From the Facebook Page of Rosemary Parkinson
I was once a vibrant, beautiful woman without a wrinkle! But this is what your harassment of my life has turned me into. Perhaps a court case would be in order for turning me into a monster with your bills???
BARBADOS LIGHT & POWER - are you waiting for the whole of Barbados to just come down to your offices and scream and shout and behave bad like a set of lunatics all because of your incessant insistence on taking the mickey out of each and every Barbadian who uses a light bulb in this country? Has it dawned on you that two years ago the very same bill from you for the very same usage of your raas gold power at our residence was BDS$400 a month? One year later for the very same usage of that same raas gold power of yours suddenly became BDS$750 a month? Within this last year that very same usage of that very same gold power suddenly became platinum at BDS$1000?.. and now to add insult to injury… one month…yep! I said one month later your raas platinum power has become more expensive than uranium – the bill being BDS$1700 for same said on month supply?
Nothing has changed in terms of usage in this household for the last two years. Sorry! Mea Culpa. I lie. At great cost I turned in my old fridge for a new Energy Saver one! But nothing extra has been purchased to plug into sockets that feed into your miserable meters that are read when you feel like it. The price of oil plummets, the recession arrives, people are losing their jobs and you, dear, dear BARBADOS LIGHT & POWER find it amusing to hike everyone’s right to light to suit your investors’ dividends at the end of a year. For, God forbid, those should drop!
Or is it that by assuring an overseas company that you are able at your whim to dig out the eyes of people on this rock; that no matter how high your now uranium bills become the chuped idiots known as your Barbadian fellow men will just continue to pay without a word and, therefore, you in your almighty power can demand a higher price for the sale of your company to them? I can hear you in the boardroom: “We demand this price for all the assets of our Uranium Power Plant because Barbadians are a set of poppets and no matter what you charge, they will pay and continue to live merrily along.”
On the other hand….perhaps it is just a plain death wish you have, for one can push people to a point and then they suddenly rise up in anger and do things they would normally never consider. And by the way, please do not even begin to consider this note to you a threat of any kind. I would never consider threatening such a powerful uranium company….even ‘though you obviously consider me chuped and a poppet. I am merely trying to help you. I am merely being a good citizen and warning you that this time you have gone just a tad too far in your deceit of the people of this country.
And whilst I am at it? How dare you try to convince me, an intelligent grown woman, that the reason for the enormous bill received this month (a month filled with sudden cuts in power by the way!) is due to an increase in this household’s usage and nothing to do with you all going totally mad in your Accounts Department!!!
Enough is enough!!
I used to pay $97 dollars a month in 2008,then $150 in 2009,$275 in mid 2010,$340 for the first couple of months in 2011 then $400 for the most recent,now last months bill came at $500 flat.I did all i could to reduce usage,all my bulbs are the energy saving type,no luxuries like a/c or nothing so just a tv fridge and a fan or two.
Seems like i ill have to buy a kerosene lamp when i get paid next week cause my electricity will be disconnected,and not by choice.
B’dos Light & Power and DLP like parasites on the backside of this country, seeking to draw every drop of blood out of the nation. A time of reckoning will come. It is an act of criminality for gov’t to grant an increase at this time of crisis, when Light and Power was not making losses. They actually have the gall to boast in Advocate that profits jump from 28m to 43m at a time when bajans suffering and every other business getting losses. Old people facing these bills and cannot get it pay. My lil business squeeze pon every side. I get a small generator to help and the fuel cost is another trial. Now they say that oil companies dilute the fuel so it burning fast, fast. Somebody got to save us from the rapacious greed and unconscionable acts by these people. Anytime the rest of wunna want to march or do something call me. I will join you.
First of all let me say what I forgot in my irate mood when I wrote the above – that Energy Saving Fridge? I had to buy it because Light & Power in their great sense of fun for surging electricity mashed up the one I had. But I did not fuss….could not be bothered at the time to make a mountain out of a mole hill….should have but did not.
What I fail to understand is why the fuel cost in the first place….? This to me is just another ploy to extricate dollars.
We did not have a fuel charge in the past and I am sure Light & Power was not using wind to create power. I have never seen (in the past or now) Light & Power not being able to pay their shareholders dividends. So that means to me, this dumb blonde, that Light & Power made money then, and making money now.
Yes! they got an increase in rates to help their plea for a) higher cost of oil and b) whole new better working L&P. But now we have more power cuts than ever, some of them islandwide. Not only power cuts but constant surges that play de backside with our appliances. And this added fuel charge instead of moving with the times, seems to move with Light & Power – perhaps they use special high end thicker oil or something? And on top of that excessive power charges to householders at their whim…because this bill seems very at their whim…and there is NOTHING WHIMSICAL ABOUT IT!!!!
Some comments from friends – a Barbadian: My bill is normally $550 now this month over $1500 because they have not ready the metre since November I ask them for a written explimantion as it is not my fault that it has not been read – they find you when they want to turn it offf how about finding us when they need to read it – time for a petition to be signedIt seems like all this is happening in the heart of a recession when business is terrible – people are getting laid off and food prices are soring I like you and also worried about the fate of this island – The talk of Devaulation has risen its head yet again?????
A friend in Shanghai and everyone thinks the Chinese coming here to holiday: Just got my power bill in Shanghai…for 2 months, with ac running non stop…RMB150…ie BDS 46.40…ok!!! CHINA AIN’T BACKWARD!
From another Bajan living in the US: It is terrible how much basic services cost in Barbados, I wonder how many old, poor, burdened people/families are struggling in the dark a risk of possible fire because of candle and gas lamp use.
From a Bajan living here: ‘Uranium Pirates of the Barbadians’!! Total despots – they wield far more power than our Silent PM!!! WHO WILL BELL THE CAT?!!!!Is there such a thing as an ‘Energy Audit’ available to Barbadians by a NON-B L & P professional? Something seems very, very wrong here!
From me again – someting gotta be done! This is just not alright!! Not this time!!!
Should we blame the BL&P or should our ire be directed at the Fair Trading Commission?
Wow! I had predicted that this was going to happen if you sold the only light and power plant that you have to an outsider. But for the love of money and greed you sold it and now they are gouging out your eyes with a smile; Barbadians needs to realize that nothing will change unless you all band together for the common good of all; These people don’t give a rat’s ass about you. It’s all about the money that can be made at any cost. Thy saw an opportunity to make money, and took it; BLAME the share holders who thought that money was more important than HUMAN-BEINGS; You sold your souls to the DEVIL and now he is showing his ass, because he knows he holds all the cards in this game; The prices will continue to rise because they have no competition to threaten them;
I feel so very sorry for those older people who are on a fix income to be living this way in what you call modern times; When things should be better than their presently are;
A sad Bajan in the US…. Prayers alone isn’t going to do it this time;
The Barbadian public has now awaken to the realisation that the Barbados Light and Power Co. Ltd. is ripping them off. Well I have news for you, as far as I am aware they have been ripping of this country for the last thirty years. Cast your minds back to the rate increase before the last. There was a twenty-six year interval. Now ask yourselves, how could anyone sell a product at the same price for 26 years and continue to make a handsome profit for all of the 26 years if the product was not already over-priced from the start.
People continue to blame port charges and other things for Barbadian products being uncompetitive, but that is not the case. The two main reasons why our products are are too expensive and not being accepted by our neighbours are the cost of electricity and our over valued dollar.
BL&P owes every customer a large refund.
Just to let all those reading this blog. In the interest of being fair…first…since I have not been keeping up with who sell what to who…I was under the impression that negotiations were still on re the sale of our power company to a Canadian entity…now I hear that this sale has already been complete. So now we have Canadians diggin’ we eye out in a company that seems to have never made a profit loss since its inception. No problem with that, of course. We all gotta make a likkle money, business is business, but when Barbados Light & Power was still owned by the previous lot, the name Bajan Poppets had already crept in to the vocabulary of those who owned it then…obviously. And could it be that when they forced the hand of government to give them an increase they already knew they were going to sell the company and wanted to show the new would-be eye-diggers how great a profit they could make once the acquisition took place?? And second and most importantly Barbados Light & Power your suggestion to us that our usage had gone up and something was wrong at our end…is a load of codswallop and eff you ent know what dat means…it means you think you can screw wid us! We have just had a Certified Electrician come here and check everything…from the meter inside the house to everything that we use…bit by bit…very systematically and he has said (like I knew he would!) in no uncertain terms that nothing is wrong…not one thing…and that hike of $700 in one month has nothing to do with usage since we have been using the very same things from day one that I moved in here…actually I thought it was two years….but we are now almost into a complete three!!! So Barbados Light & Power what say you??? Oh! and in case you think I lie…he will be sending us a written report of his findings which I shall also publish. Let me tell you something my dear Canadians who own Light & Power now….I already vex with your airline for something very very mean they have done to one poor little old lady…so please ah beg ya…doan mekk it worse by telling me more crap hear? ‘Cause right now…ah vex ’till ah vex. All I want is for you to apologize to the people of this country and send us corrected bills….NOW!!!
……and yes! Where is the Fair Trading Commission????
@Rosemary
Stephen Worme monitors BU even if he has had to accede to instructions to stop communicating with us.
Why don’t you give him a call?
He always seem amenable tp chatting with the public.
Check on your bill and see if there is an E (for estimated) in the column on your bill marked RC.
Read your meter and compare it with the Reading as of the date of the bill.
I did that last year and had BL&P read my meter as opposed to estimating my consumption and ended up paying zero for four months running as BL&P evened out its billing of me.
I regularly read my meter and guage my daily consumption.
At the moment I am ahead by about $100.00.
Reading the meter and comparing it with the bill is easy and fun as it is a way of understanding what electricity you actually use.
For a few days, or even a day, if you have nothing much in the fridge, unplug it and see how much electricity you save.
…. or, read the meter at night and then again in the morning and see what you paid for the security lights around your home.
If there are 100,000 homes in Barbados there are 100,000 meters to be read each month, every month.
That is tough.
My meter is the old time kind with dials so a meter reader actually has to come and physically read it.
The newer ones can be read electronically.
I get the same with water, an estimate of $700.00 vs a reading of $30 odd. I pay my $30.00 until a meter reader gets the reading.
I suspect there are electronic water meters but can’t see them being installed in any great hurry in Barbados.
Meter reading is tough for a utility company.
The following comment was posted on David/BU’s FB’s page:
Does anyone remember the name EMERA?
Does anyone remember that EMERA CHARGES THE HIGHEST ELECTRICITY RATES in Cananda?
Does anyone remember who has majority ownership of Barbados Light and Power?
Does anyone remember who sold NIS shares in BL&P to EMERA?
My Ontario hydro electricity bill.
Time of use $380.
Delivery $ 184
Regulatory $ $39
DEBT RETIREMENT CHARGE $ 38
BL&P is now owned by Canadians so look out.
Oh! how food connects with memories….as I was downstairs cooking me lunch on my gas stove (sorry! BL&P you cyant blame dat too for me high bill) I remembered once when I lived in Toronto…the price of bacon went up by one cent…Canadian housewives got all smoked up…the Consumer Affairs people looked into the matter, found the hike to be unfair and forced the particular bacon company to put the price back to where it was originally…Oh! and while this was being looked into, not one housewife bought the particular bacon…it was rotting on the shelves.
Now I know that story is about food but I bet if your fellow Canadians in Canada got a bill such as what many of us have gotten this month from you….the electrifying scream might have been heard all the way down here, the ensuing mess might have caused you to close your doors and go outta business…so this begs a question.
Did you guys come down here because you know that we Bajans not known for making big fuss? After all even historically we really only had two major uprisings in our history – not like all our warlike brothers down to the south and up in de norff…no sah! we have always been pretty much well-behaved and the perfect place for tiefs to settle…’cause we ent say much normally excep’ in de rum shops – de University of Life – where we vociferate loud but usually go home inebriated enough to eat and fall asleep. But times change….and the internet technology is rampant here now and people opening much more especially when dem pushed into a corner….
