HEC, FaceBook, Open Government, Net Metering, and Weatherizing Homes
UPDATE: There was a misunderstanding: this meeting was at 7am, not 7pm. This further makes my point that this information is not as accessible as it should be! I hope to still receive answers to my questions.
UPDATE 2: The next such meeting is 7am August 26 at the Country Club.
I will be attending the public meeting for the Harrisonburg Electric Commission tomorrow (Tuesday the 22nd) at 7pm at the Spotswood Country Club. I found out about this through the FaceBook group, “I live in Harrisonburg VA and want Green Electricity.” There are currently 135 people in this group, an indication of larger interest in this cause.
I looked for information about the meeting searching the DNR online, on the city website, and on HEC’s website and found no information. When I talk about open government, part of what I mean is making readily available information about these sorts of opportunities for public input. Clearly, the information is somewhere - otherwise I wouldn’t have found out about it - but I haven’t been able to confirm the information anywhere but on FaceBook, through a third party, which probably isn’t the best outreach upon which to rely.
Also, according to the information I received, all questions must be submitted ahead of time to General Manager Michael York via email (myork [at] hbgelec.com). If this is indeed the case, I submit that this limits the opportunity for participation for those without internet connections or just without prior knowledge that questions needed to be submitted beforehand. I certainly hope there will be an open time for comments.
Moving to the substance of the meeting, I submitted two questions in advance:
1. I recently heard the “HEC does not offer net metering” and want to explore this claim. As you know, electric meters are equipped to reverse direction if output from renewable technologies (e.g. solar panels or wind turbines) exceeds the current demand from the property. I would like to know whether HEC pays the property owner market rates for this electricity, as such a program can be an incentive for users to employ renewable technologies.
2. Also, I am interested in any weatherizing program HEC is involved with. I understand HEC allows customers to pay extra to support users who may not be able to afford to pay their bills, and I wonder whether HEC is involved in activities that actually increase the efficiency of the homes of these individuals, thereby providing more of a longterm solution than simply continuing to have others pay for inefficient energy use.
HEC’s commisionners are appointed by City Council, using a list of recommendations from the current commissioners.
