PECO has started sending me monthly letters and emails comparing my electricity usage with that of other local customers. They've rated my energy efficiency as "good" (indicated by one smiley face) but not "great" (two smiley faces).
What I want to know is, who are these "efficient neighbors" who are such paragons of sustainability? Do they bake as much as I do? Do they work at home? Do they need to launder many changes of gym clothes? Do they have animals who need to stay warm? I'm not sure it's a fair or useful comparison.
I'm perfectly happy with my energy footprint and have a clear conscience about it. If I were PECO, I'd dump this irritating program -- but who knows, maybe they got a grant for it, or it's the brainchild of some important person and Must Therefore Continue.
PECO just received a call from this customer to discontinue receiving these "smart usage profiles." The number is 888-212-8090.
One of my blog readers offered this comment: "We get this meaningless comparison, too. After a few months, I noticed that their records showed we have a house with 0 square feet. So, not surprisingly, our consumption is 37% above that of our neighbors. Gotta admit, though, I corrected our profile and we're still above usage for comparable houses. We, too, spend most of our days at home since we're retired. And in my "elderly" years, I refuse to be cold, so we set our thermostat to be comfortable, not environmentally sacrificial."
I've been producing my own electric for 28 year. I never got any smiley faces even though I do use PECO as a back up provider. May I suggest that you join the Energy Co-op. It is a great non-profit in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Here is their link: https://www.theenergy.coop/electricity
ReplyDeleteWe get this meaningless comparison, too. After a few months, I noticed that their records showed we have a house with 0 square feet. So, not surprisingly, our consumption is 37% above that of our neighbors. Gotta admit, though, I corrected our profile and we're still above usage for comparable houses.
ReplyDeleteWe, too, spend most of our days at home since we're retired. And in my "elderly" years, I refuse to be cold, so we set our thermostat to be comfortable, not environmentally sacrificial.