…perhaps you might just have underestimated us on this little rock….just perhaps…
.
I am actually reducing my electricity bill by keeping on top of my meter reading.
I realsise however I won’t get large savings as the fuel charge is a killer, but I am getting reductions.
My meter only has four dials but the youtube extract below has five.
No matter, same principle.
@Rosemary Parkinson – based on BL&P’s explanation it sounds like your meter is showing much higher usage than previously. Perhaps you might also ask BL&P to check your meter to see if it is working properly. Apart from that John has given good advice.
There is a link on the BL&P website showing how to read your meter:
http://www.blpc.com.bb/cus_metr.cfm
@Brutus. We have had an independent electrician check out all of what we are doing re electricity usage…we have also asked (and they promised to send but we have not seen anyone as yet) to come and check out what is going on between post and meter….Whatever way you look at it, unless someone else is tapping into our power…there are no (so far) indications as to why our bill should rise from BDs$1,000 to BDs$1,700 in one month. We have done NOTHING DIFFERENT for the last two/three years..except change our habits towards maximum energy saving…..Maybe we should go back about one and half years ago when we left lights on at night…and did not pay close attention to every little light detail in our house…we had more decent bills then!!!!
Relate the Reading of your bill on the date shown to the reading you get on your meter.
In my case the estimate on the bill was higher than the reading I was getting days after the estimate was made.
I went in to BL&P and pointed out the error.
They told me call in the reading next time … I took it in.
The estimate is a way of not having to read every meter in every house every month.
It evens out over time, but if your bill is going berserk, it might be that the estimated consumption rate is based on a time when you may have had guests, or for a time when it was very hot and you were using alot of airconditioning.
BL&P won’t bite.
Tell them the reading you are getting if you suspect your estimate is too high.
Ask them to send and read it and review their estimated consumption of your home if you feel it is warranted.
In my case I can state I paid not one red cent for four months of electricity consumption last year.
… but remember, the estimate is a convenient way of avoiding monthly visits from the meter reader and can prevent surprises both for the meter reader and the home owner as can be seen in this youtube clip.
@Rosemary – you probably need to stop looking at the dollar amount of the bill and tell us how many kWh were used in the month when you paid $1,000 and the month when you paid $1,700. Even at $1,000 for a month though I think you would be among the top residential users in Barbados which indicates you are normally using a lot more power than the average household. Your electrician should easily be able to tell you if the meter reading seems wrong.
I hope you appreciate that your bill will also increase significantly because of the cost of fuel, even if your usage of electricity is the same.
On the subject of fuel charge, it would be useful for the public to know the details of the arrangement between BNOC and BL&P.
It is also interesting to note the price of oil has been trending downwards last two months or so with no significant change to consumer price in Barbados. Could it be the BNOC has hedge covering the period of the downward trend which means Barbados has not been able to benefit? If this is the case say so, Bajans would understand. and BL&P.
It is also interesting to note the price of oil has been trending downwards last two months or so with no significant change to consumer price in Barbados. Could it be the BNOC has hedge covering the period of the downward trend which means Barbados has not been able to benefit? If this is the case say so, Bajans would understand.
Fight. Complain.Protest…..but
The best tactic is to reduce your consumption of electricity. Turn off the lights and use the AC sparingly.
Some of the economists in Canada are still predicting $200 a barrel oil in the next year or two.
Bajans should try Solar energy options. You have to reduce your dependence on BL&P.
A Solar system for a 2000 sq.ft house cost less than a Toyota Corolla.
that is so unfair, now the gas prices are coming down why cant the light and power and other businesses in barbados bring back down the prices. If you check the prices in the US for oil its coming down and barbados get most of their products from barbados, its so unfair what they doing and there is no one to correct this big problem.
Pay the high bills with some of the money that you got for the shares. Emera has the company and may very well soon have back the money paid for it as well. You are smart, highly educated Barbadians – you figure it out.
Caswell
The Barbadian public has now awaken to the realisation that the Barbados Light and Power Co. Ltd. is ripping them off. Well I have news for you, as far as I am aware they have been ripping of this country for the last thirty years. Cast your minds back to the rate increase before the last. There was a twenty-six year interval. Now ask yourselves, how could anyone sell a product at the same price for 26 years and continue to make a handsome profit for all of the 26 years if the product was not already over-priced from the start.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I think I may actually have a logical answer to this seeming contradiction.
It is to do with stratgic planning.
I have to see if I can find an article written in the 1980′s by an engineer at Light and Power describing the savings of installing low speed diesel generating plant and the ability to use “cheap” bunker C fuel.
Then I may be able to quote you actual figures.
I may be wrong about the article but when I find it I will let you know.
I suspect the choice of plant and the payback period were major elements in setting rates.
I have not got a clue what type of generation plant is currently installed but suffice it to say that whatever is installed requires the fuel it was made to run on.
You can’t magically make one generating set run on all fuels.
Once the decision to install certain plant is made and it is installed, you can’t unmake it and change to some other choice without incurring costs and downtime.
It is like diesel and gasoline vehicles.
Fuels are not interchangeable, at least if you don’t want to mash up your engine.
I think a couple of questions might be what mix of fuels are required to run the generating plant and does the mix minimse fuel costs?
I have been out of touch for too long to be definitive in anything I say.
I would have to ask some questions and educate myself as to the current status quo vis a vis generating capacity.
Right now I am real busy so all I do where utilities are concerned is to concentrate on understanding my household’s usage and seeking to minimise where possible.
I know Bajan’s are frightened for electricity but reading a meter is not difficult and should be perfectly safe.
I will have more news for all concerned tomorrow…thank you David. At least we have gotten some attention and perhaps there is an explanation…whatever it is someting wrong here…
I keep saying that apart from meter reading we have done all we can to save energy, makes no sense to give this blondie tips on that…I can read and have informed myself long ago on energy saving.
Technology is a hell of ting…I just heard from a T&T friend that my bill is equal to his and his family for a whole year…but he did tell me that there is technology now that your meter can be tampered with by employees whose family are receiving free electricity….I pray this is just a figment of his ‘techie’ brain…and that if it is available that we in Barbados would not stoop to such low tactics….hmmmm…..I know times are hard…and Bajans learning how to “capture” electricity from the pole but tampering direct into the meter??? Wow! I do not want to believe it or even think it.
@John
It is like diesel and gasoline vehicles.
Fuels are not interchangeable, at least if you don’t want to mash up your engine.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Not exactly correct. Multi-fuel engines have been in existence for decades with the military. The Bedford MK, many of which can be seen in Guyana, is one example.
Rosemary
My last bill was 75% fuel charge, 25% electricity.
The question to put to your T&T friend is what is the cost of a litre/gallon of gas at the pump in Trinidad.
Compare that with what it is here.
If it is say 50% cheaper there than here, reduce the fuel cost on your bill by 50% and then compare bills.
I admit that is an approximation.
I agree with Brutus, your bill is high.
Clothes dryers and airconditioning require alot of electricity.
Heating water is also expensive.
I once was called to look at high electricity usage at a house with an electrically heated outdoor jacuzzi which was uncovered!!!!!
Please tell me you don’t have anything like that or you use a solar heat exchanger for that purpose.
Again, if you know how to read your meter you can actually measure the consumption of major appliances around your house.
Turn everything off and then use one appliance at a time. See how long it takes for the smallest dial to move by one. That will tell you which appliance uses the most electricity.
Come to think of it, try turning everything off and ensure your meter is not measuring electricity!!
If you have a meter with dials there is a disc that rotates if electricity is passing through the meter.
It should stop once you have everything turned off.
This test also works with the water meter to see if you have leaks. Turn everything off and make sure it is not recording water.
I might soon have to go back to using a kerosene lamp, with the cost of electricity going up every time. I believe the govt should reduce the vat on the cost of electricity to 8.5% and the FTC should revisit its decision to award the company an increase. The more i install energy saving equipment the higer my bill is becoming. I give up. The other day i was roasting a bedfruit and i said to myselff that i have to keep the two bricks togehteer as i migh have to cook on wood sometimes to help to cut down on the cost of operating a house. Promise to pull out the fridge later in the year when i go on holiday and see how much the bill is going to come in for. I called the company about two wees ago to check the meter, waiting for a call from the company. In may i went over and away i pulled out everything except the the little fridge and the bill came in for the samething as if i were home using electricity. Will pull out everything NEXT TIME..
.
I could recall that when the BL&P had commissioned the new equipment at spring gardens it had bosted that the cost of electricy would have been cheaper and that never materialised. Why did EMra or whatever it is called paid an interest in the shares of BL&P, because it realized that the comapany is a milking cow. I would like the economist on this blog compare the ROI of light and power with similar ones in the regoin and afar and tell us their findings.
I could not understand why jamaicans and trinidadans steal electricity, but i am now getting a clearer picture.
Is the arrangement in place with SOL contributing to the cost of diesel and gasoline at the pump, can someone investigate?
No matter what economies you put in place, your power bill is going to rise year on year forever, you are only shifting the inevitable to your fellows.
It’s called capitalism, live with it.
When the board of any company cannot report increased profits to their shareholders year after year, questions as to their ability will be asked at the AGM, threatening their golden goose positions.
You save, switch off a puny 40w light in the vain hope you’ll see a reduction, but if carried out nationwide, BL&P in their corporate wisdom will approach the toothless lapdogs at the FTC and plead their capital expenditure is under threat due to falling revenues and a rate rise is necessary to maintain the system.
Outcome: The consumer uses less, pays more and the utility increases the shareholder dividend year on year,guaranteed by government.
Sweet for some, suck salt for the victims of an imposed monopoly.
Where ae the folks that take care of consumers
Power supplied by solar panels is the way to go, however Government must provide the incentives for people to do so. The only problem is set up cost. If Government provide concessions so that people could reduce the initial cost. BL&P might think twice about their price gouging.
just only asking
Check how much on your bill goes to fuel and how much to electricity.
If you are cooking using electricity, think about alternatives, bottled gas or natural gas if it is available in your area.
If you are ok reading the meter, read it every day at the same time each day for a week to see what days are high usage in your household.
Read it every three hours every day if you want to see what activities are consuming the most electricity on a given day … if you have the time.
As you start to understand where the money goes in your household as far as electricity is concerned you will start to compare the individual activities that consume that money for cost vs benefit.
For instance, I guarantee a clothes line will dry clothes as dry as any clothes dryer …. if all you want is dry clothes!!
If you want the benfit of speed however, then use the clothes dryer and pay the cost.
george
The folks that take care of consumers are the consumers themselves.
Welcome to criminal Barbados. Monopolys got us like caged rats to poked and provoked at will. This bunch want to sending to Siberia, never to return to political power.
Caswell
The benfit of “free” electricity has a cost.
There is maintenance of individual solar units.
Batteries go bad and need to be replaced …. and worse, to be disposed of.
Remember, during the night there is no sun visible so batteries need to be charged during the day to supply the power at night.
Wind is perhaps a better alternative because as a “fuel” it is available 24/7.
I am quite capable of designing, building and maintaining a solar unit for my home but I would hesitate and think long and hard before I installed such a unit, either of my own design or from anyone else for those two basic reasons.
If there was a supplier who had the technical know how and resources to keep that unit working 24 hours a day 7 days a week, maybe I might reconsider.
At first glance, a wind farm is probably a better alternative, but that is just a spur of the moment suggestion with no rigorous thought or research invested.
Of course if we were to find major oil under Barbados or offshore our problems would be solved!!!
….. don’t you believe me …. more would be created!!
An understanding of what resources exist offshore and how to tap them safely and profitably will probably be a key to our future in the long term where energy is concerned.
How many of our politicians (B or D, aspiring or incumbent) would you trust because of their demonstrated track record of understanding on technical matters to lead us into the future where energy is concerned?
Most are lawyers but none seem to have thought that a change in the law was necessary for their chosen candidate to become Chief Justice, … or to open Dodds as a replacement for Glendairy.
May God help us!!
