If you are like me when it comes to electricity there are a few things you care about. You don’t want your lights going out in a storm. You want the electricity to work when you are using your appliances (microwave in particular) and the lights to be on so you can read your Rising Media Group newspaper.
You don’t want the electricity to go off when you are using too much in your house or apartment. And you want the electricity delivered to your abode to be delivered safely.
I didn’t forget about the cost of the electricity. You want it to be affordable. Most of us use Con Ed to provide electricity. You talk to your neighbors and friends throughout the country and they live in mansions or homes bigger than yours but pay less for electricity. Con Edison has been Conning Eric and you my dear readers for a long time with high electricity rates. When Johnny Carson was host of the Tonight Show (I miss him) he used that line many times.
Let me start out by giving you my electricity and light bulb background. Many years ago when Con Edison started selling, I think they were called compact fluorescent energy efficient light bulbs, I bought some. Con Ed was the only one selling them, they were discounted but not cheap, and because of their weird size they didn’t fit into every fixture.
They had two curved bulbs in the socket, and the light they put out was not as good as the regular old fashioned light bulbs that came 4 in a box at various wattages branded GE or the store brand which was often cheaper. Mom would only buy the GE bulbs in that weird 4 pack with bulbs exposed facing different directions. I could never understand that package. So she was weary of me making the switch to something that might not be bright enough for her to read The Herald Statesman (predecessor to the Journal News) or the many other newspapers she read.
I could only fit the big new bulbs in certain fixtures, quite often putting them in the bedroom ceiling fixtures or in sockets in out of the way places where I could install them and leave the cover off. They lasted longer than regular bulbs, but I remember one bulb going out and the glass pieces dangerously falling all over the floor. This made it difficult to get the bulb out without electrocuting myself. So I consider myself a pioneer when it comes to energy efficient light bulbs.
Then maybe 10 years the ESCO, Energy Service Company came along. They were going to provide cheaper electricity. Con Ed would still be responsible for taking the cheap ESCO supplied energy and bringing it to your apartment or house. The energy lines and everything else other than the actual energy, electricity whatever you want to call it was under Con Edison’s jurisdiction. Cheaper Con Ed Bill. Your thrifty writer was all for it!
Then the bills started coming. The cost of my My ESCO supplied electricity was higher than when Con Edison supplied the electricity. I was in shock. I called the ESCO, had a hard time reaching them on the phone and when I finally did the man who answered (he sounded like he was just walking by and picked up the phone) said something I will never forget. ‘Mr. Schoen, you are not the type of customer we are looking for. I apologize for what occurred and we will switch you back to Con Edison to provide your electricity.’
Ever since then I have been ever so careful with anything having to do with electricity. I never heard from Mr. ESCO again. I am single and live in an apartment. The most energy I use is probably like you, in summer time when I put on the air conditioner. I hate air conditioning and make use of a ceiling fan in the bedroom. I have wooden floors (got rid of the thick green wall to wall carpeting years ago) and unless it is really hot can count on my fingers and toes the number of days I put on the air conditioning.
So in December I got a letter that looked like a piece of junk mail from ‘Sustainable Westchester.’ I almost threw it away but I like County Executive George Latimer and when I saw ‘Westchester’ I thought he might have something to do with it and read it. I would venture to say most Yonkersites tossed it in the garbage like they do after they rip the 20% off coupon on the Bed Bath and Beyond mailer.
The letter came in an envelope from ‘Sustainable Westchester’ and the Yonkers city seal was on the bottom very small. Now we all know if Mayor Mike Spano, our Councilpersons, County Legislators, State Legislators or Federal Legislators send a mailing to take credit or offer something for free their names will be big and bold on the envelope. That was not the case. Concern #1!
I read the letter quickly (like you I get a lot of junk mail and con
tribution letters from charities many of which are shady) and thought another ESCO. Been there done that. Then I read the excellent article by my friend Ron Matten in this newspaper. This group, ‘Sustainable Westchester’ was going to provide more environmentally friendly electricity. No guarantee that the rate would be lower. But the Kicker: you had to opt out from this program. It was not an opt in program. Concern #2. So as of 3/1/2022 I was going to have my power coming from ‘Sustainable Westchester.’ An ESCO. Concern #3 given my previous experience. Yonkers has done an incredibly poor job rolling this program out. They have zoom sessions. How many people zoom? There was a phone number to call for information. The operators switched callers from operator to operator with no one answering questions. Sustainable admits they have be unable to promptly handle all the calls. If I heard that from one person I heard it from a dozen. And thousands of Yonkersites I bet still do not know what is going on. Then this past Sunday, I read a commentary from the Wall Street Journal on this new Yonkers program. ‘Ever get an offer in the mail you felt was too good to be true. Residents of Yonkers, New York’s third largest city know how you feel!’It went on to say electricity rates would increase 19%. It talked about the sneaky packaging of the official notification. The price of energy would go up. Mr. Spano is doing this to burnish his credentials with with the green community and make residents pay for it. Yonkers poorest residents already pay electricity rates 30% above the state rate. Poverty rate in Yonkers is nearly twice that in Westchester County. And as we all know from our visits to the supermarket, the National economy is experiencing the worst inflation in 40 years! Concerns 4-12!
I immediately posted the Wall Street Journal article on Facebook and Twitter. I asked that the City, County, State even Federal elected officials, who ever was responsible put this program on hold until residents can get more information. There should have been several letters about the program. Meetings would be appropriate but in the middle of a cold winter and in the middle of a pandemic people are afraid of big gatherings. A letter from the Mayor who sits on the Sustainable Westchester Board of Directors. As does Yonkers Resident, Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins.
I did receive a response from ‘City of Yonkers’ to my Facebook post. And to her credit, comments from Terry Joshi who I believe is on the Yonkers Green Activist Committee. Check out my Facebook page. Eric W. Schoen. Look for me in the picture with our dear departed Joan Rivers. And keep your eyes glued to Westchester Rising Newspapers for important information.
You have until February 9 to officially opt out. But you can opt out at any time. I still haven’t decided what I am going to do. But one thing is for sure. Due to the poor rollout, poor outreach, and poor timing in the middle of a pandemic when inflation is out of control, the poor people of Yonkers, white, black, brown are going to have a big surprise in March.
That is if the people or persons responsible for this mess don’t put the brakes on it until things get better and people can live the lives they led pre-pandemic and we don’t have crazy inflation. And we can get a better explanation of what the hell is going on here!
But sadly my dear readers, I must remind you as I have said oh so many times, ‘This, Too is Yonkers!’
Reach Eric Schoen at thistooisyonkers@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @ericyonkers. Listen to Eric Schoen on the Westchester Rising Radio Show Thursday’s from 10-11 a.m., on WVOX 1460 AM, and WVOX.com.
