______________________

John Pickernell

Assistant Board Secretary

Ontario Energy Board

416-440-7605

Fax: 416-440-7656

Website: www.oeb.gov.on.ca

Official Correspondence: BoardSec@oeb.gov.on.ca



Address:

P.O. Box 2319

2300 Yonge Street 27th Floor

Toronto, ON

M4P 1E4

______________________





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From: Diane Letellier [mailto:dletellier@on.aibn.com]
Sent: December 30, 2008 12:53 PM
To: BoardSec
Subject: EB-2008-0187 Electricity Distribution Rate Change Hydro One Networks Inc.



Tuesday, December 30, 2008





To: Ontario Energy Board



Re: Electricity Distribution Rate Change Hydro One Networks Inc.

EB-2008-0187





To whom it may concern,



I read in the Citizen that Hydro One is requesting a rate increase for the delivery of electricity to its customers. Did they not just get a rate increase in November 2008 for the cost of electricity itself? Let me guess, the rate increase was for a different entity that just happens to appear on the same bill as Hydro One.



I am just an average homeowner who is doing everything I can to reduce the amount of electricity I use as well as save money where I can. I can say with certainty that Hydro One is certainly not helping me in obtaining my goals.

Four years ago, we lived in the Province of Quebec and my husband was constantly complaining about Hydro-Quebec. Guess who he would prefer being with now? That’s right Hydro Quebec. At least with them we did not feel penalized because we lived in a rural portion of the province. i.e.: higher delivery costs for rural customers by Hydro One.



Try as I might to keep my hydro bill down I constantly fail. Even though we use an outdoor clothesline, we do not have air-conditioning, we do not heat with electricity, and in the winter, we switch our hot water tank over to oil heating yet we still end up with an average hydro bill of $105.00 per month. Broken into categories it is roughly, 40% cost of electricity, 50% cost of delivery, 5% regulatory charges and debt retirement, and the rest goes to GST. This is a first to me, where the cost of delivery is more than the cost of the goods sold.

If this increase were to be approved I would no doubt be looking at an increase of $5.00 a month or $60.00 a year for delivery alone. Add this to the OEB electricity cost increase per year I am now looking at a total increase of roughly $100.00. With the economy the way it is, the job market, the price of food increasing, $100.00 a year added to all of the other increases will be a lot of money to others and myself.



As to Hydro One’s harmonization plan I have no doubt that this too will cause an increase on my bill. Maybe if I felt that everyone involved was doing their part in trying to run a tight ship, and I saw value added for the price increase, I may be more agreeable to it, but as things stand and given the recent increase for electricity I am thoroughly depressed and disgusted by this newest application for an increase.

Perhaps you could find a way to amalgamate the various charges on the electric bill and more evenly redistribute them between yourselves.



I am also curious to know why I am paying GST on Regulatory and Debt retirement charges. In my mind, they are not goods being delivered.

While I entertain no notion that this letter will stop the price increase, I wish to thank you for allowing me to vent my frustrations.



Regards,



Diane Letellier

Hydro One customer

4840 Panmure Road

Pakenham, Ontario

K0A 2X0

613-256-6981