John
The maintenance to the solar panels would only entail washing off bird droppings. There are no moving parts to go bad. Solar panels that are now being manufactured have a warranty of 20 years, but because they are solid state they could last much longer. You might get problems in the event of a hurricane, but that is all. In addition to the panels, you would need a simple inverter to change the current from direct current (dc) to alternating current (ac), and I agree that you would need batteries that would be charged during the days, by the solar panels, to maintain power at night.
Tax incentives would help to lower the cost, but that is not being encouraged since the power that you obtain from the panels would not have to pass through the BL&P lines, hence no light bill.
You then asked,
How many of our politicians (B or D, aspiring or incumbent) would you trust because of their demonstrated track record of understanding on technical matters to lead us into the future where energy is concerned?
For that answer, you would have to give me some time to think: right now I don’t think that they are any that I would trust to cut my toenails.
@John….if you read my comments you will see that our continue efforts to save energy has only done one thing – increased our electric bill to exorbitant proportions. And no, we do not have electric heaters…we have solar. And yes, we did all those tests of turning on and off various things for the electrician who came to the house yesterday and NOTHING was pulling excessively – NOTHING!! @Just only asking. I know your pain ’cause when I used to travel our bill nevah did a dip…sometimes I would be away for a whole month!
I will be discussing all of the above with Light & Power today…if anyone has questions you wished answered, please let me have them by 9 a.m. I am not going to just deal with my bill and my concerns…I am one of those who deals with all concerns…I started the ball rolling with my letter on Facebook and I do not stop until real answers that satisfy give all the peace we deserve. And yes! I understand monopoly, I understand shareholders wanting returns – I do not understand greed particularly at a time like this when we should be helping our fellow man to stay upright in whatever way we can, so we may all pull through these difficult times. The profits being made by Barbados Light & Power in these hard time are excessive and certainly a slap in the face of every Barbadian when they are published for all of us who cannot afford to pay our monthly bills far less buy shares in that obviously dream of a company to invest in! Bless.
Don’t you just love people who can think outside the box.
http://www.forbiddenknowledgetv.com/videos/alternative-energy/solar-roadways-replacement-for-costly-asphalt.html
@Rosemary
Good Luck this morning!
Thank you David….Barbados Underground has made it possible that at least we will be heard….we shall see if we get some positive results…
@Straight talk…I will bring this up. No reason really why a small island like Barbados could not be the first to have this! What a wow! Thank you for posting. We could make the world really look at us. Wonder if Light & Power would do this with all the profits they make, so that our people and our island can benefit….!!
Light and Power (BL&P) have found a way to print money, and the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) obviously did not have the brains or expertise to work it out. What they (BL&P) do is take your peak usage from one month and apply that to a massively expanded rate the following month. You can mitigate against this by ensuring that you do not have too many appliances working at any one instant in time. Refrigerators we know, have to be plugged-in all the time, but if you use a washing machine or worse, a dryer at the same time as another high electricity guzzler such as an air conditioner, this will affect your following month’s bill drastically. Try and pace your use of high electricity-using appliances so that they are not all working together. High users of electricity are: washing machines, dryers, water pumps, air conditioners. Also, many security lights have 150 watt bulbs, which can be replaced adequately by much smaller energy-efficient bulbs. Flat screen TV’s are also high users. How many of us leave them on when not watching? The BL&P tariff is almost criminal in its application, so try and mitigate against it until something is done about it, if ever.
Caswel
For that answer, you would have to give me some time to think: right now I don’t think that they are any that I would trust to cut my toenails.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Please don’t go to any unnecessary bother, the question was rhetorical.
… but I can see from your initial thoughts you know that!!!
A simple inverter has in electronic parts which can go bad.
It isn’t only mechanical parts that fail.
I would consider a solar electric power unit to supply a small part of the electrical demand (almost definitely my fridge) in my house on a day to day basis but would consider it essential in case of a protracted power outage to keep the fridge running.
I would start small and see how dependable the technology is and what sort of battery life can be expected. Technology will improve in time.
In my car I know that two years is the most I can expect. It is amazing how dependable that figure is. Somehow the battery always dies two years after purchase ….. the failure is totally reliable.
I would choose solar power over a generator because it makes no noise and in the event of a hurricane/storm/bad weather and ensuing power outage I would not want to attract trouble given the noise a generator makes.
Along with the solar power unit would come the necessary change over switch to enable me to use either power from the solar unit or the national grid.
Depending on how fancy that is there are more parts to fail.
Rosemary Parkinson | July 11, 2011 at 5:50 AM | @John….if you read my comments you will see that our continue efforts to save energy has only done one thing – increased our electric bill to exorbitant proportions. And no, we do not have electric heaters…we have solar. And yes, we did all those tests of turning on and off various things for the electrician who came to the house yesterday and NOTHING was pulling excessively – NOTHING!!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Now you have to introduce the time element.
Do you hear the fridge cutting in and out as it runs?
If you have ac, are the rooms it services well sealed?
Do you hear the compressors cutting in or out?
If the control of these major appliances is not working your bill will be high because they do not know to shut off when the temperature set is reached.
The test is as I said, over time.
The electrician looking at an instant in time will not help unless he/she has taken the time to ensure the major appliances are working as they should.
Ensure you know what to listen for.
… and if your consumption is estimated, it won’t matter if you are away for three months. You will get the same bill, depending on the fuel charge for that month.
Light and Power will not read our meter and will bill you according to the estimate it has of your consumption.
You have the power (!!) to correct it if you find it is too high.
You do not have to wait for them to come and read your meter.
@John…yes! We have already done the listening for cutting out when temperatures have reached their goal….and yes all is well in that area too.
How can it be that when I go away for three months that my electric bill would be the same…that is crazy…and why should I be paying fuel charge when I am not using any fuel (well certainly not much…enough for one security light outside???) Dear God!
@Wake up!
How exactly does BL&P measure peak usage of a residential consumer? How does using more than one appliance at the same time affect the kWh’s recorded on your monthly bill?
If for the interim bill in one month, BL&P’s estimate is too high (based as you say on peak usage), wouldn’t your bill for the next month be lower if they come and read the meter? If the fuel charge has increased in that month isn’t it possible that the consumer might pay less overall than if BL&P had read the meter in both months?
Or are you saying that even the actual meter readings are too high?
More comments from others:
Bajan artist:This electricity and costs has gotten ridiculous.
I would also like to know why we are having these constant outages ( again yesterday) which are playing havoc with equipment. The outages almost add insult to injury when we are suddenly paying so much more.
Bajan employee: Ask them WHY their ‘period of usage’ differs so greatly – like the time the ‘fuel adjustment’ is at its highest….they wait the longest to read the meter!!! Therefore when your bill comes…..call Sandy Crest! They need to be WAY more customer friendly!!! Also…they have some policy where if your bill exceeds a certain amount of $$$, you will be automatically changed to a ‘commercial customer’ and billed at higher rates! Well….fuel charges have gone UP, which would automatically raise your bill, even with less usage. Have they raised the ‘threshhold’ to reflect this? THEY NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY FAIR!!! I must say how much I admire you Rosemary for taking the David and Goliath stance……I sincerely hope you can get PERSONAL RELIEF from this iniquitous situation!!!! All the best!!! ♥
Friend employed in tourism: Somebody just posted on why they think the interim bills are estimated on the low side. Because BL& P can only gain when the meter is actually read since fuel charges go up all the time and it will mean more revenue to BL&P….
This is what happens if you sell the shares cheaply to an overseas company that has a record of high-electric price rates in their own country. That should [b]never[/b] been sold to EMERA. What makes it worse it’s a monopoly (the only Electric power plant in Barbados) and they (like C&W/LIME) will be charging loads of money.
No matter how hard you tried to conserve electricity, your bills will still be worse like you’re giving stimulus package to the BL&P. What are we getting in return from BL&P?
@Hants
No matter how hard you tried to conserve your electricity the costs multiplier goes up and our electric bills emptying out our wallets. Me and my mother are thinking about purchasing a diesel powered generator and getaway from Light and Power company’s expense route.
Reply to John | July 11, 2011 at 12:28 AM |
>>If there was a supplier who had the technical know how and resources to keep that unit working 24 hours a day 7 days a week, maybe I might reconsider.
Try local company Green Technologies, Inc., greetechno@gmail.com 829-8039
Rosemary
@John…yes! We have already done the listening for cutting out when temperatures have reached their goal….and yes all is well in that area too.
How can it be that when I go away for three months that my electric bill would be the same…that is crazy…and why should I be paying fuel charge when I am not using any fuel (well certainly not much…enough for one security light outside???) Dear God!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If yor bill is estimated it does not matter if you are at home or in Timbuktu.
BL&P will charge you for the same number of KWh it has as your estimate.
In $ terms it could be more or less depending on the fuel charge.
In 2000, Jan to February my household consumed 688 KWh.
I paid 9.6968 cents per KwH for the fuel charge and my total bill was $202.56.
It was an estimate.
In March that year when my meter was read, the consumption was found to be 414KWh for the previous month.
Fast forward to 2011, March to April.
My household’s estimated consumption was 308 KWh.
I paid instead of 9.6968 cents per kilowatt hour as the fuel adjustment 45.3897 cents per Kilowatt hour.
My bill was $228.04 although my household was consuming about less than half of what it consumed in 2000.
I believe I can get the consumption down by another 15% but as you can see, I will not alter what I pay in utility bills if the fuel charge goes up!!!
I have to consider whether there is a justification for the increased fuel charge before I start blaming BL&P.
Everything I hear independently of BL&P leads me to believe the price of oil has gone up.
Can I justify the fivefold increase I have experienced with a fivefold increase in oil I hear of?
I probably can.
So what I am left with is to keep trying to minimise my household’s consumption by any means I can …… legally please!!
If the cost goes too high I will look hard at alternative sources of energy.
Did you know that the water your household consumes has potential energy in it which in theory can be converted to electricity?
All the bits necessary to make the conversion are available off the shelf. Kind of like a mini hydro electric generator.
You still end up with batteries and an inverter and the converter will be mechanical.
I’ll run some numbers and see if it is worthwhile!!
I expect pretty soon water rates will rise.
We get water through electricity.
I’ll run some numbers and see if I can estimate what it costs BWA in electricity to deliver water to a household of say 4 persons compared with what that household pays.
My feeling is that the GOB subsidises the water consumer heavily.
I pay about $30.00 per month which is ridiculously low for the utility I get from water.
I figure it is just a matter of time.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/jun/08/oil-price-rises-after-opec-meeting-collapses-in-disarray
Maybe the whole thing is just a charade.
If it is so somebody needs to be strung up.
@John….after reading that link, I am convinced that men with such egos need to be made into eunuchs…sorry guys! but hey! this is all so much crap!! And today I have had enough crap to last me for a lifetime and it pains me to know that when I wake tomorrow, there will be more there for me to face.
I would describe myself as an optimist ……. but then there is reality.
We have avoided the crunch caused by the mess with oil prices.
Like I say, if it manufactured, somebody needs to be strong up …. but I won’t go into the gory details.
Maybe BL&P are exploiting the mess, maybe they are not.
There should be a logical clearcut way in which the fuel charge is arrived at an it should be subject to audit by the FTC.
Maybe it is published somewhere on the internet.
Rosemary
There is usually an electric booster heater in the solar tank.
Make sure it isn’t switched on.
It is easy to miss and turn it on and forget to turn it off.
Maybe get the electrician to disconnect it if solar works well as a rule.
As you see the fuel charge is pure murder and the electric meter is completely unforgiving of even the slightest slip ups in discipline.
Maybe disconnect any external plugs if you suspect someone is using the power.
@John: “There is usually an electric booster heater in the solar tank.
You are wrong.
I had the opportunity this weekend to inspect five (5) solar hot water collectors/heaters. None had electrical connections.
If you ever see high-wattage electrical connections (read: thick wires) to your solar hot water heater, worry.
If you don’t (which most wont), don’t worry.
Some are simply trying to scare and distract you….
It is correct that there is an electrical heating element installed in at least one brand of solar heaters manufactured locally.
