KILLERWATTS! 22-1/2 CENTS EACH KWH
CON EDISON HOLDS SUSTAINABLE WESTCHESTER SUPPLY RATE FOR MOST CUSTOMERS IN JULY GOES UP NOW IN AUGUST
DELIVERY WIRES HUM KILLERWATTS AT 15 CENTS PER KILOWATT HOUR.
AC AT 80 DEGREES DOUBLES POWER BILL IN 90-IN-THE-SHADE-SUMMER
NO NEW SUSTAINABLE RATE YET FROM SUSTAINABLE WESTCHESTER.
GRID REWARDS PROGRAM INTRODUCED TO HELP CUSTOMERS SAVE POWER COSTS
WPCNR THE POWER STORY. By John F. Bailey. August 9, 2022
Power consumption hit an all-time high in the month of July in Westchester County.
Inflation forced customers to purchase less for necessities like gas and food who are now Buck-smacked with doubling power bills in soon to double once more if the heat keeps on coming.
Power bills doubled this past month of July for a Sustainable Customer directly attributable to 95 degree in the shade-plus average temperatures which have scorched Westchester for 9 days.
The air conditioning has been humming non stop and the Con Ed Delivery charges delivering the juice 24/7 at 15 cents a kilowatt hour purchased.
The Con Edison Media Relations Department confirmed to WPCNR today that the Sustainable Westchester Green Energy Rate of 7.48 cents per kilowatt hour was kept in effect on Sustainable Westchester customers, as well as I believe the Sustainable basic rate (non green exclusive sources).
WPCNR asked Con Edison Media Relations why Con Edison did not charge a higher rate than 7.48 cents for Green Energy for Sustainable Westchester Customers (not matching the market rate for July, which in mid July a Con Edison consumer representative said was averaging 9 to 10 cents kilowatt hour.
A Con Edison spokesperson in a written state answered:
My question is: on my Con Ed bill the 7.48 cents green rate charged by Constellation Energy the previous Constellation supply charge is still in effect. — is this because Con Edison was able to supply electricity at a rate very close to the 7.48 rate and chose to honor the 7.48 cent an hour charged in June as a good will courtesy to Sustainable customers?
Constellation New Energy was the supplier on the bill provided in your email. You will be a Con Edison full service customer on your next bill.
My second question is why is the “Delivery Charge” up to 14.9 cents?
The delivery rate reflects higher delivery charges in the summer months. Delivery rates are set by the New York Public Service Commission.
Sustainable Westchester asked to explain why the 7.48 cents/rate was still charged in July saving about $60, wrote in a statement:
“ The current contract expired on June 30th and as such depending upon folks billing cycle (meter reads) many (to most) will still see the Westchester Power rates (and Constellation) on their bills in July.
That said, most (to all participants) will see their August bills reflect Con Edison isupply and supply rates.
We cannot speak to the intel you received from ConEd that the kWh rate (once switched to them) will reflect and increase vs.the Westchester Power prior contract fixed-rate.
While that would be our educated guess, we cannot confirm that nor predict where their rates might go.
We do hope to be able to have something to share (and a contracted rate by September as you suggest). That said, we are not in a position to confirm that today.”
That being said, we do have news to share about our GridRewards program. The residential demand response program executed with our partners Logical Buildings has been particularly this summer with unprecedented high temperatures and the resulting demand on the grid.
Currently the approximate 2500 Westchester County Con Ed utility area enrolled residents are experiencing a 4-day streak of demand response events. The events provide an opportunity to reduce electricity demand, save energy and money and earn cash rewards for actions taken and overall performance. It surely has newsworthy potential — its environmental impact, ability to reduce usage and earn participants savings and cash is potentially important messaging for your viewers.
GridRewards is the first-of-its-kind residential demand response program in the NorthEast and was piloted in 2020 in partnership with us in Westchester County. You can learn a bit more here https://sustainablewestchester.org/gridrewards/ (on our website) as well as https://www.gridrewards.com/ (Logical Buildings website for the program).
Background:
That rate to create electricity for customers who are not members of the Sustainable Westchester power cooperative (White Plains is a member), is set based on an average of a month of Con Ed costs to buy or create the electricity. The delivery rate is dependent on the demand running through the system.
Sustainable paused for a time to resubmit Requests for Proposals for a new flat rate going out perhaps one, two, or three years and hired the national leader in energy auctions to find Sustainable a rate that works to keep green energy competitive.
The electric supply companies Sustainable had gone to (apparently on their own not using again Transparent Energy Systems the negotiator of the previous contract), came back with rates that all were higher than last year regardless of the markets they were serving from the very small to the very large.
The pause was still going on , just when Sustainable Westchester turned over its customers temporarily to Con Edison while it searched for a sustainable Kilowatthour price it could live with (and is still in the process of negotiating).
Meanwhile the cost of Con Edison delivering electricity through its systems soared to 15 cents a kilowatt hour. If you have an airconditioning system or an window unit, keeping that full house zonal system on will still double your consumption of kilowatt hours in this relentless heat wave, even killing certain zones in your house you do not use.
THE BIG REALTY STORY
WPCNR REALTY REALITY. From Howard Hanna Rand Realty. August 9, 2022:
So is the party over?
After two years of relentlessly surging sales and prices, has the seller’s market finally fizzled out? Should we start preparing for a buyer’s market, with falling sales, prices, and a shift of power to purchasers? The answer is “no, not quite yet.”
