Comments on: BELCO Submits Request To Increase Rates

By: Legalgal

Legalgal — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 23:19:01 +0000

Indeed, cost of doing business here may become unsustainable. But sadly more likely to keep the regular professionals away. God help the non-Re-insurance people – the teachers, police, even regular professionals.

By: Never Never

Never Never — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 17:34:08 +0000

What an idiot you are Kangoocar every time you reply with your hate filled narrow view. You have been threating to leave Bermuda for far too long please just leave already you along with big mouth Donald Trump prove all the time you don’t have to be a smart men to have money SMDH

By: Datbye

Datbye — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 11:59:47 +0000

One of the worst places in the world to live when it comes to power for your home. Cost us way to high, last year we was in the top 5 most expensive place in the world for KWPH. So sad. To bad Belco doesnt have any real compo.

By: craig looby

craig looby — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 06:03:09 +0000

http://bernews.com/2015/06/new-200-mw-power-plant-bermudas-power-needs/#comment-2939259

By: craig looby

craig looby — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 05:55:41 +0000

UMI is seeking public support for its renewable energy master plan that will reduce power generation rates, and make Bermuda energy independent. The master plan is an alternative to BELCO’s plans, and they will not have to raise rates to build a new plant for LNG….and their old plant can be decommissioned all together!

UMI is currently waiting to meet with the government to discuss this proposed 200MW deployment, with the hopes we can begin work this year!

By: Kangoocar

Kangoocar — Sat, 04 Jul 2015 23:25:59 +0000

Yeah yeah yeah, but the Belco unionized employees are very cozy to the biu aren’t they?? They had no problem in the last dispute ( that had nothing to do with them ) dropping tools and running to help the biu???
I was born at night but not last night!!!

By: Spanky

Spanky — Sat, 04 Jul 2015 18:43:01 +0000

Keep a close eye on alternatives to centralized power generation and having to be connected to the grid. We are not too far away from empowering home owners to cut the Belco cord. Tesla’s battery factory, micro generation plants and residential fuel cells plus ever decreasing costs of solar move us closer and closer to never having to pay another Belco bill again (and that includes having to pay a rental fee to have their meters on our properties).

By: Oh,I see now

Oh,I see now — Sat, 04 Jul 2015 18:30:04 +0000

Wow!Comments on both sides of the street speaking the same language hmmm ,I guess the enemy of my enemy IS my friend.Belco I guess your only friend is the shareholder and they aren’t on the top of anyones happy list for sure.Greed isn’t killing the pig but it sure is choking the (bleep) out of it.

By: nicole

nicole — Sat, 04 Jul 2015 14:37:18 +0000

Omg!! Belco lost money on their investments!! That’s how free enterprise works! You win some you lose some. They show no sympathy when they shut off struggling people’s electricity when they lose their jobs, but we’re suppose to sympathize with them when they’ve made poor investments. They are a monopoly. They need to suck it up and find a way to work through their expenses rather then ask the public for another dime.

By: departing

departing — Sat, 04 Jul 2015 12:51:31 +0000

Go ahead belco. This should surely help get rid of some more expatriates….”taking our jobs!!!”

By: Christopher Notorius

Christopher Notorius — Sat, 04 Jul 2015 12:05:09 +0000

Wow a column where everyone agrees. This is history being made LOL.

By: Dockyard Lackey

Dockyard Lackey — Sat, 04 Jul 2015 11:41:21 +0000

Again well said Alvin and Tolerate. The Ascendant Group was formed by the BELCO board and shareholders to invest “their” profits. Their greed and mismanagement has caught up with them and they now want us to pay the price for their failures. Everyone who is against this proposed increase should submit their objections to the Energy Commission, not just post their opinions here.

By: Legalgal

Legalgal — Sat, 04 Jul 2015 11:26:18 +0000

Correct, and any reduction in the cost of gas will be pocketed by Belco, and any increase will be passed on to the customer. Win win situation…for Belco.

By: YADON

YADON — Sat, 04 Jul 2015 11:11:41 +0000

BELCO workers are not BIU. ESTU a very responsible union. Workers wages and benefits are not what makes electricity so expensive and are a drop in hat of the total costs. Those guys deserve every penny they make, It is a highly skilled and very dangerous job.

By: frank

frank — Sat, 04 Jul 2015 07:15:03 +0000

Belco is. Not part of the biu they have an in house. Union

By: frank

frank — Sat, 04 Jul 2015 07:11:52 +0000

Kangoocar you have a stupid way of thinking belco is in trouble because instead of reinvesting
In. The company all those good years they kept feeding. The greedy. Share holders
How can they get a rate hike when the price of oil is at an. All time. Low

By: had enough

had enough — Sat, 04 Jul 2015 02:46:25 +0000

can’t believe that you all agree on an issue – so far

By: Gorgam

Gorgam — Sat, 04 Jul 2015 02:40:06 +0000

No no no no…. Go borrow money from a financial institution to improve the physical plant…. NO.