It is also correct that many are not connect for various reason at the time of system installation.
These elements are supposed to be used if there is persistent rain for a couple of days.
The problem with BL&P is that they will not read your meter for months on end, then when they finally do, if they were underestimating your usage, you then get hit with a very large bill.
Earlier this year I was hit with a bill 6x more than what I had been paying for the previous four months.
@All…
Just putting this out for consideration…
With all we *know* about the “Fuel Adjust Clause”, who makes the Money when fuel is expensive?
Here’s a hint: it ain’t BL&P.
Here’s a further hint, and a leading question: who does BL&P buy their fuel from?
@Chris
During the last rate hearing was any attempt made to determine how much money BL&P makes by estimating usage? It seems, if we go by complaints, the estimate is using the high number which means there is money to be made in float.
@Raw Bake: “It is correct that there is an electrical heating element installed in at least one brand of solar heaters manufactured locally.
Care to name that brand of locally manufactured solar heaters which provide electrical augmented heating?
@Rawbake… Please correct me if I’m wrong, but would not the amperage required require some serious engineering, certification, and an electrical inspection for each and every installation?
Since that much energy being so close to the water supply could quite possibly introduce risk-to-life situations?
@David: “During the last rate hearing was any attempt made to determine how much money BL&P makes by estimating usage? It seems, if we go by complaints, the estimate is using the high number which means there is money to be made in float.
I don’t recall — I was rather involved with pedantic technical issues.
However, the “Public” was made aware of the proceedings thanks to ROK and myself. Please see http://bajan.wordpress.com/2009/10/06/the-barbados-light-power-rate-hearing-commences/ for data.
Perhaps the Public who are now complaining can research the prior art to answer the question now at hand?
@Chris
Thanks for nothing.
@CH,
Are you trying to tell me that along with the VAT, gov.bb making a profit from selling fuel to BL&P?. Please say it ain’t so.
I cannot speak to the electrical specs of the element as I am no electrical engineer. I can however tell you that the brand is Solar Dynamics. The element is similar to the one in an electric water heater so I imagine it is no more dangerous that an electric heater and probably even less so as the switch is normally off.
@Raw Bake
There is no need to sidetrack the conversation about whether there is a booster switch installed on solar heaters or not, we know this to be the case.
@David: “Thanks for nothing.
That was not nothing.
That was several months of many people’s work.
But thanks for letting all the Intervenors know what our efforts meant to you.
@Rawbake: “Are you trying to tell me that along with the VAT, gov.bb making a profit from selling fuel to BL&P?. Please say it ain’t so.
It is so, Joe….
@Chris
As usual you chose to be selective in using your comprehension skills.
Let others interpret for themselves.
You may have the last word.
David you is something else though!
Bossman check and see who first mentioned the word booster on this thread. My name easy to call? Wuh rong wid you?
Seriously though, you okay?
@Raw Bake
Agreeing with you actually.
Just saying forget Chris and his pedantics on the booster issue.
@BU.David: “Just saying forget Chris and his pedantics…
Gosh David.
Just a little bit more negative energy, and I might be inclined to be offended…
(Not likely, I agree. But it is fun to play… Is it not?)
@Chris
You know the BU household holds you in high regard but when you indulge you must be called out …lol.
@David…
LOL…
Now, might we get back to the serious matters at hand?
You know I have little time for anything else….
Chris is not really a bad fellow. It must be difficult adjusting to the Bajan version of first world standards.
It would be interesting to know if BL&P can a better price for fuel than what it pays the GoB. I always thought that BL&P imported its own fuel.
So it is really in the interest of the DLP for the BL&P to be seen as the bad guy.
Bottle gas gone down, light bills and gasoline might be next.
If memory serves there is a special pipe for BL&P to supply oil.
Stephen Worme indicated that BNOC would have to be the one to disclose details of the BNOC/BL&P arrangement.
Maybe the time has come for the details of this agreement to be made public.
@David: “If memory serves there is a special pipe for BL&P to supply oil.
It is interesting how a single word can make such a difference, isn’t it?
The immediate above might be better worded “If memory serves there is a special pipe TO BL&P to supply oil.
David, please DO pay attention to your words….
Transparency,Transparency, Transparency.
Why so much secrecy if everything is above board?
Found this over at the Advocate, imagine that!
The FCA is a mechanism that is intended to allow the company to recover the cost of fuel used in the generation of electricity. In its simplest form the unit value of the FCA is the cost of fuel used divided by the kWh sales. Because of the requirement for some forecasting the company may at times over or under-recover but by the end of the year imbalances are reconciled. It is a direct pass-through charge, which allows the company to recover the amount that was expended on fuel only. In 2007 the Commission undertook a study on the fuel adjustment charge which confirmed, among other things, that the company does not make any profit on this charge.
The actual unit price of fuel oil is outside the control of the BL&P as it is required to purchase fuel from the Barbados National Oil Company Limited, the sole direct supplier of fuel oil on the island.
In order to ensure continuity of service the BL&P is required to maintain adequate reserves, this means purchasing fuel months before it is used and maintaining an inventory. The price of fuel being used to generate electricity would therefore not correspond directly to the current price. Furthermore, in order to be assured of a reliable source of supply the utility purchases its fuel under contract and that price may not correspond to the current market price. Thus, it usually takes several months for changes in fuel prices to be reflected in the FCA.
http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/newsitem.asp?more=business&NewsID=18002
@all
my solar water heater was installed in 1992 and it has an electical switich that i can switch on if the water is cold, and if you miss and switch it on you will see a red light.
Hope that informs christopher.
Is the arrangement in place with SOL contributing to the cost of diesel and gasoline at the pump, can someone investigate?
Work this one out. I visited a gas station , not a regular one so to speak . I called for $50 worth of diesel. Access to this pump is on one side only. The pump stopped, indicating that $50 in fuel had been dispensed . The attendant who was standing on the other side, gave me back $10 from the $50 note offered. When questioned , I was told that the meter on the other side was indicating $40.
Is it my understanding that the gas station operators,by that I mean individual managers , have the authority to calibrate the pump’s fuel delivery? If this is so ,therein lies a possible answer to the above query.
I have seen booster heaters in two brands.
The one I am most familiar with was on a 20 amp circuit, single phase.
It is either a 1Kwatt or 1.5 kwatt element.
I am going to assume the smaller value.
Now, watch how the numbers play out.
If it is turned on for an hour, 1 Kilowatt Hour of electricity is consumed and the BL&P charges at the moment 47 cents for the fuel and say 20 cents for electricity (assuming the third tier of the rates).
Lets round that to 70 cents for the hour.
Not bad!!
Now suppose it is left on for a day, that is 70 cents x 24 hours = $16.80.
Suppose it is forgotten and runs for 10 days.
$168.00!!
… and if it runs for a month ….. $504.00!!!!
If the element were actually 1.5kWatts then that money would be $756!!
The particular solar heater I am most familiar with had a pressure relief valve.
I don’t think it had a thermostat.
If it did, then the thermostat would have controlled the electrical power to the heater so the expense would not have been as high as $504.00, or $756.00.
If it didn’t, the customer would be billed for $504.00 ($756.00 if the element was $1.5kWatts) because the energy was consumed on the premises, through the meter!!
It is really important in these days that consumers know how to read their electrical meters. They can save themselves significant money and become aware of the activities which cost them the most in energy.
Once you become aware of the cost to run an appliance and assuming you want to minimise the money you spend in energy, then you will automatically find ways to save energy.
It is actually fun.
That example can be applied to a 100 watt light bulb.
If you left one on 24/7 for one month solid it would cost you 1/10th of $504 or $50.40.
If you ran it only at night, every night, it would cost you a half, or $25.20.
And if you ran a 150 watt bulb all night every night the cost would be 1.5 times $25.20 or $37.80.
You can see why fluorescent bulbs save, for the same light output they require less energy than incandescent bulbs.
Much of the energy supplied to an incandescent bulb will be dissipated as heat.
You can also see that heating requires real energy ……. and although I haven’t shown it, so too does cooling.
Lighing is cheapest.
Hit the activities that involve heating or cooling hardest, that is not to say to ignore lighting and you will save.
Learn how to read your meter so you can see the results of your efforts, don’t be confused by the estimates or interim bills that come.
Hope rates come down, but realise that they will probably continue to rise.
KNOW YOUR ACTUAL USAGE.
BL&P rakes in 45 million, the highest profit in four years, It can all be attributed to the recent FTC rate hike.
http://news.barbadostoday.bb/barticlenew.php?ptitle=Profits%20up%20for%20power%20company&article=8203&pdate=2011-07-11
This is a source of financial reports for Barbados Light Power
http://www.blpc.com.bb/co_rep.cfm
This a report ftom the FTC for 2009.
http://www.ftc.gov.bb/library/2009_annual_report_ftc_barbados.pdf
Note page 8 and 9 of this report on the Fuel Adustment Charge and removal of the government subsidy in November 2008.
“During the period under review the fuel adjustment charge for Secondary Voltage and Large Power customers rose from 28.5220 cents per kilowatthour in April of 2008 to 49.821 cents per kilowat hour in August of the same year.
The Government subsidy which allowed the fuel adjustment charge to remain at the October 2007 level 23.5357 cents per kWh for domestic and general power customers continued until November 2008 when the fuel adjustment charge fell below the subsidised rate.
In view of this the subsidy was removed in November 2008 and thereafter all customer classes paid the same fuel adjustment charge.”
Wonder what the subsidy amounted to as a total dollar figure and who the Government got to fund it?
Whether we pay up front or whether the Government incurs the debt on our behalf is the question.
If we feel the cost directly in our pockets we will act for the better to reduce the impact upon us.
The behaviour of the fuel adjustment charge in the graph on page 9 of the FTC report is quite fascinating.
…. October 2007 …… wasn’t that a couple of months before elections?
@John
you have given some intereting pointers, i use the machin every two weeks, no fans, no ac, The small fridge cuts in and out and thewriter says it used 437 kmh per year, I have only flourescent bulbs, motion sensor in the garage and at the back of the house, only press shirts, no dryer, dont use the switch to the solar, sometimes will fall asleep with television on and thats it.
I am going to get some lamps, by the way wonder when solar power television and stereo sets coming?
@David
can you get some one to produce the ROI, the ROE, the interest cover among other things to let us see how bl&p is fairing when compared to similar companies
@all
Can you remember Mr. Worne keep saying that the Govt could not continue the subsididy with the comapny, i am now wondering why he had such a specail interest in the topic.
@ CB
……..’Is it my understanding that the gas station operators,by that I mean individual managers , have the authority to calibrate the pump’s fuel delivery’?
The answer to that (if it is a Sol station) is NO!!
Try the ‘new’ Bio diesel…….cheaper and seems to be working well…..smells like something frying but I am told it cleans the engine well.
Stephen Worme indicated that BNOC would have to be the one to disclose details of the BNOC/BL&P arrangement.Maybe the time has come for the details of this agreement to be made public.
_________________________________________________________
I agree!
Now…John….I keep saying that we have checked everything…and yes! we have an electrical switch that powers up the solar unit when there is excessive rain and no hot water…..WE HAVE NEVER USED IT AND IT REMAINS OFF ALL THE TIME. All I can say at this time is: down the road a man has a large bar with pool tables and several beer cooler…everything runs 24/7…how come my bill more dan his by $600 – I am a home for crying out loud…. and I am basically living in one bedroom with my little office on the side. Downstairs lights are used so very occasionally…kitchen light is fluorescent. I have explained all above as to how I live…no need to do it all over again. I have explained that we had an electrician come here and look into each and every appliance…Life is stressful enough without having to read meters three times a day, mathematically working out whether my bill should be this or that. I am exhausted by all the worrying of how to make ends meet, am at my computer from 3 a.m. sometimes ’till 9/10 in the evening writing (my living) to eek out ‘charity’ money, (I say charity because I had a Marketing Manager from a company on the island tell me that “their charity budget was used up” when I asked for sponsorship for something to do with the arts – I learned that their company places the creative arts under the charity label which does not surprise me when we do receive charity money for the work we do!!!) So quite frankly just want a simple explanation as to why the bill is that high this month….and if there is no real explanation…then all I want from BL&P is how can I organize to pay this horrific bill slowly ’cause I ent got it this month…and the shock of the bill still has me even more stressed out!!!
