Sample Letter to the Consumer Advocate
Dear Sir or Madam,
As a Pennsylvania consumer, I believe it is important that the rates we pay for our electricity are fair and reflect the true costs of what it costs our electric companies to generate and distribute it. These providers should not be receiving excess profits by overcharging us for the power we use.
As the consumer advocate for this Commonwealth, it is your duty to ensure that we are paying a fair price for our electricity. The best way to ensure that these prices are fair is for you to support an energy consumer’s bill of rights, and especially for full electric choice. Full electric choice allows consumers to select from a pool of competitive providers for the one that best suits their needs and has the most affordable price. This policy has already been implemented in areas throughout the state, and it has worked helping consumers choose a competitive energy supplier. The next step that needs to happen is to give all energy consumers this full choice option. One of the best ways to do this is to allow electric retailers to bid on customers in areas where choice is being offered, and give these funds back to the consumers in the form of rebates. This action will return our hard earned dollars while simultaneously providing us with full electric choice. We should not have to settle for a default provider just because of the area in which we may live. I strongly encourage you to support our right to fair electric rates by supporting the Energy Consumers Bill of Rights, and full electric choice for all Pennsylvanians.
Sincerely,
Concerned Citizen
Sample Letter to Your Legislator
Dear Representative John Doe,
I would like to bring your attention to a very important issue concerning electric rates, which is the inability of consumers in some areas of Pennsylvania to have full electric choice. As a result, these consumers are stuck with a ‘default provider’ in the area in which they live. The problem with this is that it allows providers in these areas to charge higher prices for electricity than what are the true costs of producing and distributing that power. This is giving default providers excess profits that are being kept by the company, and taking more of our hard earned dollars. However, with your support, we can end the abuse of consumers by electricity providers by giving all customers full electric choice, and by offering rebates through an auction of customers to electric providers.
Electric choice has already been implemented in areas throughout the state with great success. But in Western Pennsylvania, the full choice is in jeopardy because of our local electric provider’s attempts to declare themselves our ‘default provider’. This effort flies in the face of your good efforts to bring electric choice to Pennsylvania and needs to be stopped.
I support the newly announced Energy Consumers Bill of Rights, which identifies the areas of concern that we consumers feel are important as they relate to electric choice.
The best way to ensure that our electric providers are treating us fairly is to allow an auction of electric customers to all potential providers, with the auction proceeds then returned to us in the form of rebates. This action will give us back our hard earned dollars, and make sure we have full choice in selecting an electric provider.
Sincerely,
Your Constituent
Sample Letters to Your Utility
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to you today to bring to your attention several issues of concern for your customers. These issues include the rates we pay and the subject of full electric choice for all.
I realize that as an electric provider you have costs that you need to cover, which I have no problem with. However, as a consumer, it is not fair to me or other consumers to have to pay an electric bill that is higher than necessary because of the lower costs to provide such service. I think it unfair that you do not pass on reduced costs to us in the form lower rates, but rather keep these excess dollars as profit to your company. When your costs to produce and provide electricity are lower than anticipated, these savings should be passed on to the consumer.
So too should we consumers be offered full electric choice once the rate caps expire in 2011. We should be able to choose which supplier best meets our individual needs, and not be forced to use a ‘default provider’. This provides an unfair competitive advantage to the existing utility company. The best way to ensure that electricity prices are fair and reflect their true costs to produce is through full electric choice. This policy has already been implemented in areas across the state to great success, and so too should it occur here in Western Pa.
I also support the auction of electric customers to suppliers, with funds raised from the auction being returned to customers in the form of rebates. This action will give back consumers’ hard-earned dollars, and allow more choice and flexibility in selecting an electric provider. This policy also benefits electric companies as it helps create a healthier electric market in the state. Accordingly, I urge you to support our rights as customers to full electric choice.
Sincerely,
Your customer