ESSEX JUNCTION, Vt. -
Your electricity bill might have looked a little different this month; it's the first bill since Central Vermont Public Service merged with Green Mountain Power. But the utility companies say the only change is the name, not the rates.
Plenty of people feel like the merger made their rates go up and their electricity bills may have very well been more expensive this month, but GMP says the truth is, you were probably just using more A/C during these past few hot months.
The lights are off and the fans are going. John Houghton who owns the Maplehurst flower shop in Essex Junction is doing his part to keep his electricity bill low. "High efficiency fans and brand new compressors," Houghton said.
But he still uses more than 2,400 kilowatt hours each month; the average household uses 500. So whether it's a home or business, Green Mountain Power says your bill will not change, unless your usage does.
"There are a lot of people who during the heat spell last month used the air conditioning, or their summer habits may be some what different and they may have used more kilowatt hours," GMP Corporate Spokesperson Dotty Schnure said.
The thing with flower shops is that they don't just use electricity during business hours. The flower room stays at 40 degrees 24 hours a day.
And while the cost of keeping flowers cool fluctuates each month, Houghton says his bill hasn't changed since the utility companies merged, except for the mandatory Irene clean-up fee that started this month and will last one year.
"For an average customer, it's about a $1.20 a month," Schnure added.
"It's the least I feel I can do as a business," Houghton said.
So the piece of mail that came with your new bill only informs you of the merge, and if your bill is pricier, GMP says you simply used more power.
"The rates themselves did not change," said Schnure.
As part of the merger, GMP has guaranteed that over the next ten years, rates will be 144 million dollars lower than they would have been without the merger.