@David – I am still talking to BL&P. Will answer some of their questions today and the beat goes on…..I am simply exhausted….
In the days gone by when we used to pay BL&P for their product without the fuel surcharge, what were they using for fuel? The same fuel we are now paying for? What I can’t understand is if someone is selling a service or product wouldn’t their prices include their all production cost? Ok I am no financial guru nor am I an economist, since the price of oil has risen, and we are made to pay this surcharge, I would like to know what percentage does oil have in their production costs, and at what price do they cost their fuel. Since they were granted a rate increase wouldn’t they have an increase in their fuel costs as well? This surcharge seem very unfair with the big profits they are making. We need to have them audited by an independent firm to see if and how much they have been ripping us off. In these trying times profits like these are unheard of unless there has been some price gouging. We the consumers are at their mercy and there seem to be no one to protect us. We are at sea on a boat without life jackets and life boats. Stupse…The bajan consumer is too docile and lazy. We need to march and protest this horrendous prices gouging by BL&P. Get up of yuh asses and let us be heard!
I definitely got to stop reading all news. I doan even buy newspapers buh on ocajion does peep at de online ones. Now I gine have to stop reading dem too. Lawd have is mercy…whey de smelling salts? Wey de Alcolado? Me cyan onderstan….me jess cyan onderstan….Lawd…leh me tell ya lawd…forgive my sins lawd buh Hackleton Cliff looking sweet to fly off from so I could meet wid u and de angels – dat is only eff you can assure me dat we ent got a Barbados Light & Power in Buhbayduss Heaven lawd…please tell muh now ’cause eff you got one up dere lighting up de souls, I gine move to Trinidad or Venezuela so when I dead, is dem heaven I gine to.
How in de name of hell can I read in Barbados Today that our monopolizing uranium company has made a whopping profit last year of 47 something million??? Dat de rise we government give dem ’cause dat huge profit?? And knowing how people suffering under the weight of these hikes, dat those talking to the press from dis same power company seem filled with so much pride to blurt out these figures like we all gine have a celebration over it!!! And what de backside is Self Insurance Fund…and whose money gine into that and what great investments are helping that company and its investors??? ‘Cause to me it sound like some o’ we money gine in dey and den de Uranium Company telling we is dat money dat help we island get over de big hurricane….I beg ya please explain dat one to me ’cause I real dumb and blond…leh tell ya. Is all ya pay to set we island straight after dat blow out from the weather….or was it we de people? ‘Cause eff it was we de people…den is us who should be proud dat we money fix up dis’ island and not the grand pompasetting of the Barbados Light & Power Co. Just asking? I only begging a question??? Maybe this fund is coming directly from the Directors’ pockets….and we should be grateful to them for dat!
Please! Please! like dis’ power company want all of us who cyan’t afford a piece of dem pie to decide that communism is the best way out of all of this….. ‘Cause eff you aks me… dis’ democracy sounding more and more like dictatorship to we! Buh den I probably gorn off a little in me head dis’ mawning so doan pay me no mind hear???
I know you got to make a profit Light & Power but 47 million in de people face? We definitely real poppets to accep dis’! An yu adding insult to injury by den telling we about how you working closely with big developments??? Who cares about big developments right now? We de people cyan’t even buy food after your bills. Hoteliers cyan’t even get people to come to dis’ over-de-top-highly priced island. Agents cyan’t get nutting sold, people leaving de country and putting dem house up for cheap cheap…uprooting dem families and moving away ’cause o’ de cos’ o’ living…you ent see how much real estate up for sale in this country? De whole of Buhbayduss under sale…de whole little rock under pressure…and you gine come out in the news and rub our faces in your big profits an’ tell we about more to come with big developments? I cyan see how more is to come ’cause my bills (and de ress’ o’ de island) dis’ year gone skyrocketing so high even de planes flying right over we and tekking de people dem to udder lands for de cheaper holiday! Gee me a break!!! BREAK!!! BREAK!!! BREAK!!!
And now…my blood pressure real gorn up. My head feel like a raas turbine dis’ early mawning and I ent even get a cup of tea yet…shoots cyant use me kettle…got to put a pot on me gas stove to boil a little water hear…wey is dat calm-your-nerves tea….dat vervain me buy in de market??? Wey me blood pressure pills…and dat valium de doc gee me de udder day when I opened my electric bill…I need all all dis’ mawning…All I can say is praise be dat we Caribbean people ent like walking ’bout in rain ’cause all now so I would be on my way to de east coas’….
I don’t remember ever not paying a fuel adjustment charge for electricity.
If the fuel cost were treated as a straight cost of doing business then I guess BL&P could expect to make a markup on it.
Perhaps they do but I get the impression that the idea behind the fuel adjustment charge (FAC) is to avoid this … I could be wrong.
The audited financials forBL&P reveal they paid $306,803,000 for fuel in 2010, $236,552,000 in 2009, $297,612,000 in 2008, $225,299,000 in 2007 and $195,447,000 in 2006.
Between October 2007 and November 2008, the GOB provided a subsidy which kept the fuel charge adjustment at a steady value. It looks like the fuel cost in this period was in excess of $250,000,000.
Whatever the subsidy was, I am guessing it was in excess of $100,000,00 which is a debt we owe somebody incurred on our behalf to make someone look good for elections.
While I understand the concern that BL&P might very well be FACING us at the moment, I would like to know how we were FACT in the past.
Politicians and elections were involved so I know for a fact we were FACT.
Who do we owe what debt to and how are they collecting on it?
islandgal246
Ok I am no financial guru nor am I an economist, since the price of oil has risen, and we are made to pay this surcharge, I would like to know what percentage does oil have in their production costs, and at what price do they cost their fuel
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I can’t answer the question about price for you but I can point you to page 18 of the bl&p financial statements for 2010 where;
53 cents in the dollar goes to fuel excluding VAT.
18 cents go to Labour and materials
14 cents go to Taxes and VAT
7 cents go to capital investments
3 cents go to repayment of borrowings
2 cents goes to insurance
2 cents goes to shareholder dividends
1 cent goes to finance charges.
And yes, it would appear as though the shareholders do get their 2 cents worth.
Another thing, why are we still using 50 cycles while most of our appliances are 60 cycles? Because of this our equipment are damaged and the BL&P claim they are not responsible because we have to protect them from their product they sell us. So what use is all the surge protectors we have are all made for 60 cycle equipment and the BL&P keep telling us that we need to protect our equipment because they are not responsible for their failure or damage. This seems so ass frontwards.
Page 9 and 10 have a bit about price of oil
The old adage of not having all your eggs in one basket applies very much to the situation that most islands in the Caribbean, including Barbados, find themselves today. Oil provides almost all of our island’s energy needs and
represents the single largest expense in the generation of electricity. In 2010, the total cost of fuel purchased by the Company was Bds$306.8 million, up on the 2009 expense of Bds$236.6 million. The year opened with oil prices around US$80 per barrel and climbed steadily throughout the year ending around US$95 per barrel. With continued political instability in several of the major oil producing nations there is a strong possibility that oil prices will spike again.
The Company recognizes that it is important for it to continue investing in more efficient plant and equipment. Over 80% of the gross generation was produced on the least expensive heavy fuel oil, using efficient generating plant.
The Company is determined that its future be based on a broader choice of energy sources, but finding economic alternatives is not easy.
Nonetheless, while the effort to diversify electricity generation away from oil has its challenges, it is imperative that we do so in the long term national interest and for the benefit of our customers.
In February 2010, the Government of Barbados indicated its support for the importation of natural gas via undersea pipeline from Trinidad & Tobago and established a n a t u r a l gas negotiating team to pursue discussions with
gas suppliers and the Eastern Caribbean Gas Pipeline Company. Steady progress is being made on this proposal, which continues to be an attractive option for Barbados to secure a clean source of energy at a lower cost than oil
and on terms that provide price stability over the longer term.
Wind energy has long been suggested as a viable option for Barbados, and following extensive public consultations, planning approval was granted on December 8, 2010 for the construction of a wind farm at Lamberts, St. Lucy. Discussions have now resumed with the landowner for the lease of the site at Lamberts. The Company remains committed to the community and will ensure
that the project adheres to the conditions as set out by the Chief Town Planner.
etc. etc. etc.
Thank you John, but if they are making so much profit why can’t they absorb some more of the oil surcharge. Or offer less to the shareholders when profits exceed a certain amount. Something ain’t right there.
Rosemary
All you have to do if your bill is an estimate is to read the meter and see if BL&P owes you …. or the other way round.
If you are indeed consuming the electricity BL&P says you are then figure out which days your consumption rate matches the Daily Average they have on your bill in the column marked Daily Ave. (kWh).
One day will probably do.
A reading at the beginning and end of a 24 hour period will give you an idea of what’s what …. no great mathematics required, just subtraction of two numbers.
Their computer did the mathematics and provided you with a Daily Ave. (kWh) with which to compare what you get.
You only need to go down to the detail of more regular daily measurements and mathematics if you decide it is warranted and you feel like doing it.
I found it fun when I did it, kind of like sleuthing.
islandgal246 | July 12, 2011 at 9:47 AM |
Thank you John, but if they are making so much profit why can’t they absorb some more of the oil surcharge. Or offer less to the shareholders when profits exceed a certain amount. Something ain’t right there.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
You will have to take that one up with the shareholders and management.
Audited financials for previous years might give say they are …… or maybe not.
When I get a chance I will look.
Given the capitalist nature of our economy I would guess not … but until I look, I won’t know.
@John….we are monitoring same as we speak….I keep saying we are doing everything we can to find out what the problem is…so far nothing is coming up except a vicious bill to deal with…
Tomorrow we will read the meter at 6 a.m., then 6 p.m., then 6 a.m. and get back to Light & Power as they have requested. I will say in all fairness, that whilst I pose and will continue to pose questions over the excessive profits (and excessive bills) of Barbados Light & Power when we are suffering so much financially over the global recession, Mr. Worme from Light & Power has answered my letter to him in a far more dignified manner than mine to him…I tend to rant when I am really upset (like no one has noticed!! but at least they are truth!!!) and we are working on finding out what the problem is here. I will not discuss my personal consumption of electricity any more until we have sorted it all out with the company….so I can make some kind of report.
I still want to know more about this Self Insurance Fund? I am guessing John that when you say 2 cents goes to insurance…is it this Self Insurance Fund? And is this fund owned or looked after by a separate company? Also with investors? ‘Cause if this is so, then it is my money, your money, we money that going into this….or is it? As I said, just asking. My father taught me from young ‘Informate es tu deber’ – to inform yourself is your duty!
Rosemary
I like technical matters.
Insurance and and all that stuff confuses me.
Still, I know if I apply the discipline of inquiry I learnt growing up and was taught at school and university I can figure it out too …. but it will take me some time.
The thing with electricity and water consumption is that both are brutally logical.
Telephone now is another matter!!!!
The FTC say that BL&P should read the meter at least once every two months and they take that to mean every two months. $47M in profits and they cannot hire staff to read meters every month? This thing about BL&P estimating people’s bill want stopping.
They sit down in their offices with their foot up on the desk and estimate your usage, send you a bill and you have to find money from wherever to pay them.The money gets put on their bank account to make interest.
When they decide to come and read the meter, they realise that the readings are way below their estimates. How could they have know that you unplugged the fridge, the microwave catching cobweb, wash and wear in effect and since CBC killed the dreambox, the TV gets turn off at 7 and lights out at 9 every night? So they issue you a credit instead of sending a bill.
Now I ain’t got too much sense, so tell me if I am wrong for believing that I should be paid the interest that they made, when they borrowed my money and put in on the bank.
