposal site. The Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel (OCC) offers information on these sites on its website, www.pickocc.org.
Understand energy bills, control costs with OCC resources
Less than 25 percent of consumers have a complete understanding of the different sections of their energy bill, according to a recent survey released by MxEnergy Inc., a competitive natural gas supplier in Ohio. The survey also revealed that 90 percent of those surveyed feel they have limited or no control over their home energy costs.
The Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel (OCC) is the best resource to use to get a better understanding of energy bills as well as to find out how to control costs. Several fact sheets are available, such as Natural Gas Bill Made Easy and Electric Bill Made Easy to help consumers better understand all the elements that are presented on utility bills. Many other fact sheets on the basics of utilities also are available.
To find out how to better take control of energy costs, read the fact sheet Learn about Vampire Power to see which appliances in the home consume energy when they are not being used and how much it costs. In addition, the OCC’s interactive Smart Energy House at www.pickocc.org is a great tool to learn how to control energy costs. The OCC also advocates that utilities institute programs that will help consumers become more efficient with the energy they do use. The fact sheet Reducing Electricity Demand illustrates the basics of what types of programs can help accomplish this goal.
The OCC is always available to help answer questions about these issues or other utility topics by calling 1-877-PICKOCC (1-877-742-5622) toll free.
Water softening
Q: What is water softening?
A: Water softening is a technique used to remove hardness from an original water source. Hardness is determined by the level of minerals in the water and is considered an aesthetic quality. The perception of what the hardness should be varies from person to person.
Q: What constitutes hard water?
A: The level of hardness is determined by the amount of calcium and magnesium in the water.
Q: What are the effects of hard water?
A: Hard water is not dangerous but, depending upon the level of hardness, can cause potentially costly household problems, such as excessive scale build-up inside pipes and water-using appliances. Scale buildup may reduce the life of appliances and increase the need for plumbing repairs. Water that is too hard requires more soap for laundry and washing. It can cause soap scum, water spots, irritation to skin and make hair look dull and lifeless.
Q: How can hard water be remedied?
A: Hardness in water can be resolved in several ways. The most common is ion exchange water softening. Salt is added to water and the sodium ions exchange with the calcium and magnesium ions to reduce the concentration of hard minerals. Reverse osmosis also is an option to soften water. This process uses a special membrane to remove hard water minerals but it is also more costly.
Q: Is there an acceptable level of water hardness?
A: There is no standard for water hardness but the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that water be treated to a range of 120-150 milligrams per liter (7-9 grains per gallon). The higher the milligrams per liter of hardness, the "harder" the water will be.
Q: Can water be softened too much?
A: Fully softened water should also be avoided as there are risks that oversoftened water will likely cause corrosion in pipes and plumbing fixtures. Water can be softened to as low as 80 mg/L (5 grains per gallon) without any negative side effects, according to the Ohio EPA. There may be dietary considerations associated with softened water because of the increased levels of sodium. There also may be increased difficulty in rinsing off soap with water that is too soft.
Office
of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel - Your Residential Utility Consumer
Advocate 10 West Broad Street, Suite 1800, Columbus, Ohio 43215-3485
1-877-742-5622 (toll-free in Ohio) or 614-466-8574
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