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First off you live on a island where they have to run the electric power from abroad. Secondly is Shoreham power plant. If it wasn’t for NIMBYs we would have some of our own electrical producing capabilities.
Why not go solar? Problem solved.
First, Shoreham's 30-yr surcharge against us should no longer apply. Not sure what else you mean by it.
We are not Alaska (or Hawaii) some place far away from everyone else. States like CA, CT, MA, and NH are also stupid high. Can't blame the island. Areas like New Rochelle and Yonkers are even higher than ours. It looks like we have plenty of resources to help us too... https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...ower-grid.html AND we're under-utilized.
Solar has a large investment up front (and we have too many ridges on our roof for it to work). The bottom line isn't about we can't afford to pay $100-200/mo. - it's why are they suggesting they need so much to run things... what is the cause for it when others do it so much cheaper. Dare I say it's the layers of BS we're paying for once again...
When it comes to Long Island power outages and getting answers/information from utilities and politicians we are treated like mushrooms, kept in the dark and fed nothing but manure...
I think it's a stretch to say not having a generator makes one unprepared. They are a huge expense and require maintenance. It also doesn't solve the problem of poor utility preparation. Trimming trees doesn't really do much good when the entire tree falls. They clearly upgraded nothing after Sandy because I keep hearing about rotted poles etc.
Too bad about the food - this storm kinda came out of nowhere so I'm sure people had perishable food on hand.
Another problem or at least it was when I lived on LI, was the person who told the power company which limbs or branches to cut away. Now I grant you, I don't believe anyone will ever accuse an Asplund tree trimming crew of being arborists, and they can butcher a tree like no bodies business. Let's face it, many homes are post WWII builds and so is the accompanying landscaping. If you have a large tree and have not trimmed it at all, that is part of the problem. The other part is just like you and I, the older we get, the more the parts wear out. In our case, hopefully we don't take something else with it, as is so often the case with a tree.
Another problem or at least it was when I lived on LI, was the person who told the power company which limbs or branches to cut away. Now I grant you, I don't believe anyone will ever accuse an Asplund tree trimming crew of being arborists, and they can butcher a tree like no bodies business. Let's face it, many homes are post WWII builds and so is the accompanying landscaping. If you have a large tree and have not trimmed it at all, that is part of the problem. The other part is just like you and I, the older we get, the more the parts wear out. In our case, hopefully we don't take something else with it, as is so often the case with a tree.
yeah I would hazzard to guess that the tree trimming done by the utility may serve to weaken the tree. If you don't do it right you can cause more problems. They do it to keep the trees away from transmission lines, not to do what's best for the tree.
Also this storm was compounded by full summer canopy of trees. It's like having a blizzard in October. They are top heavy, moreso than in the fall when leaves are starting to shed.
If you cant figure out why the Shoreham power plant would help reduce your electrical bill then I don’t know what to tell you. Sure other states do it cheaper, move to central Pennsylvania for their cheap rates.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ovi8
First, Shoreham's 30-yr surcharge against us should no longer apply. Not sure what else you mean by it.
We are not Alaska (or Hawaii) some place far away from everyone else. States like CA, CT, MA, and NH are also stupid high. Can't blame the island. Areas like New Rochelle and Yonkers are even higher than ours. It looks like we have plenty of resources to help us too... https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...ower-grid.html AND we're under-utilized.
Solar has a large investment up front (and we have too many ridges on our roof for it to work). The bottom line isn't about we can't afford to pay $100-200/mo. - it's why are they suggesting they need so much to run things... what is the cause for it when others do it so much cheaper. Dare I say it's the layers of BS we're paying for once again...
If you cant figure out why the Shoreham power plant would help reduce your electrical bill then I don’t know what to tell you. Sure other states do it cheaper, move to central Pennsylvania for their cheap rates.
Its virtual twin operated across the sound for many years, and a couple of reactors are still running there.
