I am mystified why no one is squawking about their higher electric bills. I see Edison (SCE) is charging $0.18 cents per kilowatt hour now.

And all this while they install smart meters which, I am told, eliminate the need for meter readers and even meter maintenance (the nice people who come out to turn off your power for nonpayment). Both meter reading and shut-offs can be done remotely says the SCE call center.

So let me get this straight: Edison replaced perhaps hundreds of workers with a radio device and raised our bills?

Do SCE customers realize we are paying triple what the folks up north are paying?

My NW Montana electricity is $0.06 cents per kilowatt hour for all the power you want. That utility has had remotely read IFR [infrared] meters for 10 years. They also have far fewer customers to spread their costs over. Riverside County has more than double the people than all of Montana.

Yes, they are partly blessed with cheaper hydro-power, but they don’t pay many million-dollar salaries, either, like we are forced to.

SCE says they have renewable energy mandates which is a reason why our bills are higher. OK, so we get to pay for the desert folks swimming pools and spas because they have a few solar energy panels?

I believe our tripled electric bills have more to do with salaries and wages. We actually get to pay for six-, seven- and eight-figure salaries of the hundreds of SCE fanny-sitters in Rosemead and Irwindale.

Unless one has a government or public utility job, they are relegated to near poverty income in the private sector here. Lucky us. And public workers even get to collect their pensions in prison!

So the bliss of our electric bill rip-off ignorance might now be over if you read this. And if this isn’t a redistribution of wealth, I don’t know what is.

Mike Reno
Pine Cove

1 COMMENT

  1. My experience is different. My old dial meter was from the early 60s, it must have been defective, because when I was switched to e-meter, it is registering my electricity usage as very low, and I have not had a lifestyle, electronics or appliances change. I suspect the new e-meter for my place is accurate, because I am getting billed about $25 less per month than in previous years. I am not worried about someone monitoring my electricity peak usage, what I do like is that the meter-maid guy isn't coming around my place any more, because that was getting my dog agitated.

    That's my experience.
    Your mileage may vary.