Discussions

Tucked away in a corner of our local daily print is a blurb about the Toronto Hydro, and other utility companies who have established a new program to treat its product users like children.  
 
Some Home Economist working for one of these conglomerates has decided that their consumers need to be encouraged to economise on their energy consumption.  
 
A politically correct endeavour, but do customers have to be compared to their neighbours, and graded by the use of kindergarten “Smiley Faces” on their Bill?  
 
Good earns one SF, and below average, none.  
 
On trying to decipher the billing information on my last Bill received from Manitoba Hydro. I find that I used $20.20 worth of Alberta Natural gas with an additional charge for Supplemental Gas of $5.19 during the last Billing Cycle.  
 
But, and I feel it is a big but, I have a basic charge of $13, plus a charge of $3.86 for transportation to the Centra gas facilities, and all this time I thought my gas came directly to me, and another $9.01 to distribute it from Centra gas to my furnace.  
 
Evidently it costs a lot more to move Gas from Winnipeg to Brandon than to move it from Alberta to Winnipeg.  
 
In conclusion I have paid $25.39 for actual Gas, and $26.21 for other expenses. If the weather over the last few weeks had been normal I would have saved even more on my consumption.  
 
How many @@@@@ Smiley Faces could I have received?  
 
I still like the old fashioned Billing statements, which said, “If you don’t burn it you don’t pay for it.