Only dem one money got sense? Mine ain’t got none.
…. but they don’t charge you interest when you owe them … at least I don’t think so.
What they do is give you a credit for paying on time.
In upwards of 100,000 households it stands to reason there will be some that the meter cannot be read because it is inside and no one is at home when the meter reader comes to read the meter.
BL&P will not connect a new installation unless the meter is accessible to the meter reader according to their spec.
Licensed electricians and contractors regularly attend seminars hosted by BL&P to be updated on changes to the specs.
The old installations vary as to accessibility of the meter.
All hell would break loose if BL&P started to require old installations to be retrofitted in order to make all meters accessible to meter readers according to their spec.
A customer can read their own meter and pay according to what the measurement is.
I was told I can even call in the reading over the phone.
If BL&P has a problem they will make an appointment … and keep it …. to be satisfied.
Once BL&P and the customer agree no problems.
The meter gets read as regularly as required, once the two parties are in agreement!!
As I showed in the youtube clip above, both the customer and the company benefit from the system of estimating consumption and can avoid unnecessary surprises.
money versus poverty
Light and Power versus the people of Barbados
Tina
You are insulting those 3 billion of us in the world who are really affected by povery and have no access to electricity whatsoever.
This is about coming to terms with increased utility rates that are beyond our control and understanding what is needed from what isn’t needed.
The Government has given up on subsidising us so we Bajans with our education, need to face up to and solve the problem ourselves.
It is a great situation to be in.
We have the knowledge, education and experience to solve the problem ourselves none of which can be associated with poverty.
It is about cutting the suit to fit the cloth.
If it really was about poverty there would be no cloth so the discussion on the suit would not take place ….. and there certainly would not be access to the internet!!
@John
For many the Internet is a place to use social media, watch movies and some other leisure activities. The fact that is also represents a rich resource which can add value to how we live is absent for many.
@Technician.
So who is retailing this Bio-Diesel?
What ever became of Hally Haynes’ great plan to lease thousands of acres of palm forest in Guyana and to set up a plant to produce bio-diesel.
A thought occurred to me. Where is BARP in all of this? I understand this group to which I belong actually is made up of about 10% of the population – enough members to make a real fuss about situations like this that affect people over 50 even more than the younger ones who mostly live at home, or are young enough to keep up with three jobs to pay their bills????
Funny… today someone said to me that whilst it was commendable that I have brought this matter to the fore…nothing will be done in the end…people in Barbados will not rise up and march outside BL&P with placards demanding answers as to how this company can make such a huge profit in times like this….hmmm. I guess that’s why there are so many cars…we doan like to walk…and in de hot sun? Not at all. And heaven forbid we should get wet doing it…now that would cause the island to come down with head colds.
Ahhh well…now I understand why poor Julian Hunte landed up being sent off to the mental…because he alone would stand come rain or shine with a placard around his neck against anything that was unfair…Hope there’s a room for me in Black Rock…that’s if I get to Hackleton Cliff and find it too steep to jump!!
@Rosemary
BARP posted an excellent article in the Business Authority last issue.
The question s whether this represents the sum of its advocacy effort.
Colonel Buggy | July 12, 2011 at 3:02 PM |
@Technician.
So who is retailing this Bio-Diesel?
@ CB…
Joe Castillo in Green Hill behind Standards bond…it is called PGE… Paradise Green Energy.
Around $2.25 per Litre (not sure if that is the correct price but it is cheaper).
Are we in Barbados being secretly taxed? Why is it that so many who have unoccupied buildings are being sent bills for large sums of money?
Emera stock price on the TSX has gone from $26 cad per share in July 2010 to $32.31 today.
Seems like a good buy.
A profit of 47 million dollars from a population of 275,000 borders on exploitation by a monopoly. The true cost of fuel should be part and parcel of their operating costs. Emera saw that they can buy us for a song and fleece us naked. And it is legal!
Light and Power is doing what merchants in Barbados have done forever —sucking the blood of the sufferers-
Tina Roach | July 12, 2011 at 7:21 PM |
Light and Power is doing what merchants in Barbados have done forever —sucking the blood of the sufferers-
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
That is a bit better,
But you are still forgetting the benefit we get from electricity so it isn’t all sufferation.
You are exaggerating!!
Nowhere is it written in stone that anyone has to buy electricity from BL&P.
You can make your own.
I think the law will prohibit you from selling it to anyone but that is another story for which I haven’t got my facts.
Me, I found the week or so with no electricity after Tomas last year to be the most relaxing week for 2010.
I worked harder thought straighter and slept better.
I was focussed and happy.
I made my own electricity with my UPS …. actually I cheated.
I carried it and the PC to a friend periodically for charging … and I remained online and commenting on the blogs.
I found the lack of lights at night to be absolutely relaxing.
The fridge was a problem that’s why I think if I do put in an alternative form of energy it will only supply this and perhaps a light and a plug circuit in my house.
I had great plans at the time to go solar but the utility of the product offered me by BL&P put paid to the plan as I got back into my old routine!!
Whatever we may say or think about BL&P I find it to be reliable. Ok, so a monkey can shut it down, but these things happen and keep life interesting.
Sometimes we need to be shaken up to recognise that our old routines are in need of improving.
Tomas and the FAC did that for me.
The FAC is a challenge which needs to be met with whatever skill, commonsense and logic we possess.
We shall overcome, bit by bit but we need to recognise we can change our old routines and adapt to the new order!!
There is no one way to do it.
Solar dryers (clothes lines) work as well as any electric clothes dryer.
Knowledge is the key and it is acquired slowly.
My electricity bill has a section called billing detail and then rate; General service; for which I pay a customer charge of $11.00 a month. Beneath this is 2 sets of energy rates.
The first rate says ‘energy 1st Blk 100 Kwh @ 0.184 per Kwh
The second rate says” 2nd blk (I assume that is energy use over 100Kwh) @ 0.217 per kwh.
Yet my mother lives next door to us and her billing detail has her as a domestic Service, with a customer charge of $6 a month and with an energy 1st blk rate of 0.15 per Kwh.
With the domestic service rate my mother gets a bill which allows for a discount for early payment. With our general service rating we do not get this possible discount.
Yet my home should be registered at the domestic service rate as we do nothing different to my mother. We have been paying these higher customer charges and general rates for 3 years or more and I only just noticed the scam.
How many others are paying the wrong customer rates and do not realise that the rate for higher energy use is far greater than for use under 100 Kwh?
Peace
The following exchanges on Facebook which includes Andrew Brathwaite, an FTC Commissioner should help to clarify:
For those interested in reading a little about how BNOC distributes oil to BL&P and some historical basis for doing so can follow this link to the FTC website.
The FTC lost the case and has appealed the decision.
What is starkly evident is that the issue of electricity rates/prices is of high concern to Barbadians, obviously our lifestyle which depends heavily on electricity and the significant impact on inputs to other costs.
As individuals we need to take ownership of finding a solution while at the same time pressuring government to pursue Renewable Energy sources of energy.
maat
Do you know if your house is being supplied by three phases or single phase three wire?
At the time of the electrical installation when service was requested from BL&P by the licensed electrician/electrical contractor BL&P would have looked at the projected demand your house would have and supplied it accordingly.
They would have got to the projection based on the breaker size specified for your installation.
Whether or not three phases were required would have been another consideration.
Not many houses require three phases.
Some may use pumps for swimming pools or heating or cooling systems that require three phases.
These houses are wired differently.
No scam is involved.
You got exactly what you, or the previous owner, asked for in the plans submitted.
I guess you can change the installation now but talk with a licensed electrician/ contractor before making the change.
It probably won’t be worth your while.
maat
Check out the various rates and what they signify.
http://www.blpc.com.bb/cust_gen.cfm#C
ELECTRICITY RATES
Electricity rates are subject to the approval of the Fair Trading Commission (FTC). There are four types of tariffs covering services offered by the Company:
Domestic Service
General Service
Secondary Voltage Power (SVP)
Large Power
For specific information on the various tariffs please refer to the rate schedules which are available from the Company.
Domestic Service
This tariff applies to single phase services to residential customers for lighting, cooking, heating, refrigeration and incidental domestic power in individually metered dwelling houses and apartments occupied by a person or household and used only and entirely as their own personal fixed place of abode for long periods of time or altogether. This tariff is not applicable to customers who occupy dwelling units used or registered for the purpose of transient occupancy such as rooming houses, hotels, guest-houses or villas, or primarily for commercial, industrial or non-domestic activities. No service may be transmitted from a customer who receives electric service to another premises without the prior written consent of the Company.
General Service
This tariff applies to supplies used for lighting and power to non-residential customers for which no other Rate Schedule is provided up to a maximum of 10 kVA. Three phase service may be provided under special arrangements.
Secondary Voltage Power
This rate is available for customers with a billing demand of not less than 5 kVA requiring single phase or three phase at standard Low Tension supply. Customers connected under this rate shall be metered as to demand and the billing demand shall be the maximum measured demand of the current month or 5 kVA, whichever is greater. The measured demand may be measured in either kW or kVA at the option of the Company depending upon the character of the service. If the demand is measured in kW then the maximum kW reading shall be divided by a correction factor of 0.85 for conversion to kVA for billing purposes.
Large Power
This tariff is available for customers with a billing demand of not less than 50 kVA, who own their own transformation equipment and receive supply at primary voltage (i.e. three phase 24,900 volts or 11,000 volts). Customers connected under this rate shall be metered as to demand and the billing demand shall be the maximum measured demand of the current month or 50 kVA, whichever is greater. The measured demand may be measured in either kW or kVA at the option of the Company depending upon the character of the service. If the demand is measured in kW then the maximum kW reading shall be divided by a correction factor of 0.85 for conversion to kVA for billing purposes
Barbados Light and Power got all rights to rip off ignorant-no protest- do not stand up for their rights- bajans. I hope they carry the light bill to an average 500 dollars a month. Then I hope the DLP increase taxes to further the burden on their passive back sides, And to add insult to injury I hope the merchants who are capitilizing on the financial crisis to inflate their food prices will bring further hikes in food commodities far beyond the purchasing power of ignorant docile bajans. Along with that, I hope that the vote will go in favour of the DLP again for more hardships. Then after they have completely brought the island too its knees whilst they and their families live in luxury and comfort from the lavish ‘salaries’ politicians receive, that we then take some of the shame from our faces by reelecting the BLP so they can bail us out of the crisis and continue their plunder and rape of the government treasury since hard times hitting some of them.
Johnny Postle
You sure have a strange sense of humour!!
All the same, you may get the last laugh given Bajans are quite willing to blow $500 in a night.
http://www.nationnews.com/articles/view/500-vip-tickets-fly/
Clearly most Bajans don’t have a problem paying their Electricity bills
It is just a few noisy people who want to make trouble.
Since when does less than 10% of Bajans who will buy tickets for that show equates to “most Bajans”.
Beg your pardon Raw Bake, I am guilty of exaggeration!!
Hopefully the point is clear irrespective of the exaggeration.
And just to be totally wutless !!
All you have to do is to look at the crowd and see who exactly makes up the priveleged, wealthy, elite, minority 10% of the population of Barbados we discuss ad nauseum here and elsewhere.
This minority clearly has $500 to blow in a night.
Someday I may belong and will be able to behave likewise, but not in the forseeable future.
Off Topic… Does anyone want a Google+ invite? (Google+ is Google’s answer to Facebook; it’s currently by invitation only.)
If so, please e-mail me at bugplus@wabbit.com, and I’ll send you one (I appear to currently have an unlimited number).
Note to spammers: this e-mail address is a throwaway account — it will be deleted in a few days.
Note to everyone else: I hate spam, and promise to not add your e-mail to any lists nor use them myself except to send you the invite.
@ John
Yuh now talking
The joys of youth are numerous and the days are few.
A pity this is only realised after the days of youth have long passed leaving an abundance of wisdom and mercifully, even fewer nights to regret the decisions and choices of our youthful days.
