TICK TOK EXPLODES WITH CON ED COMPLAINTS ON SKY HIGH BILLS IN LONG HOT SUMMER

Posted on August 14, 2023 by John Bailey

WPCNR THE POWER STORY. From Tick Toc. August 14, 2023:

Alex Speilvogel in a comment on Tick Tok expressed her puzzlement about her high Con Edison bills.

You may see the bewilderment and anxiety of just some of New York metropolitan area customers expressed after this video was aired by going to https://www.tiktok.com/@aspielvogel/video/7264635626019065134

Her comments as they appeared on Tick Tok speak for themselves:

@aspielvogel

Can we talk about Con Edison in NYC? #highbills #isthislegal #nyc

♬ original sound – alex spielvogel

CON ED ANNOUNCES NEW ELECTRIC RATES FOR WESTCHESTER CUSTOMERS UP 9% IN 2023 AS OF THE FIRST OF AUGUST 4.2% IN 2024. . TWO YEARS

Posted on August 13, 2023 by John Bailey

CON EDISON ANNOUNCED SUNDAY THEIR APPROVED RATE INCREASES ON THEIR WEBSITE.

https://www.coned.com/en/accounts-billing/your-bill/about-con-edisons-rates

The cost of Con Edison’s electric, gas, and steam service is affected by their rate filing. See impacts by year and customer service classification. (Editor’s Note: The Public Service Commission approved the increases by a 7-1 vote the 21st of July.)

2023 Summer Bill Outlook

We expect New York City customers’ bills to increase and Westchester customers’ bills to decrease.

Bill Impacts Outlined in the Joint Agreement

Current rates approved by the New York Public Service Commission went into effect on August 1, 2023.

Electric Bill Impacts
2025

NYC residential electric customer using 280 kilowatt hours would increase $1.63 to $95.63, an increase of 1.7%.
Westchester residential electric customer using 425 kilowatt hours would increase $1.96 to $134.83, an increase of 1.5%.
Small commercial electric customer using 600 kilowatt hours would increase $3.77 to $202.44, an increase of 1.9%.
Medium commercial electric customer using 10,800 kilowatt hours with a peak demand of 30 kilowatts would increase $87.71 to $2,402.99, an increase of 3.8%.

2024

NYC residential electric customer using 280 kilowatt hours would increase $3.85 to $94.00, an increase of 4.3%.
Westchester residential electric customer using 425 kilowatt hours would increase $5.38 to $132.87, an increase of 4.2%.
Small commercial electric customer using 600 kilowatt hours would increase $7.78 to $198.67, an increase of 4.1%.
Medium commercial electric customer using 10,800 kilowatt hours with a peak demand of 30 kilowatts would increase $75.24 to $2,315.28, an increase of 3.4%.

2023

NYC residential electric customer using 280 kilowatt hours would increase $7.19 to $90.15, an increase of 8.7%.
Westchester residential electric customer using 425 kilowatt hours would increase $10.49 to $127.49, an increase of 9.0%.
Small commercial electric customer using 600 kilowatt hours would increase $15.49 to $190.89, an increase of 8.8%.
Medium commercial electric customer using 10,800 kilowatt hours with a peak demand of 30 kilowatts would increase $101.93 to $2,240.04, an increase of 4.8%.

Gas Bill Impacts
2025

Residential customer with gas for cooking using 5 therms on average per month would increase $2.03 to $42.34 , an increase of 5.0%.
Residential customer with gas for heating using 100 therms on average per month would increase $15.61 to $253.35, an increase of 6.6%.

2024

Residential customer with gas for cooking using 5 therms on average per month would increase $2.12 to $40.32 , an increase of 5.5%.
Residential customer with gas for heating using 100 therms on average per month would increase $14.90 to $237.74, an increase of 6.7%.

2023

Residential customer with gas for cooking using 5 therms on average per month would increase $2.66 to $38.20 , an increase of 7.5%.
Residential customer with gas for heating using 100 therms on average per month would increase $17.28 to $222.84, an increase of 8.4%.

Steam Bill Impacts

New steam rates were filed with the Public Service Commission on November 22, 2022, and will become effective on November 1, 2023. Review the rate filing fact sheet.

SC-1—General Service using 100 Mlbs of steam power per month would increase $5,137 to $6,866, an increase of 33.7%.
SC-2—Annual Power Service—Rate I (Non-Demand) using 750 Mlbs of steam power per month would increase $27,690 to $35,308, an increase of 27.5%.
SC-3—Apartment House Service—Rate I (Non-Demand) using 900 Mlbs of steam power per month would increase $25,109 to $31,340, an increase of 24.8%.

SUMMER COVID-19 WAVE PICKS UP THE PACE

Posted on August 12, 2023 by John Bailey

Summer Covid-19 wave picks up the pace

Sharp increase seen in wastewater concentration in Midwest

bY DR, CAITLIN RIVERS (Reprinted with permission

AUG 12, 2023

Respiratory viruses

The summer Covid-19 wave has intensified, based on recent data from Biobot. The Midwestern region saw a sharp increase in viral concentration in wastewater, returning to levels not seen since February. Parts of Kansas, Iowa, and Missouri are particularly affected. However, hospitalization metrics remain low in those states.

I remain more concerned about the South, where nearly 2% of visits to the ER are for Covid-19, up from a recent low of less than 0.5%. Florida, in particular, has an elevated wastewater concentration and increasing hospital metrics, including ER visits for Covid-19 and hospital admissions.

On the bright side, nationwide hospital admissions are still substantially lower than they were this time last year, which I find encouraging. But there is one major caveat: the number of hospitals submitting data may have changed from then to now. As in previous years, the most affected age group is people aged 70 and older. If you are an older adult or if you are immunocompromised, it’s a good idea to take extra precautions.

A new Covid-19 booster is expected to become available next month; I think it will be a good match to current variants. The flu vaccine will also become available soon, but I recommend waiting until later in the season to get that one.

In other news, cold-causing viruses like rhinovirus and the seasonal coronaviruses are going around, so expect some stuffy noses as school starts. Everything else looks good. RSV and influenza remain low, as expected this time of year. Winter respiratory virus season doesn’t usually pick up until October at the earliest, so I hope we don’t add those to the mix for several more months.

Food recalls

The following foods are being recalled because they are contaminated. Please check your cupboards and throw out any of these items:

Soft Serve on the Go ice cream cups (more info)
Certain ready-to-eat salads and wraps in Minnesota and Wisconsin (more info)
If you have food allergies, you may wish to review these FDA safety alerts for foods with undeclared allergens.

If you want to know more about what to expect for the season ahead, I shared a winter outlook last week. In short, I think we will have another tough winter, but there is reason to hope that it won’t be quite as bad as last year.