Louisiana’s major electric utilities are still pushing state regulators to allow them to charge customers for the costs of a new statewide energy efficiency program and for the electricity customers will no longer need because of that program.
While the idea might seem like a straightforward solution to cut back on waste, utility company executives aren’t very happy with it. In general, utility companies earn more profit when homes and businesses waste electricity. Less waste leads to lower electric bills, which could mean lower profits for the utilities.
Entergy Louisiana and Cleco vehemently opposed the idea and successfully delayed its adoption for years. A consultant the commission hired to write the basic guidelines for the program spent 13 years and over a half-million dollars trying to appease utility companies with agreeable rules.
Fed up with the delays, Commissioner Craig Greene, R-Baton Rouge, ended the stalemate in January and joined with the two Democrats on the commission in adopting what they say is a more consumer-friendly program than the one the utilities wanted.
Coskii@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 months ago
That’s not how any of this works.
Fuck them and fuck anyone who thinks this makes sense. Paying for energy you don’t use because ‘boo-hoo company profits’ is probably the most blatant late stage capitalism bullshit I’ve seen all month, and probably up there with a handful for the year.
grue@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I agree, and considering some of the other contenders (like Musk suing an ad industry group for choosing not to buy ad space from Twitter), that’s saying a lot!
HappycamperNZ@lemmy.world 2 months ago
In nearly every single example I can think of i fully agree.
The only way I could see this being possibly justified is transmission costs - repairs and maintenance regardless of actual power use, especially if they are selling power back using the grid. I would say its a pricing change rather that suing someone… but again, only possibly I can think of.
Randelung@lemmy.world 2 months ago
My lamp oil business has the same problem, ever since that darn Edison came along my deserved profits have been dwindling! And my cousin has a limestone tablet store, you can’t imagine what it’s like!
It’s what happens when you calculate with infinite growth. Eventually you’ll be surprised by the fact that it isn’t. The only reason why they’re thinking they’re OWED that money is because someone wrote down a number.
Brb, making a company, projecting 10b revenue in 2 years, complain how numbers are being suppressed, maybe sue the government for one thing or another. No I don’t have a product yet. That’s how it works, right?
sj_zero 2 months ago
I mean, the market is centrally planned and controlled by the state, so it isn't capitalist.
You don't need to ask the state permission to raise prices under capitalism.
primrosepathspeedrun@lemmy.world 2 months ago
its not how it works, but is how it’s happening.
you can have courts or you can have justice. not both.
ryannathans@aussie.zone 2 months ago
I’m struggling to understand why utility companies can’t just put up energy prices? Why chase individual customers for this difference in power saving?
primrosepathspeedrun@lemmy.world 2 months ago
because nobody’s going to break in and fucking kill them if they do. but they might if you don’t pay. so they can.