utility companies

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Guy Discovers He's Been Paying Neighbor's Utility Bill for Years

Ken Wilson of California couldn't figure out why his costs were so high

(Newser) - There's being neighborly, and then there's unintentionally paying your neighbor's utility bill for years on end. The latter is the tale of Ken Wilson, a longtime resident of one Unit 90 in an apartment complex in Vacaville, California. As KOLD reports, Wilson was distressed when his utility...

In Texas' Biggest Wildfire, Utility Issues a Mea Culpa

Xcel Energy says its facilities 'appear to have been involved' in starting the Smokehouse Creek Fire

(Newser) - The utility provider Xcel Energy said Thursday that its facilities appeared to have played a role in igniting a massive wildfire in the Texas Panhandle that grew to the largest blaze in state history. Texas officials have said they're still investigating the cause of the fire that has burned...

Unshared Wildfire Plan in Hawaii Only Raises Questions

Regulators weren't shown document until last week

(Newser) - Hawaiian Electric's chief executive reassured a congressional committee last week that the utility has a major wildfire mitigation plan in place, one that was completed in January after four years of development. Shelee Kimura's testimony, and the document, have raised a series of questions from regulators, including, "...

PG&E Warns of 'Extreme Measure' Amid High Winds

Utility may be shutting off power to 2 million people in Northern California on Saturday night

(Newser) - More than 2 million people in Northern California may be without power Saturday night in a planned blackout meant to fend off wildfires. The Los Angeles Times reports that this anticipated move by Pacific Gas and Electric, which would affect 36 counties, is due to high winds forecast for the...

Wildfires That Charred California Will Cost PG&E $1B

Settlement is to cover 'taxpayer losses' from wildfires stretching back to 2015

(Newser) - More than a dozen local governments and other public entities in Northern California will soon share a $1 billion payment from the public utility that's blamed for three years' worth of wildfires there. KCRA and NPR report the settlement from Pacific Gas and Electric was announced Tuesday, with the...

One Faulty Hook Blamed for California's Massive Fire

Sources tell NBC Bay Area a hook on PG&E tower failed

(Newser) - The cause of California's deadly Camp Fire still has not been officially released, but sources say a single hook may be the culprit. Specifically, a steel hook that held up a high voltage line on a Pacific Gas & Electric transmission tower, sources tell NBC Bay Area . There had...

In Unprecedented Move, Power Shut Off in California Amid Fire Fears

45mph wind gusts predicted in Northern California

(Newser) - Northern California's biggest utility has shut off power to tens of thousands of customers in an unprecedented step to prevent wildfires amid rising winds and official warnings of extreme fire danger, the AP reports. Pacific Gas & Electric began turning off the lights in California's wine country and...

Family Electricity Bill: $284,460,000,000

Fortunately, it was a just decimal error for Pennsylvania's Mary Horomanski

(Newser) - Imagine opening your electric bill and seeing a figure of $284,460,000,000 under the amount owed. Pennsylvania's Mary Horomanski had exactly that experience, which she recollects to GoErie.com with a priceless quote: “My eyes just about popped out of my head,” says the 58-year-old...

More Than 1M Still Without Power

And temperatures are still sweltering

(Newser) - At least 1.4 million people from the Midwest to the mid-Atlantic are not having a very happy Fourth of July … because, four days after violent storms, that's how many homes and businesses are still without power today. And they're starting to get angry, CBS News and...

1.8M Still Without Power
 1.8M Still Without Power 
Jul 3, 2012 7:18 AM CDT

1.8M Still Without Power

And it could still be days away for some, utility companies warn

(Newser) - Three-and-a-half days after devastating thunderstorms tossed trees like twigs across a swath of the Mid-Atlantic, utility crews are still scrambling to restore power to some 1.8 million customers, reports the AP . Says a utility crewmember pulling 16-hour days in Washington, DC, "From here we've got another complaint....

East Coast Outages Could Last Days

And the mercury is soaring

(Newser) - As the Mid-Atlantic states roast in sweltering temperatures, up to 3 million people remain without power after violent storms that killed 13—and it could be several more days to a week before electricity is restored, reports the AP . A glance around at the fallout from Friday's storms:
  • Emergencies
...

Energy Giant Guilty of Spying on Greenpeace

Hacking case also snared Floyd Landis

(Newser) - French electricity giant EDF, the world's biggest operator of nuclear power plants, has been found guilty of spying on Greenpeace and fined $2 million. EDF, a frequent target of Greenpeace campaigns, hired a security agency to hack into the group's computers to gain information about its anti-nuclear activities,...

9 Days After Storm, 88K in Connecticut Still Lack Power

Connecticut utility boss apologizes, but many are still angry

(Newser) - Nine days after an early snowstorm knocked out power to millions around the northeast , tens of thousands of homes remain in the dark, reports the AP . In Connecticut alone, 88,000 people are still without electricity, and likely will not have power restored until Wednesday, said a senior executive at...

Power Grid Experiment May Confuse Electric Clocks

Or not ... obscure test will soon find out

(Newser) - If electric clocks seem a little off later this year, there's good reason: A yearlong experiment conducted by the group that manages the nation's power grid is expected to begin, and it could theoretically make electric clocks run up to 20 minutes fast. It's also possible that...

Google Applies to Buy, Sell Electricity

Search giant wants to tap the grid like a utility

(Newser) - Google has asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for permission to become an “electricity marketer,” a designation that would allow it to buy and sell energy in bulk like a utility company. It’s an unorthodox move, but one Google says will help it power its sprawling operations...

Utilities' Green Plea: Best Your Neighbor

Rating households by energy savings jolts consumers into curbing power use

(Newser) - Utilities have discovered that tapping into consumers' competitive urges is the most effective way to jolt them into using less energy, the New York Times reports. Sacramento—in a program now copied in at least 10 other major cities—began awarding smiley faces to customers who did well compared to...

As Deadbeats Soar, Utilities Quick to Pull Plug

As the economy worsens, electric companies get tough on delinquent bills

(Newser) - Utilities are growing increasingly aggressive about shutting off the juice even as more customers struggle to pay their bills in a sinking economy, reports the Wall Street Journal. The trend has regulators and consumer advocates worried companies have become too focused on their bottom lines, but utilities say they’re...

GM, Utilities Join to Speed Plug-Ins

Three-dozen utilities agree to help integrate electric cars with their grids

(Newser) - General Motors and three dozen electric utilities in nearly 40 states have agreed to work together on the transition to plug-in electric vehicles that are expected to begin rolling out within 2 years, the Wall Street Journal reports. With GM’s Chevy Volt and Saturn Vue  expected to hit the...

Engineer's Goof Turned Out Florida Lights

Worker disabled two levels of protective backup systems

(Newser) - One engineer's blunder shut off the power in Florida Tuesday, the Miami Herald reports. Florida Light & Power says a field engineer diagnosing a faulty switch disabled two levels of safety backups—against company policy—as he worked. In a bit of extremely unfortunate timing, a fault then occurred that...

US Multinational Faces Human Rights Trial

Mining company accused of playing role in Colombian murders

(Newser) - A landmark trial addressing corporate culpability for human-rights violations committed on foreign soil gets under way this week, testing whether an 18th-century antipiracy law applies to modern business practices. At issue is the 2001 murder of three Colombian mining-union leaders, the Wall Street Journal reports, and under scrutiny is the...

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