What was sad was that Shoreham was completed, was doing 5% power tests and could have been brought online, but because of the Three Mile Island accident and Chernobyl there was no way the locals would have signed off. Even though both of those reactors were different than Shoreham - everything was labeled "unsafe".
As to the Shoreham surcharge not applying...that debt is still being serviced even without the surcharge, keeping rates higher.
I don't have a generator but I wouldn't say I'm unprepared. My family and I are able to "rough it", so to speak, and we know this. Read books, play piano, go for walks, BBQ, play outside. A few cold showers won't kill ya. As power is restored to family first, because we're always last, some visits were in order. It's actually been good for my kids to detach from technology a bit and to sweat a little. I think it helps ground a person to do without for a bit here and there as long as no one's health or well being is at risk. Other than special circumstances like yours, being without power for a week or so can actually be beneficial for one's health and soul.
You have a reasonable reason to run it 24/7. Likewise, close neighbors could have panic attacks from the noise or breathing issues from the toxic fumes if they are very close by. It's a classic example of competing interests. It's always a tough call. I often err on the side of making the personal sacrifice.
Regarding food spoilage - fyi to those of you who lost food - your homeowner's insurance may cover it.
It sucks all around. That is why when I have my generator up and running I offer to help my neighbors by running extension cords into their houses to share what little power I have. There are a lot of elderly people on my block that have no family members that bother taking care of them or assisting them when the @#$% hits the fan.
One lady who lives across the street from me is 80 years old and has dementia. She lives all by herself and not one of her family members came to check on her even once while she has been plunged into darkness. She was sitting all alone in the pitch black dark when I rang her doorbell to ask if she wants some of our electricity from my generator. Once again, the crumbling Long Island infrastructure has let most of us down. I simply do not trust it anymore.
Every single time we have a thunderstorm, our power goes out in my neighborhood. This isn't the first time my area has had power outages this summer. Our transformer blew up and caught on fire 3 times this summer and had to be replaced. I feel like were are living in a third world country sometimes. If you are a home owner without a generator, especially in my area of Bethpage/Levittown, you are screwed. When the out of state crew came to fix our lines they were in shock at how bad the infrastructure was across Long Island. They said it looked as if someone put our wires up and held it in place with bubble gum. They were laughing at how incompetent most of the wiring was around my neighborhood and were quite shocked.
I see they are jacking up the prices on generators now. The same model I purchased after Sandy for $250, no tax, and free shipping which also came with the wheel kit is now selling for $599, plus $109 shipping on most of the online sites including Amazon. It's an extra $55 for the wheel kit too now. All the local Long Island retailers are out of stock on generators and if you can find one locally they are price gouging.
Their website is now saying there are only 91,000 without power right now. It has to be a lot more than that. Almost everyone I have spoken to in Nassau and Suffolk is still without power. We finally got ours back, but all my neighbors across the street still have no power and were told it won't be fixed until Tuesday or later this week. All of my mom's food spoiled and when she actually got a rep on the phone, they said they are not responsible for reimbursing anyone for losses because the storm was an act of God. Con Edison sucks too, but at least they are offering to cover food losses/medicine, etc. If you try to make a homeowner's insurance claim, you may have to pay a deductible and it may no not be worth it to file. My mom lives on a fixed income and SS, lost all of her food in her freezer. I am disgusted and this is not acceptable. PSEGLI is a joke. /RANT OVER
It sucks all around. That is why when I have my generator up and running I offer to help my neighbors by running extension cords into their houses to share what little power I have. There are a lot of elderly people on my block that have no family members that bother taking care of them or assisting them when the @#$% hits the fan.
One lady who lives across the street from me is 80 years old and has dementia. She lives all by herself and not one of her family members came to check on her even once while she has been plunged into darkness. She was sitting all alone in the pitch black dark when I rang her doorbell to ask if she wants some of our electricity from my generator. Once again, the crumbling Long Island infrastructure has let most of us down. I simply do not trust it anymore.
