At-home power users get short end of stick under plan

Roger Witcher, Las Vegas

Wednesday, June 2, 2010 | 2:02 a.m.

Regarding Don Reid’s Monday letter to the editor, headlined “Smart meters are a win-win prospect for state,” I would like to present a different point of view.

I’m a stay-at-home senior, and I leave my thermostat on 75 degrees, 24 hours a day, every day of the year. I have found that this is the most economical and comfortable way to use the utilities. Maintaining a constant temperature means that the air conditioner runs more in the daytime when it is hot, and less at night when it is cooler.

But wait a minute. Under the proposed time-of-day rate plan, the power company is going to charge more for the use of electricity in the daytime, when it is needed most, and less in the nighttime, when it is less needed.

This means I will have to pay more for electricity, or not use it as much and be uncomfortable. This is hardly a win-win situation.

Our legislators should study the effect of the smart meter plan, and do something to protect those who need it most — seniors and other stay-at-home people. One solution would be to give consumers, or at least stay-at-home consumers, the option of being on either a time-of-day rate plan or a fixed-rate plan.