Ending Hawaiian Electric (HECO) Utility Monopoly A

[uneedawish]

Ending Hawaiian Electric (HECO) Utility Monopoly After 100 Years

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Hawaii has the highest electric rates in the USA because it has a 100 year old utility monopoly. This presentation explains how to submit a complaint against Hawaiian Electric to the FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection / Bureau of Competition asking for its help to end this 100 year old monopoly.
Read more at youtube.com

[ericlp]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iF-cWfubFao

Link for the lazy.

Uh, wanna end the 100 year monopoly? Go Solar.

Reason why rates are so high? No other source of alternative power. Other than geothermal and it's only a drop in a bucket.

But the REAL reason? We are burning oil (that's about 120 a barrel) ... To make matters worse it all get's shipped to Oahu where it's consumed the most, then it has to be shipped again to the big island that unfortunately is the island furthest out so it's even more expensive.

The only "monopoly" I see on Hawaiian Electric is oil prices. Unless you have a better solution like building a big deep sea platform and putting a few nuclear reactors on it to provide power the FTC isn't going to do a damn thing.

You will need a REAL solution before anything will be done and sadly I don't see any solution for hawaii to get off of OIL anytime soon.

[Kapohocat]

quote:

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Originally posted by ericlp...
But the REAL reason? We are burning oil (that's about 120 a barrel) ...

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I had a friend who worked for 666 Kalanianiole ... yes thats Chevron's address in Hilo.

During the last round of really high prices, when every one cut back on gas, and cut back on electric use, Helco had too much oil stock-piled in Hilo so they had to cancel orders, and drop pricing a little to encourage usage. (She received the oil into Hilo... I mean at the tankers not in the office.)

[terracore]

Hawaii does not have the "most expensive" electricity, it has the highest "average" electricity prices. There are places in Alaska that pay over $1.00/kwh which is way higher than Hawaii, but since it is "averaged" with other areas that are on mostly hydro power, the law of averages makes the Hawaiian electric seem more expensive. This only applies to statistics- when I was paying 54 cents per khw the law of averages meant nothing to me. It's a lot easier to turn of an A/C unit to save money than it is to turn off a heater when it's -40. (you would die).

Is Hawaii electric an unusual monopoly? Do they not own the infrastructure? Do they pay for maintenance? Are you forbidden to get your electricity elsewhere? I could be wrong, but I thought most utilities except water and sewer just about anywhere are run by for-profit enterprises that owe their modern existence to private investments made long ago. It's not ours, or the shareholders fault that the basic technology hasn't changed in over a hundred years. And like someone else said, you always have the option to go solar. Or run your own generator. Or wind power. Or use candles. The entire grid system was originally setup on the assumption that something else was right around the corner. There were active experiments at the time to transmit power through the air much like radio waves. One is left to wonder if the experiments failed due to technological hurdles like we are led to believe, or because there was no effective way to meter its use or stop it's theft.

Hawaii is unique in that it lies at a latitude that makes solar a viable option without any breakthrough technologies that would make it cost effective anywhere else (the high cost of grid electricity also makes the solar a good option). These prices are continuing to drop every year, and eventually the monopoly will be its own undoing.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't go to the web site and register a complaint. Myself, I think my time is better spent researching solar solutions.

[uneedawish]

Sad to see so little comments to topic. I guess everyone just wants to keep paying these high electric bills and not question it.
Thanks ericlp for posting the link. I couldn't figure it out!

[opihikao]

The "egregious monopoly" (Sen. Fred Hemmings said so eloquently) will continue until the State changes the laws that currently allow HECO/HELCO to operate in the status quo. Hopefully that will be the case during this session.

On a positive note, there are numerous bills put forth this year specifically addressing this concern. Where the bills end up after amendments, etc., is anyone's guess. Deregulation bill has been formally submitted, among a few others (you can find them on this site): http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/ Submitting testimony for the ones that apply to our individual concerns is one way to make an attempt to do something about it.

I found this today, and appreciate others being as frustrated as I am with HELCO:

http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2012/0...e-emerges/

I guess the comment I heard on public TV (County Council meeting, I think) that really irritates me is the Food Bank/Basket stating that their electric bill is higher than their rent!!! Just disgusting! Maybe HELCO could at the very least, offer them a discounted rate as a gesture to their community for a few months???

For crying out loud, 6 million dollar bonus/salaries are handed out to top management at HECO, they have record setting revenues in a horrible economy, and all off of our backs.

I guess that's why people don't talk about this subject...My blood pressure just went sky high...lol... Think I'll write another testimony for some darn bill or something. Hells bells! (Sorry...)

[dmbwest]

"Sad to see so little comments to topic. I guess everyone just wants to keep paying these high electric bills and not question it."

Could be some of us don't care. ... There, I commented.

Edit to add, it is what it is.

pog

[macuu222]

The power companies have enough money to squash any resistance to anything that is not to their liking (even competition). They've probably already figured out how much residents will pay for electric before it becomes a major problem statewide. And we're not there yet. When employment in this state is wide open because no one can afford to live here anymore....thats when they put the breaks on increases.

[Bullwinkle]

electricity luxury goods or public need / right? - that is the question in play imho

[terracore]

I read an article about a town- I can't remember where, in a similar predicament, and they found a way to force the utility to be sold to the town where it was operated as a co-op. I don't recall the rates going down, but they were able to make investments in green power that didn't exist before that were supposed to bring the rates down later.