Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Turn off the light on your way out!

Well well well, some very interesting developments in recent days on the energy front, first off it was confirmed that Arnold Schwarzenegger won`t be running for Governor of California, Gordon Campbell`s friend won`t be riding to his rescue.

As you know I have maintained that electricity prices are trending downward, trending downward everywhere but here in British Columbia, Gordon Campbell has asked the BCUC for a 9.11% increase in residential hydro rates,also the BC Liberals are wanting more increases to residential hydro rates over the next three years totaling 33%.....Of course you know this money will be funnelled to IPPs....Gordon Campbell has signed power buying contracts with these IPPs worth over $50 billion dollars over the next 2 decades.


So now comes the residential Hydro price creep, I read an interesting article by Scott Simpson about BC Hydro and electrical rates, guess what, BC Hydro`s revenue is down $45 million dollars for the last quarter in comparison to the same quarter last year, how can that be,BC Hydro rates have been increased over last year, in fact on my hydro bill at home my usage is down from the same period last year but my bill is higher, no matter how much power I try and conserve I can`t keep my bill from drifting into the two-tier rate, talk about upsetting, I use less power year over year and my bill is higher,and with the next increases my bill will go up again,I can`t be alone,everyone in the Province must be getting higher hydro bills.


Back to the article I read by Scott Simpson, BC Hydro claims the reason for their losses are.....


Lower demand for power from south of the border, minimal profits from power trades, and this, lower natural gas prices making electricity from natural gas burning power plants really cheap...Snip....Let`s examine that shall we, that`s the excuse BC Hydro is making, but natural gas prices are much higher this year against last year, this time last year the price of natural gas was about the $3 dollar range, today`s price is $4.87...That`s much higher,although it is dirt cheap for natural gas compared to 3 years ago when the price was around $12....But the days of $12 natural gas are long gone, there is a glut of natural gas, in fact the USA is being called the Saudi Arabia of natural gas, with well injection and hydro fracturing into shale rock trapped gas is available all over the USA.


And there is that other little problem, the USA is broke, the jobless numbers are on the rise, Americans are drowning in debt and there isn`t one single State that can afford to jack up hydro electric rates to consumers without driving them deeper into debt and that fact isn`t changing anytime soon, also, a couple of years ago LED lighting started to get popular, but the problem at that time was that LED light bulbs were roughly $30 dollars a bulb, but not no more, My dad was recently in Wallmart and Costco and now you can get a package of three LED light bulbs for like $10 dollars, and LED light bulb uses 1/10 of the energy of a typical light bulb, and incandescent lighting in the USA accounts for about 25% of all electrical use, well when all the light bulbs get converted to LED light bulbs over the next 2 years that 25% number drops to 2.5% electric use on lighting,in other words with LED lighting,more efficient appliances the overall electrical use is falling, and with new technology like the Bloom Box and Solar thermal that trend will continue.


And there`s more, the spokesperson for BC Hydro also states the industrial usage is down,the demand for electricity from BC pulp and paper plants is gone,it`s also gone in the USA, you see folks what the Habitual Liar Gordon Campbell doesn`t understand that when you close down 70 mills,pulp and paper plants,when all that industry moves to Chine the electrical demand leaves to China as well, and unfortunately we won`t be selling China any electricity, that would be one monster transmission line!


But you know what,Gordon Campbell is aware that his energy plan is all but dead, Alberta has cheap hydro for sale,Montana has cheap hydro for sale, and also, back to that glut of natural gas all over the USA, do you really think the American natural gas lobby is going to allow states like Washington State or California to buy over-priced non-green run of river power or intermittent unreliable wind power at quadruple the price of Natural gas fired plants? I don`t think so, no one is going to be buying Gordon Campbell`s power.


Even through the Olympics with all those TVs running, all those skylights, all the neon, all the hotel rooms full BC Hydro had plenty of power to spare, friends that is why the top traders at Powerx left and went to work for Morgan Stanley, these pros will be flogging cheap Alberta power and be selling California the bulk of their needs, that old competition thing again, Gordon Campbell couldn`t run a lemonade stand, and the Habitual liar will keep raising our domestic hydro rates and BCers will respond by buying more LED lights, they will shut off more needless things, the higher the price the less people will use thus driving down overall usage leaving more and more power unused, you have all seen the playbook before, just look to BC ferries, Campbell keeps raising rates and ridership keeps falling and falling thus reducing BC Ferries income even more, it`s called pricing to the point of diminishing returns, there will be no Enron energy scandal, there will be no $200 or $300 dollar megawatt hours, even the best forecasters aren`t predicting prices to reach $200 dollars for 30 years.(read about BC Hydro`s revenue shortfall here) http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Hydro+reports+million+quarterly+revenue+drop/2637232/story.html

Here we are on the cusp of all this new technology and Gordon Campbell is stuck in 1930, his energy policy is flawed,broken,a financial disaster,he knows it,Blair Leckstrom knows it, Plutonic power knows it, everyone knows the policy is flawed, all I can say is this,Gordon Campbell tore-up the HEU contract, looks like in 2013 a bunch of power buying contracts will be torn up.