I’ve been thinking about the economic similarity between Rihanna’s live concert and the BL&P and their respective contributions to the Barbadoian society.
She is charging a fee for the supply of a service.
So is BL&P.
Her outlay would be the facilities associated with the performance, Light and Power, the venue, the band, support staff etc. etc. etc.
From her earnings she will expect to cover costs.
She will expect to pay VAT and Income Tax on the profit and to get a return which makes the exercise worthwhile.
Likewise, BL&P’s outlay would be the generating plant, the buildings, the year round employment etc. etc. etc.
Like her it would expect to cover its costs.
Like her it will expect to pay VAT, Income Tax and get a worthwhile return for its shareholders.
Both will cost their service with these goals in mind and aim to maximise their profit.
With profit comes responsibilities and one way successful business ventures fulfill some of those responsibilities is to donate to charities.
There are plenty of deserving charities in Barbados.
I am sure that any one of them would appreciate a donation from either and I am sure the Tax man will be equally forgiving of both.
I wish both continued success.
I was under the impression that the grabberment, was the promoter for this particular show.
So no Taxes or VAT?
Came across this article about Jamaica which is relevant to the discussion.
http://www.caribbean360.com/index.php/news/jamaica_news/477918.html?utm_source=Caribbean360+Newsletters&utm_campaign=7838649f98-Vol_6_Issue_079_News7_13_2011&utm_medium=email#axzz1RwVrGROI
I see an MP there is suggesting Nucular Energy as an alternative form of energy for Jamaica to break the power company’s monopoly.
I hope I never see the day when a local MP raises the possibility of Nucular Energy here in Barbados, especially if the proposition is that Government run the plant.
I have my problems with wind energy and the impact on the environment of a wind farm but I would pick up and leave Barbados if the Government were to start up a nucular plant as a means to break the monopoly held by BL&P.
Far better for them to talk about wave energy if they have to talk about exotic alternative forms of energy.
If diplomatic status and the promotion and marketing of the island on behalf of the tourism planners are given kind consideration, I would say no or probably vastly reduced.
Wind farm enviromental inpact???
I thought the good people at Lamberts were assured that such would be minimal.
David | July 12, 2011 at 11:47 PM |
I followed that link and some things are nagging me.
1. If SOL had an exclusive contract to supply BL&P, why did BNTCL construct a pipeline to supply BL&P long before that contract ended?
2. Did BNTCL construct the pipeline and hoped they would win a contract in the future?
3. Did BNTCL receive information that a contract might be available and that owning such an investment would be a distinct advantage?
4. How does a sole importer involved in wholesaling and retailing from the same location, that invests in being more efficient at retailing than his competitors, not abusing his position?
5. Were concerns not expressed about similar occurrences in the distributive sector?
@John I hope I never see the day when a local MP raises the possibility of Nucular Energy here in Barbados, especially if the proposition is that Government run the plant.
———–0———0—————0————–0——-
And in light of the fact that yet again another rear axle assembly on a government owned bus ,took a different route to the rest of the bus on the ABC Highway this morning.
@David
If BNTCL cant sell directly to BL&P and the fuel has to be sold to SOL and SOL sells it to a holding company and the holding company sells it to BL&P tell me what would happen.
Why when the contract was about to expire, BL&P did not enter an arrangement to buy directly from BNTCL. Can MR Worne enlighten us on what had happened.
Can you see the compounding aspect of VAT as in the example above.
@Raw Bake
Your questions have been posted elsewhere, let us see if answers are forthcoming.
It is instructive to note as earlier stated the FTC lost and have appealed the decision.
@Just only asking
Following you!
It is for BNOC to answer not Worme.
So the current arrangement came about because the Government of the day and BL&P wanted to minimise the compounding of VAT and the effect that was having on the FCA.
Okay, I willing to buy, but pray tell, why did the contract still went out to tender?
It is clear that a few people are allowed to use the masses in babados to amass wealth, and we have pliticains that facilitate this myopic approach. I vaguely remeber Liz thompson rasing a storm about the BL&P and SOl arrangement and the deceased Prime Minister viciously opposing her. I hope that the facts would be placed at the disposal of barbadian public.
The arrnagement whereby the BL&P buys fuel from SOl and not directly from BNTCL is a backward at best. No wonder why the fuel is reaching the BL&P at such high cost. Brbados has to be a backward country that such is allowed. No wonder why the cost of production is so high. No wonder why we are paying through our teeth for commodities produced locally.
@David
You got it wrong. Mr. Worme is also to answer.
Here is an example of some people’s experiences living near a wind farm.
There is no cheap energy!!
However we get it we have a duty not to waste it but to optimise its use.
If you don’t know how to read your meter, learn.
It will show you where the energy you consume goes.
Once you understand how you use energy you are in control and you have the ability to save yourself major dollars.
It will also curb demand and allow for a measured well thought out application of the various alternative sources of energy available.
Right here in Barbados, in the middle of residential districts, people are erecting turbines albeit smaller than those in the video. I would imagine that after 6yrs, some improvements would have been made in the designs to reduce the amount of noise produced.
There was one at BRC years ago.
It was taken down.
The one at Lamberts was left to fall into disrepair.
Haven’t been there in a while so it may have fallen down by now.
I believe it was a gift but there was no maintenance budget that came with the gift so it fell to pieces.
Seem to remember there was also a probem with the blades.
Here is a clip of what happened in a storm in Denmark when the brake failed on one wind turbine.
Obviously the costs and benefits need to be weighed.
“Here is an example of some people’s experiences living near a wind farm.”
*************************************
Nonsense!!
A much more coherent video can be made for persons living near; airports, traditional power plants, sewerage plants, factories, schools, hospitals, nightclubs,
…indeed anyone living in this century.
John’s overly simplistic resort to ‘reading the meter’ misses the critical point of the changing paradigm.
Perhaps we should just move to prepaid electricity meters?
I have been tracking my electricity usage since September 2001. The lowest amount I have ever used was 43 kwh in February 2002 and the highest was 390 kwh in December 2006.
I used 160 kwh in May 2009 and paid $67.41
I used 202 kwh in May 2010 and paid $$128.74
I used 200 kwh in May 2011 and paid $154.76
I must admit that I am a fairly modest user of electricity. No AC, fans only, and only in the very hot months, I deliberately line dry my clothes,no clothes dryer (that’s why God gave us the trade winds), energy saving bulbs most places, very little ironing. Because I hate ironing I purchase my clothes very carefully to require little or no ironing. All family washing is done once a week only.
Still costs have risen, but I feel it is my duty to deprive BL& P of income and to do the same to the oil rich countries.
And no I am not suffering.
Quoting Rosemary Parkinson “he did tell me that there is technology now that your meter can be tampered with by employees whose family are receiving free electricity…”
This can happen with bottle gas too. A few years ago we noticed that our elderly parent’s 100 pound bottle gas tanks were “running out” in about 5 to 6 weeks. We knew that this was strange because when there were 7 children and 2 parents in the house a 100 pound bottle of gas lasted 3 months, and now with 2 old people it was lasting 5 to 6 weeks.
We called the company and provided the stats. Of course the company had records of all deliveries done and were able to verify the numbers provided by us.
To make a long story short the employees of the company were delivering nearly empty gas bottles to targeted elderly people, those with no young people in the house. Full gas bottles would be delivered to the employees relatives (or outside women) and when they were nearly empty they were delivered to elders.
We put a stop to this nonsense and a 100 pound bottle of gas started lasting the elders for 6 or 7 months.
So yes you always have to keep an eye on things.
Quoting John “John | July 11, 2011 at 3:16 PM | Rosemary There is usually an electric booster heater in the solar tank. Make sure it isn’t switched on.”
John is right. I’ve used both Solar Dynamics and Sunpower (at different households at different times) and they both are installed with these electrical boosters which are very handy for rainy or very cloudy days. But John is right they should only be turned on for about an hour on such days. Turning on the switch for 1 hour (use an alarm if necessary to remind you to turn it off) on very rainy or cloudy days should heat the water enough to provide warm showers for a family of 4 and enough for dish washing (by hand of course)
I had a colleague, poor soul who did not understand this and kept the switch on at all times. The electricity bill was hundreds of dollars more per month than mine.
Bush Tea
We used to have prepaid meters long time ago.
You put in a coin or token and you got out the electricity you paid for. I can still remember the fun of putting in the coin when I was a child.
Now, it is possible to put a meter you buy off the internet under the control of your PC and program it to stop delivering power to your house (or a particular circuit)at a limit you set …. independent of BL&P.
All sorts of weird and wonderful measurements can be done besides kWh measurements which is all the standard BL&P meter will do. It can report to you on an as desired basis what your consumption is.
What you do after the BL&P meter is your business. So long as you meet codes you can install such a system.
Same principle as the old time coin meter, nothing new in the principle, no new paradigm, just new technology.
But there is a cost and you require someone with the know how to install it.
That will happen more and more once the electricity cost rises to a point where it can be justified.
If however all you have is the old faithful Sangamo meter with the dials then you yourself have to be the PC that monitors it and you better had do so if you want to control your consumption of electricity and not burst your monthly budget and get FACT by the FAC.
Random Thoughts
You got it.
Understand your consumption and control it.
Watch your bills, read your meter, stay on top.
But realise that the FAC is hurting BL&P as much as it is hurting you.
FAC makes people like you who keep on top of the money they spend seek to reduce or control any increase.
If the FAC continues to increase you will face the possibility of not consuming at all if you want to conrtrol or reduce the sum you pay for electricity.
It will have little to do with BL&P.
The 200kWH you used in May 2011 is billed to you as the first 150kWh @ 15 cents per kWH = $22.50
plus
Second 50 kWh @17.6 cents per kWH = $8.80
You pay $31.30 to BL&P to upkeep its capital, keep its employees emplyed etc.
There is a $10.00 customer charge, so it is $41.30.
The FAC accounts for 200kWh @ 47.3 cents per kWh.
That is $94.60.
Back in 1994 the FAC was 9 cents per kWh!!!
There is 17.5% VAT on the $94.60 + $31.30 to be added and then BL&P gives you a 10% discount for early payment.
If you reduce your consumption to keep within a monthly budget, you will save on the FAC but you will also reduce the $41.30 you pay to BL&P.
If the FAC continues to climb, you will have to start shutting off breaker switches in your panel if you want to meet your goal for a budgeted expense!!
Who gets the FAC?
It is a cost passed on to the consumer which is no longer subsidised by the GOB.
Old Australian Proverb (Barbados Today)
“The more you know the less you need.”
Do you realise you pay the Government almost what you paid the BL&P!!!!
It is because VAT is also charged on the FAC!!
BL&P just ripping people off, matter of fact oil prices is coming down so that means the light bills should be coming down, the light and power executives just laughing in peoples faces because some homes can be lighted with other means of electricity like whats going on in germany and the US, the government leaders should really investigate the light and power for the evil they are doing, some parts of the island the lights goes off for hours, but you still have to pay even more? we need some representation because of the light and power
So when is Rosemary Parkinson going to report on the outcome of her meeting with Stephen Worme? Mr. Worme made a comment on Brass Tacks during the week which hints that her problem was due to increased use of airconditioning!! He didn’t mention any names but said the matter was featuring on one of the blogs.
@Brutus…I do apologize because I thought I had posted this on BU but guess it was only on Facebook. Mr. Worme can make all the comments he likes on every radio station he likes. The point is that my consumption of electricity has changed since I first moved in here – I use less and less and the bill is still more and more. Yes! I do have an air-conditioner and yes! I use it at the regulated degree where energy is saved. Yes! I am sorry if that is the only thing I happen to enjoy because I live in my office/bedroom working and it is here that there is one air-condition. When I leave the house, the air-condition is turned off. Point is I HAVE NOT DONE ANYTHING UNTOWARD FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS THAT WOULD TAKE MY BILL TO THE HEIGHTS IT HAS GONE. So here’s the letter sent to me by Mr. Worme with reference to our meeting and I have taken the liberty to add in my comments for BU.
