Shrugging off an earlier rejection by the agency, state Rep. Sylvester Turner and the AARP have filed a revised petition before the Public Utility Commission calling for the creation of new protections for elderly and infirm electric customers during the hottest days of summer.

The petition calls for the temporary suspension of cancellation fees for customers who seek to save money by switching electric providers. The new petition also calls upon electric retailers to notify customers about the availability of rate discounts. The petition was filed July 17 and was signed by Turner, AARP and several other consumer groups.

State Rep. Sylvester Turner  has called upon Texas regulators to adopt emergency rules that would protect electric customers against disconnections during the dog days of summer.

In a petition filed before the Texas Public Utility Commission, the Houston lawmaker has proposed a ban on electricity disconnections in any area in which the heat index is forecast to hit 105 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.

“Bagging a white elephant” -- that’s how the Dallas Morning News characterized moves by Oncor  to purchase nearly  900,000 automated meters now considered to be obsolete because they fail to meet state guidelines.

More than $1 billion -- that's how much Houstonians pay in excess electricity costs each year under deregulation, according to a recent segment on KHOU-TV in Houston.  Reporter Dave Fehling noted that residents in San Antonio and Austin -- two cities that remain outside deregulation -- pay far less for electricity.

How much less? According to the analysis in Fehling's report, electricity that sells for $102 in San Antonio and Austin goes for about $159 in Houston. Do the math and that equals $1.2 billion in extra costs for Houstonians every year, according to the report. 

There’s been plenty of extra costs and surcharges loaded onto consumer electric bills as the result of various legislative actions. Here’s a partial list of bills adopted during the last several sessions – and the potential impact on Texas electric ratepayers.
 

The “last, best hope” for those who care about electricity prices. That’s how The Dallas Morning News described Senate Bill 1772 in an editorial May 22. The newspaper urged House lawmakers to quickly take up the bill and vote it out before time runs out on the 81st Texas Legislature.
 

A typical monthly electric bill could increase by $27 as a consequence of proposed climate change legislation in Washington, according to a new analysis by ERCOT.

Released May 12, the report projects the cost of reducing carbon emissions back down to 2005 levels by 2013. It included assumptions for future natural gas prices, the level of new wind generation construction and increases in carbon allowance costs.

When it comes to making excuses for the high cost of power, the industry likes to compare apples to oranges. For instance, industry reps have compared current Texas prices to nationwide prices from five months ago – even though nationwide prices have come down since then. Other tactics include comparing lowest-cost offers against average prices, or even using demonstrably incorrect data.

Want to save big bucks on your light bill? A new report sponsored by AARP proposes a no-cost policy change that could save the state’s deregulated electricity market nearly $1billion annually – or about $52 on an average bill – while simultaneously bolstering competition.

 The idea is simple. Currently, there’s a 60-day time lag between when electric generators make bids into the ERCOT’s real-time wholesale electricity market and when information about those bids become public. By simply reducing that time lag to two days, the market would save $956 million annually, according to an analysis included in the AARP report.

Despite all the recent hype about nuclear power, a new renaissance in the industry may not be in America's future.

 At least, that's how many have interpreted recent statements by new FERC chairman Jon Wellinghoff, who created quite a stir in the industry with his assertion that price considerations could make nuclear power unnecessary.