In this day and age of modern conveniences , one topic that remains in the best interest of people, is the impact that our population is having on the earth.
Conservation of our resources for our future is foremost in our minds. I may be stepping out there to say that often, the only way that we can make people conserve, is through their wallet.
When you have to pay for something, you are less likely to dispose of it so easily. I am sure that I, as a individual, play my part in the conservation of our water and power, especially when you know the impact dams have on our rivers. Water and power are important to people and go hand in hand.
We are so dependent on them that we can’t survive without either of them.
Look what happens when the power goes out. Everything comes to a halt. We have definitely come to rely on power in our everyday lives. Could you imagine what it would look like today if everyone relied on wood heat again? It seems so archaic.
I remember when we were given incentives by our power company, to change over to electric furnaces because they were 100 per cent efficient, clean, basically maintenance free, with absolutely no toxins being spilled out into the atmosphere. Electricity is also a renewable resource which means that we will not need to cut down all of our trees to be used as a heat source.
Natural gas at one point was scarce, and again, not a renewable resource, but now more natural gas sources have been found and in a large supply. This brings me to my point.
Fortis has purchased both the electric and the gas divisions of our power and have become the only power monster with no competition what so ever. So they have set out new rules which means that you, as the consumer, will pay more per KiloWatt than the next guy, if you use more than their set amount. It has become a tiered system.
Basically what they are saying is that if you have to heat your home electrically in any way (furnace or baseboard), you will pay more per KiloWatt than your neighbour who may have a natural gas heating system but may also use more electricity through lighting, appliance usage etc. simply because you have an electric heat source.
Some residences do not have gas lines because of their locations. Some people are afraid of gas in their homes because potential leaking is an issue, so converting to natural gas is not an option, therefore you are being penalized for that.
I believe Fortis is using money as their way of forcing people to convert to natural gas. I don’t mind paying for my usage, but to be penalized because I have an electric furnace?
I believe this is a form of discrimination against those of us who either choose to use electric heat or have no other option.
I guess that is the type of high-handed service we get when we let the big power companies get bigger.
Recently, I had been phoned by Fortis, to inquire as to what I thought of their services. Because there are respectable people out there that may be reading this note, I can’t tell you how that went.
I don’t think they will want my opinion again.
Brent Laface
Trail