FOR THOSE WHO ASKED ABOUT MY DISCUSSIONS WITH BARBADOS LIGHT & POWER
by Rosemary Parkinson on Tuesday, 19 July 2011 at 09:21
This is Mr. Worme’s letter to me re those discussions. It is only fair that since I wrote such an angry letter that his side of the coin should also be published. I will make my feelings clear in comments marked Rosemary.
Mr. Worme:
Dear Ms Parkinson,
It was a pleasure meeting with you and Ms Galt to discuss the concerns which you expressed publicly regarding your electricity bills and the several other concerns you had about our Company’s operations.While there are always opportunities for improvement, I think our Company has demonstrated in many different ways our commitment to providing a high quality service to our customers and we intend to continue these efforts particularly during these very difficult times for our customers and our country as a whole.
Rosemary:
Agreed. It was indeed a fair discussion but must say always in the knowledge that Mr. Worme kept on pointing out that Barbados Light & Power has done nothing wrong. And we are to expect even higher bills as the months roll on.
Mr. Worme:
After discussing your concerns and reviewing the billing of your electricity account, we found the following: Your account with the greater electricity consumption supplies two air-conditioners, which are in regular use; two clothes dryers, which are used periodically; a refrigerator; other appliances and lighting. The average daily usage on this account between reading periods over the last year has varied from a low of 37.3 kWh per day in cooler months and as high as 58.8 kWh per day in warmer months.The second account supplies mainly a refrigerator, other appliances and lighting. The average daily usage on this account over the last year varied from a low of 6.7 kWh per day to a high of 7.6 kWh per day during reading periods. The major factors contributing to your recent high bills have been:The high fuel cost. In July the fuel charge and VAT accounted for around three quarters of your overall electricity bill. The increase in usage between April and June was mainly due to higher use of air-conditioning during this hotter period.
Rosemary:
Please note the above pertains to two bills we receive for this house that is divided into two. My side is two storied. My lights are off nearly all of the time downstairs..on occasion I turn on one light – the kitchen for I do need to eat. Refrigerator is an energy saver. Washer/dryer is used once every two weeks. 2 Energy saving lights are turned on for security at night before retiring – one to the front and one to the back as we have both had a break-in. I have a computer in my office which is turned off when not in use. One lamp is used in bedroom. Occasional light for bathroom. I would not in any way call any of this excessive use.Our bill might be lower in cooler months but one air-conditioner was still in use as my side of the house does not get the easterly breezes that seemed to have disappeared from Christ Church/Rockley area since all the development of St. Farlip. Next door has washer/dryer (used once a week) and airconditoning used sparingly. Fridge etc. in kitchen Again care is taken to save on electricity at all times. We explained all of this to Mr. Worme and he keeps insisting that we use too much electricity…NOT TRUE.
Mr. Worme:
Our discussion covered many issues ranging from the reason our Company applied for the rate adjustment, which we were granted last March, to the efficiency of our operations. We also discussed the fact that high fuel prices are not something our Government nor our Company has direct control over and, while there is always room for improvement, rather than complain and blame others for the situation, we have to each take responsibility for the things we have control over and to work together as a community to help each other find ways to deal with this problem which is likely to be with us for some time to come.
Rosemary:
I have no problem with the granting of the extra money by government. If it was deserved that is and I have to leave this to the economists ’cause obviously I ent one and + I nevah followed all the back and forths as to why this was required – I was too busy trying to keep my life afloat by working. But this is my problem. If Amera is supposed to be this multi-national Canadian company with a lot of financial power, surely now that they are involved with Barbados Light & Power, they should be able to help in the granting of the necessary loans in order for BL&P to improve their plant. Last year BL&P made 45 million Barbados dollars in profit. This year they are aiming at 53 approx. in order for them to be able to “see the light” – whilst we are in darkness? So why did we have to have Amera in the first place? And whilst I know that Barbadian (and other) shareholders sold out…if BL&P had said no, this may not have happened. But they encouraged shareholders to do so. Of course, we all have choices…and if selling out is one, then we cannot complain about most of Barbados being owned by other countries. Done.
…and yes! I agree that 17.5% vat on electricity which is a required human right in this developed country should not even be imposed….but if it has to be, then a lower amount for light and water should be what we as a people demand from our government….and no! I do not agree that fuel charges are correct, we all see prices going down worldwide but ours going up…do we get different gas/oil from the rest of the world or what. Is ours gold like the gold coast?
Mr. Worme:
From the follow up information that you provided from the monitoring of the usage on your meter over the last 6 days, your average daily usage varied from as low as 17 kWh/day to just over 38 kWh/day. This is a significant reduction from the average of 58.8 kWh/day used between April and June. As you indicated, this has been achieved by turning off the air conditioners on some days and using less on others but this has impacted significantly on comfort level. I am sure if you continue to monitor the usage on your meter and both you and your next door neighbour continue your conservation efforts, you should be able to find the right balance between cost and comfort. I also recommended that you consider the installation of a power monitoring device that could monitor the overall usage as well as the usage on some of your higher usage appliances.
Rosemaru:
Not only have we been monitoring/reading our meter twice daily (a bloody inconvenience!) and yes! it is reading lower usage but we have literally shut down all appliances including air-conditioners living in darkness and in boiling heat for the last four days…(duh!!) and the best is we are told by separate letter that this horrible inconvenience of having one’s home look like a chinese laundry with clothes hanging all over the place instead of being in the dryer (and yes we could string up some lines in the front yard – I am sure our neighbours would be pleased) and us the people within looking like naked drenched rats at all given times, will actually save us each maybe $150 a piece, seems completely ridiculous.
Mr. Worme:
As discussed, we at Light & Power intend to continue to play our part to mitigate the high price of oil by optimizing the operation of our generators and to seek cost effective alternatives sources to use of oil in the medium to long term. We hope, however, that customers recognize the role that they too have to play by managing their energy consumption to help minimize the impact of these high oil prices.
Rosemary:
But why at the expense of us the consumer? I understand that cost effective alternative sources have been offered/advised by many over the last few years and only now is BL&P thinking about them…only now is government thinking about them? ….so how long will these cost effective alternative sources take to be put in place?..and yes! before we received our enormous bill we were already playing our part in managing our energy consumption…very much so…now we could as well go live in a hut in the country and use a standpipe to wash our clothes hanging them up between two tree… even ‘though we have worked hard to give us a spot in life that we feel makes our being here comfortable.
Mr. Worme:
I hope you have found this exercise useful and that through the process the information you have obtained will help you find a way to manage your electricity bills more effectively while allowing you to maintain a satisfactory level of comfort in your home.
Rosemary:
Mr. Worme you were indeed a wonderful person and I learned a lot from you but this exercise was not as useful as it should have been because we are still in the same position as we were in before. Probably worse as none of us are comfortable and apart from Laura and myself, we have an elderly bed-ridden lady who is definitely finding it very hard to live in heat.
1. Oh! And tell me something who pays for the electricity used at the BL&P offices – have they turned off their air-conditioners to help bring down consumption? I bet not. Who could work an effective day sweltering in offices constructed for air-conditioning and even if they had open windows? I guess I must but not your staff, right? And who pays for BL&P lights….Every time I pass there the place lit up like a Xmas Tree.
2. Does our fuel charge include your usage of fuel…just wondered about that one.
3. And I still want to know why we have to pay 2 cents per kwt. for insurance, a company that is owned by BL&P. I am told by you Mr. worme that insurance companies have put up their prices because of the amount of hurricanes etc. we have had, so BL&P decided to open their own insurance company. Okay I get that. What I do not get is why are we paying for it??? And is it true or is it a rumour that this insurance company also has investors? Surely if my computer suddenly is struck by lightening and I have to replace, I go to my insurance company for help to purchase another one and if I feel that they are not giving me a good deal, yes! I can buy my own insurance company and yes! I can have investors in that too…BUT I cannot pass on my investment in another company on to the consumer….And if I am paying 2 cents towards this company, then should I not be then considered an investor and should I not receive dividends at the end of a year?
I also questioned Mr. Worme by separate letter as to why BL&P did not buy their oil direct from suppliers in Venezuela or Trinidad. I was told they have to purchase from government, who purchases from SOL. Now that’s a charming little bit of news. I know business is business but we have all found out that the price of fuel is fixed and it ent going nowhere for us for a long time…it could drop rock bottom on the world market, we still gine have to pay the locked in price.
Mr. Worme:
Let me know if I can be of further assistance.
Stephen Worme
Chief Marketing Officer
@BU
Please be advised that Mr. Worme has not been back in touch with me, nor I with him. I already got my answers. BL&P have a goal to make 53 million dollars this year…Mr. Worme told me dat. So what are we to do? Government in its last budget did not give us an ease for electricity. Perhaps they might want to send out notice to all hoteliers that they too should turn off air-conditioners in all hotel rooms in order to save energy. That should go down well with visitors. Perhaps all government offices should turn off their air-conditioners also – what is good for the goose is good for the gander. And let us not forget Corporate Barbados and all the stores around the island. Off with that electricity…please do your work in semi-darkness and with not air-conditioning!
Truth is sadly that at the end of the day I, not any one on this island can do anything about BL&P except tekk it.’Cause if you don’t – off comes your lights Josephine! So all I can end with is…when I dead in the heat of my office, I hope the BL&P will bury my ass for all my burial money gine to dem. I done. ‘Till de nexx bill come in (and oh! the last bill dropped by BDS$700 but it was an interim (according to Mr.Worme to give us an ease! Ha!) so dis one coming up probably will be another doozie! And yes! all those who want to shout and say I spoiled because I want a simple comfort of one air-conditioner/one fridge/one washer/dryer (I ent got room nor time to heng out clothes)…well let me tell ya, I have and continue to work hard for these little things in my life…and I find it a disgrace that in this “developed nation” of ours, I am denied this because BL&P want to make 53 million dollars in profit this year….I truly done.
My opinion: Both the government and Barbados Light & Power have to work with us your voters/customers in a much better way…we know about VAT and fuel charges …they need to disappear for awhile…but I would suggest that in the interest of keeping your people happy, Barbados Light & Power, and working with us to lower our charges, perhaps you could consider making those enormous profits a little smaller over a period of time until we get over whatever needs to be gotten over during these hard times. Use Amera. Just saying. Just my opinion.
Just to end: But I do thank you Mr. Worme for taking the time to come to us and write to us. You are definitely an asset to your company and indeed a patient and willing to explain every little detail kind of guy. And please understand that all the above are not only my concerns but the concerns of all Barbadians…I know I speak for all of us who have seen our bills suddenly sky-rocket…because I also happen to know that many bills have not – and this little fact is also causing me botheration ’cause if bills go up, dem supposed to go up across the board right??
And I do thank you for your time. This letter is nothing personal…just how I feel. Worse than the picture of me befo’ I was forced to live this way in order to save $200 a month!
Sent to me by a friend -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bqtQ5WQ3dA&feature=relmfu
My answer is…re video No. 1 do all dat already. Video No 2 – now that we are opening our homes to viewing by the world, and everyone now knows my deep inner home secrets why not add just one more…yes! I do not make up my bed…unless guests are coming over to my apartment and might have to enter said bedroom to use bathroom. Yes! I take frequent hot showers. Yes! I eat a lot of chillies. And no! I will not be putting ice cubes in a bowl and sitting in front of fan all day long (a) I have work to do and (b) how chuped is dat…then my fridge freezer door will have to be opened continuously whilst ice melts in my little bucket-airconditioner and my freezer will now be making ice all day and this will increase usage…
……while having my mid-morning shower…I suddenly thought…man, I wasting water. Water bill gine go up. I should stop this matutinal and nocturnal cleansing. Perhaps best not to bathe or even clean teeth etc. and as for flushing toilet…well that has to go – perhaps I should dig an outdoor pit…actually the best way to save on energy is to just stop breathing….! Maybe I will try dat and see if my raas bill for electricity & water consumption goes down…one thing I do know for sure is that I also would not have to worry about how America and Monsanto and Roberts Feeds are tainting my food!