KAGAWONG—In order to pay her Ontario Hydro bills every month, a Kagawong woman says that she only turns on hydro in rooms that she is going to use at any given time of the day.
“I’m on a fixed income and don’t have much money,” Elva Lloyd told the Recorder last week. “What I do in the winter is only put on the hydro (heat) one room at a time, for instance when I’m in the kitchen I’ll put hydro on at that time.”
As reported in last week’s edition of the Recorder, we are looking for stories from local residents around the Island on how high Hydro One bills have affected them and forced them to look at any alternative options to reduce costs. This week’s interview is hopefully the first of several that will be printed in the Recorder over the next few months.
“The heat in the bathroom is kept just above freezing and if I or my son has to have a shower I’ll turn the hydro on about 20 minutes before it is going to be used,” said Ms. Lloyd. “It’s the only way I can pay the hydro bills.”
“There needs to be a way to get these costs down,” said Ms. Lloyd. “The retirement debt payment that had been charged on Hydro One bills has now been paid off, but the costs are still too high. I feel like I should own part of the company if I have to pay a share of the debt and then get a bill every month on top of that for hydro use.”
“With being forced to use smart metres, the charges change every month,” stated Ms. Lloyd. She explained, “I would estimate my monthly hydro bill is about $400 month over the year, although my costs are not nearly as high as some other people I know. I know one local lady who pays between $700-$900 in hydro costs per month in the winter.”
“I’m on a fixed income and budget billing,” said Ms. Lloyd. “There have been times they (Hydro One) have changed their billing process, so you never know exactly how much you are going to have to pay each month, regardless of how much hydro you use.”
“I have to pay my son’s bills as well. Although he has tried many times to get disability help, the government says he is not eligible for this,” said Ms. Lloyd.
Ms. Lloyd provided a detailed package of her hydro monthly bills since September 2005 to December 2014. It not only provides information on the hydro rates she is paying, but the many times that delivery charges she had to pay is more than her hydro costs, several times over.
“I am on a fixed income,” said Ms. Lloyd. “I do all my cooking, laundry, showers etcetera on off peak hydro hours. “I only heat one room at a time with minimum heat for instance in the bathroom to keep pipes from freezing. Hydro is double dipping—charging everyone delivery charges from the generating stations. It should just be from the last house or business that have paid to get it to their place.”
“I understand the hydro retirement debt is already paid off so why are we still paying it? Also, why was Hydro sold in the first place for less money that what was owing on it. It seems like when it is our money they can spend it quite freely without our permission.”
“Also why is the government selling power to the United States and Quebec for less per kilowatt then what we have to pay. Seems to me Hydro doesn’t give a damn about their customers,” added Ms. Lloyd.
