FirstEnergy bulb backers pulled plug on support

The PUCO will meet with the utility this week on the plan.

AKRON (AP) — Groups that originally supported an Ohio-based utility’s plan to distribute energy-efficient light bulbs flip flopped when customers complained, the utility said as it prepares to make its case to state regulators.

Akron-based FirstEnergy said it built support among 40 interested parties, including the state utilities’ watchdog, only to see that support vanish as protests grew about the plan.

“We had put a process together specifically to get that type of consensus to have everyone walking and talking the same way,” said FirstEnergy spokeswoman Ellen Raines.

The light bulb plan backfired when it was learned that recipients would not only have to pay for the bulbs, but also pay the utility for the electricity they wouldn’t be using.

FirstEnergy officials point to a Sept. 16 letter filed with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio last month that said the 40-member collaborative had reached consensus on the program.

FirstEnergy officials said that collaborative members — in particular, the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel — didn’t object to the letter, then deserted the company after the public outcry.

Ohio Consumers’ Counsel Janine Migden-Ostrander said she was never in support of the distribution program. She said her agency sought other methods early on, including coupons to buy bulbs at stores.

“FirstEnergy should take responsibility for its decisions,” Migden-Ostrander said. “In the collaborative, we told them this wasn’t a good idea.”

FirstEnergy will make its case to go forward with the plan in a Wednesday meeting at the PUCO.

Alan Schriber, PUCO chairman, has said the commission has not approved the amount the company can recoup from customers.

Utilities have been pushing consumers to become more efficient as states set new energy standards. It’s not the first time consumers have felt they’ve been pushed too hard.

Nearly two years ago, Allegheny Power apologized for mailing energy-efficient bulbs to its 220,000 Maryland customers without letting them know they would be footing the bill. Maryland regulators said the company ignored instructions to inform customers about the program.

Under FirstEnergy’s plan, the total planned charges for two light bulbs was $21.60, though it cost only $3.50 to buy and distribute them.

To make up the cost plus lost electricity sales, FirstEnergy planned to charge customers using an average amount of electricity 60 cents a month for three years.

FirstEnergy says it will mail or hand deliver nearly 4 million bulbs over five weeks.

The light bulb distribution program was in response to a state mandate that requires utilities to reduce energy usage by 0.3 percent this year and 22.2 percent by 2025, FirstEnergy said.

The bulbs, known by their twisty, tubular shape, use up to 75 percent less electricity than a traditional incandescent bulb. Customers can save up to $60 over the life of the bulbs, which last much longer than incandescent bulbs, the Akron-based company said.

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Information from: Akron Beacon Journal, http://www.ohio.com