Every single time we have a thunderstorm, our power goes out in my neighborhood. This isn't the first time my area has had power outages this summer. Our transformer blew up and caught on fire 3 times this summer and had to be replaced. I feel like were are living in a third world country sometimes. If you are a home owner without a generator, especially in my area of Bethpage/Levittown, you are screwed. When the out of state crew came to fix our lines they were in shock at how bad the infrastructure was across Long Island. They said it looked as if someone put our wires up and held it in place with bubble gum. They were laughing at how incompetent most of the wiring was around my neighborhood and were quite shocked.
I see they are jacking up the prices on generators now. The same model I purchased after Sandy for $250, no tax, and free shipping which also came with the wheel kit is now selling for $599, plus $109 shipping on most of the online sites including Amazon. It's an extra $55 for the wheel kit too now. All the local Long Island retailers are out of stock on generators and if you can find one locally they are price gouging.
Their website is now saying there are only 91,000 without power right now. It has to be a lot more than that. Almost everyone I have spoken to in Nassau and Suffolk is still without power. We finally got ours back, but all my neighbors across the street still have no power and were told it won't be fixed until Tuesday or later this week. All of my mom's food spoiled and when she actually got a rep on the phone, they said they are not responsible for reimbursing anyone for losses because the storm was an act of God. Con Edison sucks too, but at least they are offering to cover food losses/medicine, etc. If you try to make a homeowner's insurance claim, you may have to pay a deductible and it may no not be worth it to file. My mom lives on a fixed income and SS, lost all of her food in her freezer. I am disgusted and this is not acceptable. PSEGLI is a joke. /RANT OVER
It's better to give than to receive
__________________
"The man who sleeps on the floor, can never fall out of bed." -Martin Lawrence
It sucks all around. That is why when I have my generator up and running I offer to help my neighbors by running extension cords into their houses to share what little power I have. There are a lot of elderly people on my block that have no family members that bother taking care of them or assisting them when the @#$% hits the fan.
One lady who lives across the street from me is 80 years old and has dementia. She lives all by herself and not one of her family members came to check on her even once while she has been plunged into darkness. She was sitting all alone in the pitch black dark when I rang her doorbell to ask if she wants some of our electricity from my generator. Once again, the crumbling Long Island infrastructure has let most of us down. I simply do not trust it anymore.
Every single time we have a thunderstorm, our power goes out in my neighborhood. This isn't the first time my area has had power outages this summer. Our transformer blew up and caught on fire 3 times this summer and had to be replaced. I feel like were are living in a third world country sometimes. If you are a home owner without a generator, especially in my area of Bethpage/Levittown, you are screwed. When the out of state crew came to fix our lines they were in shock at how bad the infrastructure was across Long Island. They said it looked as if someone put our wires up and held it in place with bubble gum. They were laughing at how incompetent most of the wiring was around my neighborhood and were quite shocked.
I see they are jacking up the prices on generators now. The same model I purchased after Sandy for $250, no tax, and free shipping which also came with the wheel kit is now selling for $599, plus $109 shipping on most of the online sites including Amazon. It's an extra $55 for the wheel kit too now. All the local Long Island retailers are out of stock on generators and if you can find one locally they are price gouging.
Their website is now saying there are only 91,000 without power right now. It has to be a lot more than that. Almost everyone I have spoken to in Nassau and Suffolk is still without power. We finally got ours back, but all my neighbors across the street still have no power and were told it won't be fixed until Tuesday or later this week. All of my mom's food spoiled and when she actually got a rep on the phone, they said they are not responsible for reimbursing anyone for losses because the storm was an act of God. Con Edison sucks too, but at least they are offering to cover food losses/medicine, etc. If you try to make a homeowner's insurance claim, you may have to pay a deductible and it may no not be worth it to file. My mom lives on a fixed income and SS, lost all of her food in her freezer. I am disgusted and this is not acceptable. PSEGLI is a joke. /RANT OVER
I didn't really lose power THIS time, just internet service, but during Sandy, I was absolutely convinced that I was going to die. I wish back then I had a neighbor like you.
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