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Just Energy penalized $111,000, agrees to change sales practices after numerous complaints received

Strict compliance procedures will be required for Just Energy, a Canadian-based independent natural gas supplier, to continue doing business in Ohio. The company agreed to pay a penalty and change its sales tactics after numerous complaints from residents about the door-to-door activities of its sales representatives. Just Energy agreed to terms to settle the issue, but admitted no wrongdoing.

“The high-pressure sales tactics and misleading statements customers complained about cannot be tolerated,” Consumers’ Counsel Janine Migden- Ostrander said. “Customers must not be deceived by independent natural gas suppliers into signing bad contracts. The OCC will be closely watching to ensure Ohioans are only receiving truthful information, not false promises.”

State and local officials received complaints from consumers who reported they were promised they would save money by signing long-tem contracts with Just Energy. Several also were told that the marketer was affiliated with their city’s natural gas aggregation program.

In November, the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel (OCC), staff of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) and Just Energy reached an agreement recommending a two-year certification for the marketer provided the following conditions are met:

• Just Energy forfeit $111,000 to the Ohio general revenue fund;

• Each customer who signed a contract with Just Energy between April 1 and Sept. 20, 2010 will have a chance to terminate their contract with no early cancellation penalty;

• Just Energy will implement a program by Jan. 1, 2011 to provide additional training and monitoring of the sales and marketing practices of its door-to-door sales representatives;

• During 2011, if 10 verified complaints are received in a month about door-to-door marketing activities in any two months during a three-month period, Just Energy will be subject to forfeit an additional $100,000; a second violation in 2011 would result in another $100,000 payment and could result in a suspension of the marketer’s certification. The OCC could act in conjunction with the PUCO staff to file a complaint or could act on its own to ask for additional disciplinary measures; and

• All of Just Energy’s door-to-door sales will be independently verified for the duration of the agreement. Customers will be given 30 days to terminate the contract after they receive their first bill.

By Marty Berkowitz

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Air leaks, duct work often major energy loss in mobile homes

The tips available to homeowners looking to improve their energy efficiency are abundant. There are several publications available on the OCC website, www.pickocc.org, which can help Ohioans do just this. And while many of these tips transcend the typical single family home to apartments and other dwellings, Ohioans who live in manufactured homes also have some specific improvements that can be done to maximize their home’s efficiency.

Air leaks and infiltrations are likely to be the biggest causes of high heating and cooling costs for Ohioans who live in manufactured homes. These homes are set above the ground, exposing the underside. The exterior walls are composed of several panels which may have been disturbed during transport, causing additional air leakage problems.

By checking and sealing areas around the home where air can leak out or in – such as door and window frames, interior plumbing fixtures, electrical outlets and switch plates, and seams of interior walls at the corners, ceiling and floors – energy efficiency can be improved.

It also is important to check the duct work to see if efficiency gains can be made. The ducts are often located underneath the home and could be a cause of high energy bills. Ducts that leak heated air into unheated spaces can add hundreds of dollars per year to consumers’ utility bills. Repair any leaks with foil tape or mastic (a paste-like sealant that is applied with a brush) and ensure the crossover duct in double-wide homes is properly connected and secured above the ground.

These tips and more are available in the OCC’s new publication Smart energy tips for manufactured homes. Receive this fact sheet from the OCC’s website or request a copy by calling toll free 1-877-742-5622.

By Anthony Rodriguez

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Holiday cooking tips could save energy

Margie Bartley of North Hampton in Clark County cooked a lot of food over the holidays in November and December – turkey, ham, baked beans, corn, green beans, casseroles and pies. New Year and Super Bowl meals are next.

“I try to prepare the dishes ahead of time and then refrigerate or freeze anything possible so I don’t have to do as much on the day of the meal,” Bartley said. “I also ask family members to bring contributions.”

Baking pastries, cookies and cooking other holiday favorites, and the dirty dishes that come with them, means consumers may see increases in their January electric, natural gas and water bills. Of course, you could save energy by limiting what you cook and eat as much raw food, such as salads, vegetables and fruits, as possible.

There are ways, however, to reduce energy use in the kitchen. Here are a few suggestions:

• Cook with a full oven by preparing dishes together when possible. If three dishes require different temperatures, for example 325, 350 and 375 degrees, pick the average temperature (350) to do all three. Better yet, choose recipes that use a single pot;

• Keep the oven door closed. Every time you open the oven door to look at the food, the oven temperature drops by 25 to 75 degrees. So, no peeking;

• Keep oven and burners clean. A clean oven uses energy more efficiently. A self-cleaning oven is more energy efficient because it is better insulated than other models. Clean the area under the burners because crumbs and other burnt material absorbs heat that should go to cooking;

• Minimize or eliminate preheating. Generally, you can put your food in the oven as soon as the heat is turned on;

• Turn off an electric burner two to three minutes before the cooking is done and allow the remaining heat to finish the job. Still not ready to eat after the burner cools? Wrap the covered pot in a towel to help insulate it;

• Leftover heat also can be used as a food warmer. Ovens retain heat for up to 30 minutes after they have been turned off;

• Using a microwave can save energy because it is 33 percent more efficient than a convection oven and 66 percent more efficient than a conventional oven. Cooking with a crock pot also saves energy;

• Don’t worry about having too many leftovers. Freeze them for later use. Reheating, particularly with a microwave, is more efficient than cooking a new meal;

• Use a broiler when possible because it uses less energy. Also, a toaster oven is a fast and inexpensive alternative for small jobs;

• Use the right-sized pot on stove burners. A six-inch pot on an eight-inch burner wastes more than 40 percent of the burner’s heat. On a gas range, set the flame so it is smaller than the pan bottom. Also, covering pots and pans keeps heat in and speeds cooking, thus requiring less energy;

• Electric ranges with ceramic, halogen or induction range elements are more efficient and allow better temperature control than those that use electric coils;

• Use glass and ceramic pans when baking because they retain heat better than metal pans and allow you to lower the baking temperature by 25 degrees. If you’re sold on metal, resist buying cheap pots and pans. A solid pot will last longer while distributing and storing the heat better;

• Putting aluminum foil on the bottom of a gas oven to catch drippings will block the heat the oven is producing. Foil is OK on the bottom of an electric oven, as long as the heating elements are left exposed;

• A pilot light on gas burners wastes natural gas and adds heat to a home. A gas stove will use 40 percent less natural gas with a pilot light off. But you can’t just blow out the pilot light because gas will still be flowing into the kitchen, creating a dangerous situation. Turning off the pilot light requires tightening a set screw. New ovens and burners use electric ignition;

• Prepare as many of your ingredients as possible before turning on the heat;

• Use only as much water needed in a pot because too much liquid requires more energy to heat and will increase cooking time.

By Paul E. Kostyu

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FirstEnergy biomass conversion cancelled

The conversion of a FirstEnergy coal power plant to use biomass materials has been canceled. The utility decided to discontinue the alteration of its Burger power plant in Shadyside, Ohio after the utility said it was no longer economically feasible.

The Office of the Ohio Consumers’ argued the planned conversion would cost customers greatly because of the size of the plant and the competition for biomass materials throughout the United States. FirstEnergy wanted to completely convert two units of the power plant totaling 312 megawatts to biomass which would have been powered mostly by whole trees. The average biomass facility operating in the United States has a capacity of 20 megawatts.

FirstEnergy was required, as part of a compliance plan with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to re-power, install scrubbers or shut down the plant to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions. The utility now plans to close the Burger power plant.

By Anthony Rodriguez

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