the new electricity world order

Five years ago, Leticia and her husband Boris received notification that big changes were happening in the electricity industry -- new suppliers were moving in and creating competitive services, electricity meter readers were being replaced with computer operators and their housing estate would receive new electricity meters that would be scanned remotely.

"It all sounded wonderful," laughs Leticia. "No more being caught at the worst possible times by the electricity meter reader coming around the side of the house -- where my hot tub as well as the electricity meter resides -- and no more being stuck with fixed pricing from one supplier."

"Well, five years later the electricity meter readers have definitely gone -- I haven't seen one for at least a year," says Leticia, "but there's no sign of new electricity suppliers in our area, no sign of new electricity meters that can be scanned remotely and we're tired of receiving 'estimated bills' and being required to read the meter ourselves and phone in the readings."

"And, we're furious that electricity prices just keep on going up and up!"

"I know that these changes have happened in other parts of the country and other people are enjoying the so-called benefits of a competitive electricity market," says Leticia, "but at the rate they're going rolling out the New Electricity World Order we will be old and grey and ready for the retirement home by the time they get around to our housing estate."

"I get the distinct impression, too, that the changes are only happening with new projects -- new suburban housing estates or new homes," says Leticia, "so maybe it was never intended for older places like ours."

"Considering the need to conserve energy these days," says Leticia, "you'd think that they'd be more on ball with these changes. I know that Boris is particularly interested in reducing costs by checking our energy consumption and implementing more effective energy usage patterns."

"He'd have a much easier time doing this if we had an automated remote meter reading system which he could check through a secured Web site -- like the one we were promised five years ago!"

"It really did sound too good to be true -- a new technology that replaces the old meters with 'smart' meters that were scanned every 30 minutes, giving us immediate information about our power usage habits," sighs Leticia. "With three teenagers at home, we sure could use this technology right now."

"Boris started a spreadsheet for his electricity meter readings and tried to get the kids interested in conserving electricity," says Leticia, "but this sort of thing doesn't excite the kids as much as a 30 minute scan on the Web would, right?"

"Despite all the 'talk' about the importance of conserving energy, we just don't believe their spin any more," says Leticia. "If they were serious about conserving energy they would have got their act together by now and delivered what they promised us five years ago."

"It really p*sses Boris off that our electricity supplier has actually increased the cost of electricity at the same time as cutting its services," says Leticia. "And what about all the electricity meter readers it once employed -- where are they now, unemployed?"

"As Boris says, he wouldn't mind reading the meter so much if they didn't increase the price of electricity at the same time -- he said it was like a slap in the face, or like digging your own grave."

"That's taking it a bit far," laughs Leticia, "but it is incredibly rude of the supplier to make us responsible for doing something that was once part of its service."

"What can we do about it? Nothing," sighs Leticia. "Until competition enters the market in our area, we're stuck with a monopoly and it can do whatever it wants to do knowing that without electricity we're dead!"