Ameren rate hikes . . . (appointed, sales, apartment)

[Dolly]

I am so disappointed that Illinois is being hijacked by Ameren and it's outrageous rate hikes. It is hard enough to make it here, especially in the central and southern part of the state, due to all the factory closings and losses of jobs. We are moving to Wisconsin in two weeks where my husband found a great job and had a 20 dollar electric bill last month for his apartment. Mine was $170.00 and I lived with the heat set on 55! I am tired of being cold and in the dark. Last one out of Illinois, please send Ameren your electric bill and tell them too bad!

[Drover]

This is what happens when you have a 20-year rate freeze. When the freeze expires, the electric companies have to make up erstwhile lost revenues somehow. That "somehow" shows up in your mailbox in the form of rate-hike shock. You wanna thank someone, thank the populist politicians who still believe there's such a thing as a free lunch.

[SoIl]

Originally Posted by Drover

This is what happens when you have a 20-year rate freeze. When the freeze expires, the electric companies have to make up erstwhile lost revenues somehow. That "somehow" shows up in your mailbox in the form of rate-hike shock. You wanna thank someone, thank the populist politicians who still believe there's such a thing as a free lunch.

Give me a break. The bottom line is GREED. Yeah, that's why the same "populist" politicians are working on a freeze. In the meantime, the electric company knows that there will be a freeze, but in the meantime, like any greedy bunch of bastards that big companies are - they're going to gouge the working people and give them bull**** about how much they're losing money. There's always an agenda with these people.

[Drover]

They're not a charity. They're a business. If you think they're gouging you, use less of their product. They don't get to set the price at whatever point they want. The consumer has a role to play in it too.

[doll lady]

hmmmmmmmmm......I have electric through a Rural Electric Cooperative and have always paid higher rates. Kinda makes me glad I have it rather than Ameren..........but ya never know my rates may be next.

I have a ten year old house, well insulated, 3200 square foot with a monthly electric bill average of $100.00. (Does not include my winter propane costs though).

We have always conserved our use because of the higher electric rates. Our house is cooler in the winter and warmer in the summer than most folks. We wear a sweater when we are cold and go get Yummy ice cream when we are hot! YES! I vote for ice cream any day!

[joee]

Has anyone considered alternate electric suppliers, your not stuck with ameren you do have a choice of suppliers just as in natural gas also.

http://www.icc.illinois.gov/consumer...ricchoice.aspx

take a look at your property taxes talk about rape, sales taxes keep increasing, yup good old il, but we all know were those tax dollars are going.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by joee

take a look at your property taxes talk about rape, sales taxes keep increasing, yup good old il, but we all know were those tax dollars are going.

Maybe you know where they're going. I sure as hell don't, though I've often speculated that those tax dollars are being:

• Sucked into a black hole of patronage and waste
• Thrown in a furnace
• Fed to a herd of goats
• Launched into outer space
• Used as TP in the various government building restrooms
• Beamed into the Starship Enterprise's Tranporter Room #3

I'd be interested to hear other folks' speculations...

[doll lady]

Property Taxes....my bill shows who gets what percentage of the tax so I do know where it's going....I jsut don't agree with the total amount of tax....what I want to know is where did they get the multiplier to figure the tax.......... I suspect a dart board.


What did I hear today on tv......ole gov Rod proposing a Gross Sales Tax and doing away with the general income tax.....did I hear that right??????????? Wow what a way to shut the doors on business.

[Dolly]

Originally Posted by Drover

They're not a charity. They're a business. If you think they're gouging you, use less of their product. They don't get to set the price at whatever point they want. The consumer has a role to play in it too.

I just said I keep my heat set at 55 and keep the lights largely turned off as well as having unplugged most of our appliances as they also use electricity plugged in. It's a quality of life issue, we shouldn't have to make these kind of drastic concessions. What about people who can't cut back much such as the elderly, people with small children and BUSINESSES! Our small southern Illinois community can't stand to lose many more businesses without drying up and blowing away. I have heard of businesses that are already closing since they can't pass the rate hike on to customers. We are looking forward to our move to a state that doesn't charge such GOUGING rates as Ameren. I doubt if their executives are sitting around in the dark and freezing like their customer who are trying to cut back.

[joee]

I started allmost the same thread awhile back lol, i had thought the rates went up all across the country but as you read in that thread i think they thought i was nuts since the rates only changed here lol.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/other...ric-rates.html