Archive for the ‘costs’ Tag
The Delivery of Alternative Energy – The Next Great Debate
The pursuit of alternative energy as a source for our power needs has clearly become an important public policy issue.
Despite the contentious global warming debate, most people would agree that – all other things being equal – it would be beneficial to get all of our energy from environmentally clean sources.
But here lies the problem, all things are not equal. Alternative energy has not flourished because it is much more expensive than traditional sources of power. Therefore, the free market model and the traditional electrical utility mission of providing reliable and cost-effective electricity have not provided an opportunity for alternative energy.
2 Comments Tags: costs, Florida Legislature, FP&L, FPSC, going green, Governor Crist, utilities
City Budgeting – a Tale of Perverse Priorities
Our recent analysis of spending on “green” programs has documented the clear priority of city leadership in achieving the “living green” dream.
Green expenditures in the fiscal year 2009 budget include $10 million for smart meters, $7 million for energy conservation, and $300,000 for the creation of the green department. These 3 programs total $17,300,000 in spending in fiscal year 2009.
3 Comments Tags: budget, costs, cuts, EPER, going green, smart meters, Tallahassee
Travel Records Show Mayor Hit The Road More In 2008
Travel records provided to TallahasseeReports.com show that Mayor Marks has increased the travel billed to the city each year over the last three years.
During FY 2006, Mr. Marks was on the road for 29 days at a cost of $16,460, in FY 2007 he was on the road 31 days for a cost of $16,731, and in FY 2008 he was on the road 44 days at a cost of $24,062. City officials reported that in 2008, approximately $6,000 was reimbursed to the city by various organizations.
5 Comments Tags: costs, Florida League of Cities, Florida League of Mayors, Mayor Marks, National League of Cities, NCBM, NFBPA, Tallahassee, U.S. Conference of Mayors
Smart Meter, Dumb Idea?
Not everyone thinks smart meters are such a smart use of money.
Utilities are spending billions of dollars outfitting homes and businesses with the devices, which wirelessly send information about electricity use to utility billing departments and could help consumers control energy use.
Proponents of smart meters say that when these meters are teamed up with an in-home display that shows current energy usage, as well as a communicating thermostat and software that harvest and analyze that information, consumers can see how much consumption drives cost — and will consume less as a result.
Consumers Should Be Leery of Phone Bill
There is currently a bill moving through the Florida Legislature called the “Consumer Choice and Protection Act” that will affect consumers in Tallahassee. The name of the bill is disarming and leaves little room for opposition. Who can be against consumer choice and protection?
However, when you get past the title and dig a little, an interesting question arises. Why does the telecommunications industry need to spend millions of dollars in campaign contributions and hire over 100 lobbyists to get a bill with such a friendly title through the Florida Legislature?
Here are some facts on the “Consumer Choice and Protection Act”:
No Comments Tags: AARP, Consumer Choice and Protection Act, costs, Florida Legislature, FPSC, Tallahassee, telephone service
City Officials Knew Conservation Programs Would Increase Electric Rates
The City of Tallahassee recently ignored a cost effectiveness analysis which indicated that all 191 proposed measures to save electricity through conservation would increase electric rates.
Instead of relying on the analysis as a guide, the City Commission voted to ignore the results and approve an alternative methodology that would allow the City to move forward with conservation programs.
5 Comments Tags: city commission, costs, FPSC, going green, Tallahassee, utilities
Is It Time For A Tallahassee Utility Board?
The Tallahassee Charter Review Committee has been meeting over the last two months with the charge of reviewing possible changes to the Tallahassee City Charter.
Among the issues that have been discussed is a separate regulatory board for the utility functions of the city.
After five months of research, including dozens of interviews with city employees and Tallahassee citizens, the facts seem to indicate that it is time to consider a separate utility authority.
20 Comments Tags: Charter Review Committee, city charter, costs, EPER, FPSC, Progress Energy, Tallahassee, transmission lines, utilities
Is City Parking Program Another Green Program?
Tallahassee Reports continues to get a number of emails from those affected by the new City of Tallahassee parking program. Most of these emails focus on the fairness issue and the money involved. Click here to see an application for the City Employee Parking program.
A review by Tallahassee Reports indicates that one reason the parking program may be implemented is because it qualifies as a green program.
3 Comments Tags: costs, going green, parking program, Tallahassee
Cost of Going Green Verified by City Officials
In a recent article published by Tallahassee Reports, research indicated that Tallahassee’s reliance on natural gas has cost the people of Tallahassee approximately $40-50 million a year over the last three years when compared to the rates of other utilities in the area.
In a meeting on Tuesday, high ranking officials with the Tallahassee Electric Utility confirmed that the methodology used by Tallahassee Reports was appropriate and that the $40 -$50 million annual number was a reasonable estimate. It was also confirmed that the premium paid by consumers was in fact leaving the community for Lousiana and Texas – the home of the natural gas suppliers.
No Comments Tags: costs, going green, Tallahassee, taxpayer
The Cost of Going Green – Calculation Update
A recent article posted by Tallahassee Reports -”The Cost of Green May Cost More ThanYou Think”- reported that the citizens of Tallahassee had paid approximately $45-$50 million a year above what they would have paid over the last three years if Tallahassee would have had the average electric rates of three utilities with a more diverse fuel source. Tallahassee Reports used Progress Energy, Gainesville Regional Utility and Talquin CO-OP for the comparison.
Since publishing that article, a number of interested parties have questioned how this number was calculated. Detailed below is the calculation using Progress Energy data.
No Comments Tags: costs, going green, Tallahassee, taxpayer, update