Last year was the strongest seller’s market in the history of the region, but we’re seeing clear signs that the historically strong seller’s market that emerged after the pandemic lockdown in the middle of 2020 has cooled off.
“Cooling” does not mean “cold.”
Even though the seller’s market might be fading out, it is important to note that this does not mean we are going to see an immediate shift to a buyers market.
Several signs throughout the quarter have indicated that the market might be returning to a more normal, balanced state following an abnormally large two-year tidal wave of activity following the end of the lockdown restrictions, a surge in pandemic-driven urban-to-suburban migration, and the desire to lock in what were at the time historically-low interest rates.
Accordingly, we expect a softer transition to a more “normal and balanced” market rather than a severe correction to a buyer’s market. For one thing, we believe it’s a little misleading to compare this year’s market to the high-water mark of last year, which was the strongest seller’s market in the history of the region.
– Joe Rand, Chief Creative Officer at Howard Hanna | Rand Realty
What’s Going on in the Market? 2019 is a clue
For a better comparison, we reached back to the second quarter of 2019, which we’re calling a “control quarter” because it represents the kind of “normal and balanced” market we believe that we’re entering, before all the distortions of that post-lockdown tidal wave of activity.
And if you compare the current market to 2019, you can see that it’s performing relatively well.
Another reason why we don’t think the market is going to enter a corrective buyer’s market anytime soon is that prices are still appreciating at a tremendous rate. That rate is slowing a little from 2020 and 2021, but it’s still well above traditional averages. Why? Because even with interest rates up, inventory is falling, so we still have too many buyers chasing too few houses.
Basic economics: if demand is steady, and supply is falling, prices go up.
Five Takeaways from the the Second Quarter of 2022:
- Sales are down from last year’s all-time highs, but still relatively strong.
- Pending sales are also down significantly from last year’s torrid market.
- Prices continue to hit all-time highs, but will likely stabilize for the rest of the year.
- New listings continue to struggle, but inventory is stabilizing.
- Homes are still selling more quickly and for a better price than ever before.
To Read the Full Report contact your preferred Real Estate Agent and have it directly on your inbox or download it on the link below:
https://randrealty.com/files/2022/07/NJ-State-Market-Q22022-Final.pdf
https://randrealty.com/files/2022/07/NYS-CT-State-Market-Q22022-Final.pdf
GOVERNOR HOCHUL ANNOUNCES ANTI TERROR INITIATIVE
WPCNR ALBANY ROUNDS. From The Governor’s Office. April 9, 2022:
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the issuance of new guidance for counties throughout New York to support the development of Domestic Terrorism Prevention Plans which each county and the City of New York are responsible for developing.
The Governor discussed the importance of devising Domestic Terrorism Prevention Plans during today’s virtual remarks as part of a two-day Threat Assessment and Management Summit hosted by the State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services and its Office of Counter Terrorism at the State Emergency Preparedness Center in Oriskany.
“In the wake of the horrific domestic terror attack in my hometown of Buffalo, I committed to New Yorkers that we will confront the scourge of domestic terror head-on,” Governor Hochul said. “New York is providing local governments with the tools they need to address the threat of domestic terror and targeted violence, so we can prevent tragedies before they even occur. I will never stop fighting to keep New Yorkers safe.”
DHSES is encouraging localities to develop Threat Assessment and Management (TAM) Teams as part of their Domestic Terrorism Prevention Plans. To assist in creating and operating threat assessment management teams, $10 million will be made available to counties. Such teams shall be comprised of law enforcement, mental health professionals, school officials, and other key stakeholders tasked with identifying, assessing, and mitigating the threat of targeted violence.
Executive Order 18 was issued by Governor Hochul in direct response to the white supremacist act of terror at a Buffalo supermarket in May.
The executive order is specifically designed to fight the troubling surge in domestic terrorism and violent extremism frequently inspired by, planned on and posted about on social media platforms and internet forums.
In part, the executive order calls upon:
- DHSES to establish a new unit within its Office of Counter Terrorism dedicated to the prevention of domestic terrorism.
- Every county and the City of New York to develop and maintain a plan to address the threat of domestic terrorism, including racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists.
- New York State Police to establish a new unit within the New York State Intelligence Center (NYSIC) dedicated to tracking domestic violent extremism and increase social media monitoring for investigative leads that may come from the online promotion of violent extremism.
During the two-day summit, state counterterrorism experts are reviewing the newly issued guidance on Domestic Terrorism Prevention plans and state grant funding opportunities, at both the state and federal level, to advance county domestic terrorism planning and TAM team creation efforts. A consultant with expertise in behavioral threat assessment will also provide training on TAM team development.
Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie Bray said, “Domestic terrorism fueled by white supremacy and bigotry is the number one terrorism threat we currently face. Our team in the Office of Counter Terrorism is working around the clock to ensure counties across New York have everything they need to meet the challenge in front of us. Thanks to Governor Hochul’s leadership, together we are working with our partners to make New York a safer place for everyone.”
The recent spike in domestic terror attacks represents one of the most pressing threats to public safety across the United States. In the last decade, domestic terror attacks and plots have tripled nationally. In 2021, there were 73 terrorist attacks and unearthed plots in the United States, including 38 white supremacist and similarly like-minded terrorist attacks and plots.