Buying electricity in Maine (Bangor, Auburn: oceanfront, power lines, credit)

[kellysmith]

There have been several long threads about shopping around for a power supplier in Maine. This article seems to point in the direction that it might be a bad idea.

State confirms home power customers spent $77M they didn’t need to — Maine Focus — Bangor Daily News — BDN Maine

[WhoFanMe]

I'm glad I never got around to picking an alternative supplier, life got in my way. I do remember picking a long distance company when the Bell System broke up in 1983, that was different.

[slyfox2]

I TRY TO BUY IT BY THE CASE..... But no one will sell it to me. I’d like to keep a few extra cases of electricity in the storage room for emergencies.

[Fern435]

Electricity Maine was started in Auburn, Maine by Emile Clavet, a self-proclaimed "serial entrepreneur," and Kevin Dean, a Texan. The business model was innovative but ultimately flawed (could not be sustained), and Emile Clavet was savvy enough to aggressively recruit for customers to make it look viable before selling the company in 2016 to a Houston-based business. About the same time he bought his oceanfront home in Harpswell (2016 or 2017). Now he is on the advisory board for regulating marijuana businesses in Maine. Anywhere there's an opportunity to organize, schmooze, regulate, and profit, this guy seems to be there with a slick proposal but little substance.

[mainebrokerman]

Originally Posted by Fern435

Electricity Maine was started in Auburn, Maine by Emile Clavet, a self-proclaimed "serial entrepreneur," and Kevin Dean, a Texan. The business model was innovative but ultimately flawed (could not be sustained), and Emile Clavet was savvy enough to aggressively recruit for customers to make it look viable before selling the company in 2016 to a Houston-based business. About the same time he bought his oceanfront home in Harpswell (2016 or 2017). Now he is on the advisory board for regulating marijuana businesses in Maine. Anywhere there's an opportunity to organize, schmooze, regulate, and profit, this guy seems to be there with a slick proposal but little substance.

Give the guy credit -
Nothing was given to them
His father worked in a shoe mill. A good man

He started electricitymaine. And others started there own
Businesses of selling energy he had over 200 k.
Customers. And then he sold at a profit but he took the risk at the beginning

[Fern435]

Originally Posted by mainebrokerman

Give the guy credit -
Nothing was given to them
His father worked in a shoe mill. A good man

He started electricitymaine. And others started there own
Businesses of selling energy he had over 200 k.
Customers. And then he sold at a profit but he took the risk at the beginning

Honesty and integrity/ethics in business are rare qualities. A genuinely good person will be concerned when his or her business strategies create more problems for people and will work to correct the issues. And some only care about getting the biggest slice of the pie possible. This business concept stopped working as promised, they did not inform customers of the changing dynamics, and the customers are the ones who got the shortest end of the stick. They were trapped.

Having a humble background doesn't excuse that behavior; in fact, such a person should be more aware of having honest motives and dealing with customers with ethical business practices.

[Fern435]

More information and perspective into how Electricity Maine worked (read the comments section):

https://bangordailynews.com/2016/11/...ded-thousands/

Being a "serial" start-up entrepreneur can make a person millions when you have the song-and-dance and the jazz hands, secure the deals, then sell the business before it all goes downhill. Professor Harold Hill types ("The Music Man") have this strategy down to a science.

https://bangordailynews.com/2016/08/...ine-customers/

[Submariner]

I shopped around a couple times for cheaper electricity producers. I think I may have posted about it in previous threads.

Eventually we setup solar power, which was our intention all along any way.

We still have access to grid power, if we wanted it for any reason. I have one outlet in our house that is grid power just so I can have a night light plugged in to tell me if the grid is 'up' today or 'down'. The grid went down yesterday for a few hours.

If you can have grid power available to your home for a 30-day continuous month, you are clearly not in this part of Maine.

Our first 12 years in Maine proved that to us, every month, over and over again. Every month has had power outages until we finally got solar power in our home. Some months we could go 3 weeks with grid power, before 'poof' we would go dark for a week.

[Zymer]

Originally Posted by Submariner

I shopped around a couple times for cheaper electricity producers. I think I may have posted about it in previous threads.

Eventually we setup solar power, which was our intention all along any way.

We still have access to grid power, if we wanted it for any reason. I have one outlet in our house that is grid power just so I can have a night light plugged in to tell me if the grid is 'up' today or 'down'. The grid went down yesterday for a few hours.

If you can have grid power available to your home for a 30-day continuous month, you are clearly not in this part of Maine.

Our first 12 years in Maine proved that to us, every month, over and over again. Every month has had power outages until we finally got solar power in our home. Some months we could go 3 weeks with grid power, before 'poof' we would go dark for a week.

Hahahaha...not too far of the mark. Seems like if the wind blows more than a breeze the power goes out. Never have I lived anywhere else where it was so unreliable.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by Zymer

Hahahaha...not too far of the mark. Seems like if the wind blows more than a breeze the power goes out. Never have I lived anywhere else where it was so unreliable.

I get it. The power lines that goes through our town does not reach all homes. For some of the paved road there simply is no power line.

A power line in Maine could easily go through a dozen towns before it passes by your property. Many miles of power line surrounded by much taller trees. Every time the wind blows somewhere a tree falls down. One tree coming down can easily knock out the power to a dozen towns.

I understand why the power grid is so fragile in Maine.

Like you I have never lived anywhere before that had such an unreliable grid.