Lastly friends, Colin Hansen today in Surrey claimed there is a study coming out next week about the HST, Colin Hansen claimed that this study shows that the HST will create not 10,000s of thousands of jobs but hundreds of thousands of jobs over the next decade, Colin Hansen was asked by reporters what sectors these jobs would be in ,Hansen couldn`t answer that, he was asked if it was a Government study, Hansen wouldn`t answer that, Hansen was asked who or what entity was doing the study,Hansen wouldn`t answer that either, pretty funny stuff,Hansen claims this study will prove the HST will create 100,000s of thousands of jobs over the next decade but he had zero details on it?????......That makes me go HMMM....Any guesses on who is doing this study?......I have a guess, my guess is this report is being done by no other than Marc Jaccard....We will find out next week, remember it was Marc Jaccard who stated how great and effective the Carbon tax would be, it`s Marc Jaccard that stated the NDPs price for gas flaring plan would cost 60,000 jobs.....And it was the Fraser institute that said raising the minimum wage would cost 51,000 jobs....It`s a toss up,I`m predicting Marc Jaccard is the one doing the HST Job study(Con Job),my second choice is the Fraser institute,and lastly, would you turn off the lights on your way out!

The Straight Goods

Cheers-Eyes Wide Open


16 comments:

Anonymous said...

100,000's of jobs? Ha HA hA!

New rule....when a Liberal of any sort spews forth nonsense, give them a breathalizer test. They are sure to be on something!!!!!

Curt said...

Yes, but what kind of jobs? You can't live and raise a family on parttime work or 6 bucks to 8 bucks an hour. Not even 10 bucks an hour. I think I read somewhere that to live reasonably, no bells and whistles, just day to day, you need to be making roughly 16 bucks an hour. And with all the new increases coming, that price only goes up, or should. And to those who voted lieberal, or failed to vote at all, hold on to your wallets folks! We haven't seen anything yet.

(Oh by the way, where does one purchase a bloom box? Anyone know? I'm interested, VERY interested.)

Grant G said...

Zillions of jobs in the future,where have I heard that before,I would imagine,considering everyone has been predicting a million more people in BC by 2020 that there will be jobs in the future,....As for the HST creating jobs,NOT.....
The home unit Bloom Box isn`t ready yet,but industry will be buying more and more of them...
But,LED light bulbs are availabe,you can have 10 LED lightbulbs running for the electrical use of 10 regular lightbulbs ...And LED lighting is the cleanest light,like outdoor light,easier on your eyes,it isn`t yellow light,no mercury like those curly bulbs.

Kim said...

I have electric heat in an apartment in a huge, drafty house. My neighbours downstairs share the bill and its $200 a month now.

Evil Eye said...

Grant, for the best part of the afternoon, the Eye could not log on and all I got for my efforts was a forbidden sign. Has there been any attempt to eliminate your blog?

All what Rafe Mair and yourself have said, has come to pass, Gordo is well on his way to destroy the province.

Grant G said...

Eye...Leah had trouble today too,I sent her a link by email..

BC Mary has had trouble with readers accessing,but like I said in past posts...

Recently when I have gone to town..let`s say company has been going with me...

Interesting...I had a visit from Plutonic power in my post about IPPs wanting to get access to all BC Hydro`s surplus power.

I set them Straight...Spooks are everywhere these days,the fangs of death are closing in, we are talking about 100s of millions of dollars if not billions,for that kind of money who isn`t disposable...

Naikun town meetings with the Haida were cancelled today,no explanation..There was supposed to be a Haida vote on Naikun in January..The vote has been postponed because the wind power project is dead...There is no Haida money available,Paul Taylor and Naikun have laid off 1/3 of their staff,they have but $10 million dollars left and no incoming revenue.

The PAB is all over the web stroking keyboards,Campbell is in complete collapse,even BC Liberal supporters are walking away....Recall coming and it will be successful!

