[cod]

I am curious about the electricity shortage. One day Cal. is in the grips of "the worst energy crisis since the Carter administration", and now we(on the east coast) don't hear a word about it. Did they build 20 power plants allready? Or are you guys just being very conservative with your electricity?

[Ninong]

It's still in the news every day, just not in your news.

Check it out: http://www.sacbee.com/news/special/power/

Ninong

[cod]

Ninong;
Thanks for the info. I guess the news media in the east wasn't selling enough advertising with news from out west

[organicreefer]

as a ca resident,id like to say that to me ,personally ,the "power crisis" in ca has had little/no effect on me, my business, or anything(other than drastic rate increases,but from what i understand we are really just catching up with everyone else).i,personally,have not experienced a "black-out"yet.i know there is a problem,but i think there is something to be said here for "media hype"

[Ninong]

organic ~

If you live in Pittsburg and haven't experienced a rolling blackout yet, it probably means you are designated as "Block 50" on your PG&E bill; which means you are on the same grid with an essential service, such as a hospital, fire station, cop shop, etc. Almost 40% of customers are lucky enough to have that designation and they will NOT be turned off. Check your PG&E bill.

Ninong

[organicreefer]

ninong, i do live right by bart,and the cop shop so you are probably right.still ,i havent been on a job and had a problem with electricity either(im a contractor and work all over the place,a different place every few days usaully)

[icemark]

There were some problems back early spring, but a couple of new powerplants have come online (as well as all those ones that the rich power companies back in texas and the like, had shut down last winter for the so called "repairs").

Yes, many people have also been conserving. There is a rebate on your electric bill if you can drop your power usage by 20%. I dropped it that much by just switching many of my lightbulbs around the house to PC and unplugging the garage refrig.

[wgscott]

I think that the power companies realized if they wanted to double (or triple) the electricity rates, they might want to shut up about it for awhile, since there was beginning to be talk of the State seizing the power plants, etc. There were a few cuts a while ago, basically to shake the public down and make them more tolerant of the rate increases. I now pay $0.23838 per KW*hr for the fish. But the shortage was essentially fraudulent, as was eventually disclosed in the press.

[organicreefer]

i agree wg ,i think out of state power dealers saw an opportunity to gouge prices in ca,and they did

[golfish]

It depends where you live, we have our own power company here in Azusa. We don't make the power just buy it. Our city managers were smart enough to secure long term contracts with the power suppliers. I'll have cheap power for years to come.