Taking
Time
by
Rebecca
Escott
You Have To
Sign Up To Shop
Citizens have to register before
they can vote. A similar thing is
true when it comes to shopping for
electricity. Customers have to sign
up before you can shop. Now you
may have thought your opportuni
ty passed. It hasn’t
Although original enrollment
deadlines were slated for the be
ginning of November, the com
panies did not get the enthusiastic
response that they had expected.
This means, consumers who were
busy with family obligations still
have a chance to respond and save
money on their utility bills next
year. This is particularly import
ant if you have an all-electric
home!
For commercial accounts this is
not the case. They needed to make
their selections by the stated dead
lines. As consumer specialists
have monitored this first round of
“shopping,” they recognize that
the utility companies are not really
paying much attention to the indi
vidual consumer. Instead they are
focusing on locking in the major
corporate accounts. Perhaps that’s
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the reason many of you haven’t
been flooded at the mailbox with
special deals.
Even though the companies are
not pressuring you to enroll, it is
still important that you take a few
minutes this holiday season to
consider the money you can save.
When some of you open your bill
in January and have to pay for all
those elaborate holiday light dis
plays, you may be glad you signed
up for a lower rate!
So if you haven’t chosen ap_
electricity generating company,
here’s what you need to do:
1. Call your local electric com
pany and say you want to enroll in
the program.
2. Ask what rate they will
charge you per kilowatt-hour
(kwh) including transmission
charges.
3. Ask them to supply you with
a list of companies who arc inter
ested in generating your electri
city. The number of suppliers will
vary from region to region. Unfor
tunately, in some rural areas there
may be only one company inter
ested in your business.
4. Contact any of the companies
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on the list that you arc interested
in doing business with.
5. Ask the following questions:
• How much will I pay per kwh
for electricity?
•Does this quoted price include
transmission? If no, how much
will that cost?
. •Are there any monthly charges
or fees? There are some com
panies that have advertised fees
much lower than your local utility
but they don't calculate into that
figure a monthly membership fee"
or a minimum service charge, etc.
• Will I get one bill each month
or two? The customer may not
have control over this, but at least
you will know what to exepcL It if
is important to you to receive only
one bill, make sure to find a com
pany that can do this.
• What length of contract must I
sign? Dennis Buffington, Penn
State agricultural engineering fa
culty member, recommends that
people not sign contracts longer
than one year. Because the "dust
hasn’t settled" on this program
yet, it's best not to get locked in to
one agreement for an extended
period of lime. The company may
not require a contract
• What happens if I tweak the
contract? What fees will I incur?
6. When you find the best deal,
take it! Remember, the “best” deal
may not be the least expensive.
Remember to consider reliability
of the company and whether the
company supports your ecological
values. For now, consumer enroll
ment is on-going. You can expect
to achieve roughly 5-10 percent
reduction in your monthly bill
once you’ve chosen a supplier.
Consumers can expect it to take
30-60 days to transfer to the new
PHONE;
system once they have selected a
company.
Buffington reminds homeown
ers that if saving money is your
biggest interest, you can save as
much on your utility bill or more
by installing compact fluorescent
lights for lights that you have on at
least four hours a day. He also re
commends that any electric mo
tors you use be high efficiency
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UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre
Co.) It is normal for kids to
get caught up in the excitement
of the holiday season. At this
time of year, there are often
extra events for the family mem
bers to attend and busy sched
ules at home. Sometimes it is
hard for parents to be patient
and calm. Listed below are some
hints to help your family enjoy
family times.
•Make sure each child gets
some one-on-one attention each
day. Fifteen or 20 minutes spent
with your child can create a hap
pier household for the rest of the
day.
• Limit the amount of televi
sion viewing tine for your fami-
ly. Watching too many holiday
shows and ads can cause kids to
become overexcited.
• Everyone needs to get
enough sleep. This can make a
difference between enjoying hol
iday times or having grumpy,
frazzled family members.
• Make lists of things to get
done. Have everyone help. Even
young children can help with
simple jobs, such as setting the
table or putting laundry away.
•Play music while doing
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 19, 1998-B7
ones. And, if you have any old ap
pliances (refrigerators, freezers,
air conditioners), consider replac
ing them. The newer models are
much more energy efficient and
will pay for themselves through
utility savings in a few sholt years.
So while you “shop ’til you
drop” for holiday presents, add
one more task to the list: shop for
an electricity supplier.
chores around the house togeth
er. Let everyone have a turn
selecting their favorite.
• Give your children things to
do. Active kids need to be kept
busy and busy kids behave bet
ter. This may take a bit of orga
nizing, but will provide you with
calmer moments around the
house.
• Plan some new art activi
ties or games for your children
for times when you will be busy
with other things. Do make sure
to be close enough to supervise
and help if needed.
• Use humor with your child
to change a negative mood.
Laughing together can make
everyone feel good.
• Take time for yourself. Go
for a walk, take a bubble bath,
watch a favorite movie, or call a
friend. This can help you be
more patient with your children
Parents, if you want informa
tion about raising your kids or to
talk about a problem, call Penn
State Cooperative Extension’s
Better Kid Care You’re Not
Alone help line. The toll-free
number is 1-800-859-8340.
Trained professionals can pro
vide information.