Curt said...

Bring it on. I an eagerly awaiting.

kootcoot said...

"Naikun town meetings with the Haida were cancelled today,no explanation..There was supposed to be a Haida vote on Naikun in January..The vote has been postponed because the wind power project is dead...There is no Haida money available,Paul Taylor and Naikun have laid off 1/3 of their staff,they have but $10 million dollars left and no incoming revenue."

Good to hear, I was distressed at the idea of the Haida getting suckered by the capo and his minions and it seemed very uncharacteristic of the Haida as well.

We need to recall/dispose of more than just Campbell though. The same old disease with a new pretty/different face is no answer and the entire cabinet especially and every liaR backbencher who didn't do as Paul Nettleton did is just as responsible for the rape and pillage of our province.

Grant G said...

Thanks Kootcoot,you have a good heart,and like me,a short fuse.

Cheers

Evil Eye said...

Speaking of PAB's they are taking over many blogs with their well groomed BS.

Mezzanine and Voony are handles for the most vicious PAB's.

The real problem, as I see it, is that the mainstream media is held in high odor by many and the blog has become the main news source for many. As Campbell and his minions can't handle the many blogs, he now sends in the government trolls and they are everywhere.

1984 is here and very soon the sound of jackboots will echo an many doorsteps.

We are living in evil days and it is time for all good men & women to stand up to these corporatist thugs.

Crankypants said...

Not only is the request by BC Hydro for rate increases of 9% now and further increases in the future a blatant tax grab, through the back door, by Campbell and Co., they are now going to take $778 million from ICBC over the next three years. Apparently ICBC has been overcharging the BC motorists to the point that they have filled their reserve requirements, but they have a surplus of just under $500 million at present. This overcharge should be returned to us in the form of a reduction in rates, but no way Jose. Instead, the government has deemed that they will not only grab this largesse but expect ICBC to supply them with another $300 million or so in the next couple of years.

This government has become so morally corrupt that we'd be better served under the likes of the worst dictatorship one could think of currently in business throughout the world.

I'm not vindictive, but I surely would not shed a tear if the big one hit while government was in session and the legislature collapsed into Victoria Harbour. We are being played from every angle by every party, and very few people have the intelligence to realize it.

kootcoot said...

"I'm not vindictive, but I surely would not shed a tear if the big one hit while government was in session and the legislature collapsed into Victoria Harbour. We are being played from every angle by every party, and very few people have the intelligence to realize it."

All those earthquakes going to waste - then again from a PG perspective perhaps a gas chamber would be more appropriate for Gordo and his cohorts. And it would be a shame to destroy the lovely Rattenbury building. He also built the original courthouse in Nelson.

Hugh said...

Grant, I wondered if you've seen this:


http://greenenergybc.ca/Assets/A TRIPLE LEGACY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS -- B.C. Citizens for Green Energy.pdf

Anonymous said...

Campbell and Hansen are so low on the totem pole, it boggles me that, they refuse to resign. 7%, on top of the new budget increases, and, 7% on pretty much everything else, is going to cause, destitution for BC citizens. The upper half of BC, is totally dead, there have been countless mills shut down. Some of the mills were shipped to China, our raw logs are being shipped to the same place. People up here, are not going to survive Campbell and Hansen. The gruesome twosome have put BC, second from the bottom of, the poorest provinces in Canada. BC is already in crisis. If we wait until fall, to recall Campbell, this province will collapse. The speech from the throne was only a lot of, "wonderful" adjectives, and nothing else. Their budget, and the HST, were so poorly planned, there is no way, low income people will survive. Lost jobs, means, lost income tax revenues. Citizens with no jobs, can't spend, so, this province is stagnant.

Grant G said...

11:28 AM...I agree,but until recall we have but few "Legal options"......

Gordon Campbell has lost his mind,he is crminally insane...you won`t even guess what is coming next.

Anonymous said...

OMG, what is happening next?

If there is a class action against the CRA for the, very ugly manner they have treated Canadian citizens, especially the aged and the poor. There is no difference of manner, from Campbell and Hansen. It boggles me, the Liberals in the rest of the country, just sit with their fingers up their noses, while Campbell and Hansen destroy the entire Liberal Party. Iggy wants a platform in western Canada, he better not look for any platform in BC, he could have shoes thrown at him. Does Iggy, seriously not understand, the depth of the anger, of the BC people, towards the Liberal party, and towards Campbell and Hansen? Oh well, I guess the light, at the end of the tunnel is shut off, due to the recession.

Gloria