OPENING
REMARKS
RATEPAYER ADVOCATE SEEMA M. SINGH
CONSUMER EDUCATION PRESENTATION
ON
CONSERVATION, ENERGY EFFICIENCY, SOLAR ENERGY, AND
HOW TO READ YOUR UTILITY BILL
OCEAN
CITY UTILITIES COMMISSION
JULY 21, 2004 1:00 P.M.
Good afternoon, ocean city commissioners, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends
Let me begin by thanking joseph clark and the commissioners for their invitation and hospitality. I would also like to thank all of you for taking the time to be here. We hope the time we spend together will help to reduce your energy consumption and lower your utility bills—without sacrificing your standards of living.
Let me tell you something about my office and what we do. The division of the ratepayer advocate is an independent state agency that represents all utility consumers in new jersey whenever the rates and services for electric, natural gas, water wastewater, telecommunications and cable tv are decided by state and federal agencies. We are committed to ensuring that ratepayers receive safe, reliable and affordable service.
My staff and i represent the legal interests of ratepayers before the new jersey board of public utilities, state and federal courts, the federal communications commission and the federal energy regulatory commission whenever utility companies seek changes in their rates and services and decide the policies which affect those services.
The ratepayer advocate also participates on behalf of consumers when long-range energy, water and telecommunications policies are being decided.
A very important part of my responsibilities includes protecting the interests of new jersey’s most vulnerable utility customers, the elderly, the disabled, and low-income residents of the state. The ratepayer advocate may be their only representative in utility proceedings.
This afternoon is one of a series of consumer education presentation programs that we are conducting at the invitation of various communities throughout the state. We speak with consumers and encourage them to take action -- or as we sometimes say ‘get energized.’
No doubt, every one of you at some time has been concerned about high utility costs or has had difficulty understanding your utility bill. We are here to give you some information that can help you to become more informed and more knowledgable consumers.
Even in the face of rising costs for all types of energy, there is some good news. One surefire, guaranteed way to lower your utility bills is— conservation!
By conservation i mean the consumption of less energy. It should not mean that you have to sit in the dark and shiver in the winter or swelter in the summer to pay your utility bills. It does mean that you have to make smart choices about your energy usage and take steps to make your home more energy efficient.
Today each of you will receive a copy of our consumer conservation handbook which contains dozens of simple, easy-to-use conservation tips for your home. These are steps you can take right now that cost little or nothing and, as you should see on your next bill, they can save you money.
I urge you to read this book at home. Take it with you as you go room to room and begin to plan on implementing the conservation tips. The more of these suggestions you adopt, the more you can save.
Conservation not only helps to lower your utility bill, it also works to increase reliability and can help to avert blackouts by reducing the collective demand for energy.
As we learned the hard way in the summer of 2003, after the fourth of july blackout at the jersey shore, and the northeast blackout on august 14th, electricity is essential for the maintainance of safe and comfortable standards of living. A day, or even an hour without power teaches us how truly dependent we are on energy.
To be safe and comfortable the twenty-first century family must have almost instantaneous power restoration during emergencies. Businesses can only survive economically when they can count on reliable affordable energy.
There is currently a movement, at both the state and federal levels, to require performance standards for all utilities and to impose penalties if they fail to meet these standards.
The ratepayer advocate has vigorously supported these standards on behalf of the state’s ratepayers. Recently, i testified before an assembly committee at the statehouse and urged the legislature to implement permanent reliability standards with penalties for failure to comply for all utilities serving new jersey.
Rates are at a level that should enable utilities to provide safe and reliable services. If a company does not adequately maintain and upgrade its systems, then ratepayers are not getting the service they are paying for. The ratepayer advocate firmly supports holding utilities accountable for the reliability of their systems.
There are other ways besides conservation efforts that are in your control to achieve lower utility costs and reliability. Alternative forms of energy like solar panels, wind mills, and gas fired micro-turbines are some examples. Many believe they will pave the way for a more reliable and more economical future of energy services throughout the nation and the world.
Under the leadership of governor mcgreevey, new jersey is becoming the national leader in promoting alternative and clean energy technologies. He has put our state in the forefront of the renewable energy field by offering substantial rebates to residential, commercial and industrial customers, by requiring higher percentages of renewable energy in our state’s energy portfolio, and by issuing very useful information on these issues.
You should check out the board’s clean energy program at its’ website- www.njcleanenergy.com . It provides valuable information, as well as numerous links to related sites. The clean energy program can also be reached by calling 1-800-624-0241.
But, many consumers still cannot afford to purchase this technology, even with this outstanding renewable energy rebate program, although it is expected that over time, these new highly efficient and environmentally sound technologies will be less expensive. Until then, however, most of us will remain dependent on the efficiencies of the utility companies.
The energy world is changing day by day. In 1999, new jersey “de-regulated” or more accurately, “restructured” its energy industry. It is now deemed to be competitive. But that decision has not changed the ratepayer advocate’s position that consumer protection regulations and safeguards in new forms are needed to ensure that energy suppliers provide reasonable standards of service and must be accountable to their customers for the cost and realiability of these services.
The ratepayer advocate will continue to take an active role in “restructured” energy proceedings as we continue to work to ensure that during this period of competition and technological advancement, residential and small business customers will benefit from these changes. We firmly support regulatory oversight by the board of public utilities so that the state’s energy services can continue to be reliable, affordable and safe.
The nation, the state and new jersey regulators and utilities are all struggling to resolve these uniquely difficult unprecedented issues. But ratepayers should not wait for their decisions before taking immediate steps as individuals and members of communities to conserve energy and practice economies.
In the power presentations which follow i will provide the details of specific energy conservation steps you can take; an overview of the clean energy renewable energy program; solar energy and energy efficiency incentives; and a discussion of how to read your utility bill.
The more knowledge we have, the more control we have over these vital services. At the end of the powerpoint presentations my colleagues and i will be pleased to answer any questions you may have.
Thank you for your attention.
PowerPoint Presentations
Financial
Assistance
The Clean Energy Program
Understanding Bill South
Jersey Gas
Conservation