A proposal before the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio would change the distribution cost for Dominion from a usage-based system to a flat fee. The gas company now charges a flat fee of $5.70 each month for administrative costs. With the distribution fee rolled in, the new flat fee would be $17.50 per month.
Do Forum members see a problem with this flat fee increase? Doesn't it place a financial burden on small quantity users who may have already reduced their natural consumption as a way of saving money on home heating?
Jay:
This is why we need Community Solar Power...and we need it now.......
Community Solar Power
Posted: 27 Jun 2008 03:04 PM CDT
A community in Canada has an unusual form of solar power that can provide over 90% of the annual heating and hot water needs for the homes, despite being situated in a cold Alberta location where winter temperatures can reach -33 degrees C (-27 F).
The Drake Landing Solar Community collects solar energy in a heat storage fluid through an array of solar panels on the roof of each home and covering all of the garages at the back of each home. The heated fluid is transferred to a neighborhood energy center, and then into the ground beneath an insulated layer, where the heat is stored in the earth.
Combined together, the 52 home community is able to collect and store enough energy from the sun during the summer that the ground storage temperatures reach 80 degrees C (176 F). This heat is sufficiently insulated beneath the ground that it can be drawn from throughout the winter to provide heat and hot water.
The homes in the community are moderately sized, ranging from 1,492 to 1,664 square feet, and are insulated to a level 30% higher than the average home in Canada in order to keep the energy needs low enough to work with the system. The homes are also closely located to one another. This provides a more walkable neighborhood, as well as reducing the lengths that the fluid for the solar heating system needs to travel.
Entire Neighborhood Has Shared Solar Heating
The system works in part due to the scale of the project utilizing the combined capacity of the entire community. A similar system scaled down to a single family home version would not work as efficiently simply because too much heat would be lost. But the scale of a system for 52 households makes this a feasible project.
While the technology is similar to a ground source heat pump, which relies on a relatively stable, constant temperature of the ground, the Drake Landing Community is actually storing heat throughout the summer and then relying on that banked heat during the winter.
Solar heating is a more exciting prospect than solar generation of electricity because heating is a much larger percentage of a home’s total energy use (60% for space heating, 20% for water heating, and 20% for appliances, lights, and other electrical loads).
Dennis Spisak Independent Green Party Candidate for state Rep=60th District
Http://Votespisak.tripod.com
Jay:
NOTE THE FIRST LINK WHICH IS THE APPLES TO APPLES CHART.
By shopping around and getting on a fixed rate your gas bill can go down even with the fixed rate.
http://www.puco.ohio.gov/Puco/ApplesToApples/NaturalGas.cfm?id=4810
http://www.vindy.com/news/2008/jun/27/puco-schedules-hearing-in-youngstown-on-gas/
http://www.vindy.com/news/2008/jun/24/state-debates-changes-to-dominion-east-bills/
And don't forget we are still waiting 2 years now for Bob hagan to get his bill to take the 20 dollar surcharge off our natural gas bill......
Dennis Spisak
The Akron Beacon Journal is running a series on this topic:
http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/22247579.html
And something for all of us to think about:
http://www.ohio.com/lifestyle/22248014.html
I heard a comment on the radio this afternoon. The cost for natural gas will also rise significantly this heating season.
PUCO HEARING to Stop Another Hike In Your Natural Gas Bill
Posted by: Dspisak (IP Logged)
Date: July 01, 2008 05:45PM
The PUCO will hold a hearing on July 28, 2008 as our local gas company tries to tack on another 5 to 15 dollars on our natural gas bill.
Here is how Columbia Gas tried to spin their rate hike in Toledo, Ohio.....
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/media?id=6218595
It's time for Progressive Liberals and Conservatives to pack this meeting and say NO to anymore tax hikes!
Dennis Spisak-Greeen Party Candidate for State Rep-60th district
campaign site: http://votespisak.tripod.com