By: G'd Up

G'd Up — Sat, 04 Jul 2015 02:33:07 +0000

Poor people fed up!!!!!!!!

By: fred

fred — Sat, 04 Jul 2015 01:49:57 +0000

… and if this government dares to vote okay, I hope every person on the island remembers to vote for “OTHER” during the next election. IT’S ENOUGH ALREADY

By: fred

fred — Sat, 04 Jul 2015 01:48:09 +0000

Sure, go ahead and raise the rates… this company has promoted saving electricity through energy saving devices, solar use, etc and then when the sales drop they cry poverty and want to charge more so their shareholders can continue to live their same lavish lifestyles… NO. DIG IN JUST LIKE THE REST OF US HAVE HAD TO DO! GRIN AND BARE IT!

By: Tolerate

Tolerate — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 23:43:06 +0000

Alvin Williams is 100% correct here. When the going was good BELCo ignored their infrastructure just as BTC did. Now they have no choice but to make upgrades, they want to pass their poor planning expenses off on the public.
Shame on you Ascendant; NO!!!!!!!!

By: Onion juice

Onion juice — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 23:11:40 +0000

And dont forget Greece too.

By: Larry Marshall

Larry Marshall — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 23:06:16 +0000

However, if the price of oil remains at current levels, all customers using the same amount of electricity as they did in September 2014, even with the increase, would still see a lower total bill compared with one-year ago.”

“The changes would increase the monthly bill for the average residential customer using 600 kWh per month by approximately 7.8%, those using less would have less of an increase.

These two statements seem contradictory. Even if oil stays the same, highly unlikely, the 7.8% increase would mean that someone using the same amount of electricity in 2015 as in 2014 would obviously pay 7.8% more.Isn’t that the purpose of the increase? Yes those losing less than 600 kWh per month would have “less of an increase” but nonetheless still an increase.

By: Alvin Williams

Alvin Williams — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 23:05:54 +0000

The real factor behind BELCO’s attempt to squeeze even more money out of the people of Bermuda; is their failed investments in other areas that have nothing to do with energy instead of up grading it’s power plant. They may talk about alternative power sources that Bermudian should engaged in; but in reality it is the last thing they want to see their captive market engaging in. They just want the rest of us to continue to be hooked on their monopolize control of Bermuda’s electric power supply.

By: Snowballs

Snowballs — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 22:44:36 +0000

So true. One word sums this up…greed. While so many of us work our lives away to survive here.

By: Micro

Micro — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 22:33:54 +0000

Yes, the bill will be lower than the same month last year but still dramatically higher than last month.

By: Mr. JiF

Mr. JiF — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 21:54:39 +0000

“if the price of oil remains at current levels” …

This increase is setup perfectly for(BELCO) when oil prices return to anything above the low levels they are currently at.

This is a terrible idea it and is completely self serving, everyone should be worried if it is passed.

By: Kangoocar

Kangoocar — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 21:41:18 +0000

Navin, you are absolutely correct with that statement, Belco should have planned better but they didn’t and now we are going to get hosed again!!!! The plp/biu are a big contributing factor in this!!!!

By: Kangoocar

Kangoocar — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 21:36:43 +0000

The last paragraph is absolute nonsense, OIL will not stay the same!!! I as everyone knows am pro business but in this case what Belco is trying to do needs to be put on hold!!! Hotels are going to take a huge hit on their costs and let’s not forget grocery stores!!! In the end we Joe public are going to get hit real hard with this!!! We cannot keep allowing costs on things such as belco and health insurance sky rocket way above the price of inflation!!! We are already on the brink of being the next Greece or Puerto Rico and we can’t print money to get out of it!!! I say hell no on this one for now!! Belco had years to prepare for this and they didn’t??? Belco because of its taking the easy route folded everytime over the years to their union ( biu ) and just quietly kept sticking us with price increases ( when will those that support the unions understand this?? ) Next the government ( and I don’t care which one it is ) because they have folded everytime is going to be raising fees and taxes as well!!! Enough is enough, we need to stop the price increase madness, now!!! Or all those that are struggling now are going starve to death, but before they do there will be total chaos in the streets!!!!

By: Paradise Reclaimed

Paradise Reclaimed — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 21:23:49 +0000

We trust you Ascendant, and we are sure you have only our best interests at heart. You guys rock!

By: Navin Johnson

Navin Johnson — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 21:19:56 +0000

All because 6,000 people were driven off the island….

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 21:17:45 +0000

No.