KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — Several Trinity Valley Electric Co-op customers are demanding a special meeting with the TVEC Board of Directors after some members are reporting electric bills double, triple, and in some cases, quadrupled their normal monthly billings.
KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — Several Trinity Valley Electric Co-op customers are demanding a special meeting with the TVEC Board of Directors after some members are reporting electric bills double, triple, and in some cases, quadrupled their normal monthly billings.
It began earlier this month when TVEC customer and Scurry, Texas, resident Brigitte Ragan took to Facebook about her most recent bill of $513. A Facebook group entitled “Fight against TVEC” was later created on February 13, 2015, and has already garnered over 2,500 members all with similar billing issues.
The group has created a petition addressed to TVEC, its parent company, Touchstone Energy Cooperatives, and District 4 State Representative Stuart Spitzer.
“We really feel like we’re corned,” said Ragan.
In addressing TVEC and Touchstone Energy Cooperatives, the petition is requesting an investigation “into the billing and/or usage issues that their members are experiencing as well as their current billing processes.”
In addressing Representative Spitzer, signees of the petition are asking for deregulation in the area and an opportunity to choose their electric provider due to claims of historic high bills during the month of February, TVEC’s refusal to address the billing concerns, the addition of a Power Cost Recovery Factor (PCRF), and TVEC’s practice of auto enrolling all of its members in the Operation Round-Up program which benefits local non-profits.
“We are seeking help because we have been given no other recourse by TVEC,” reads the petition. “It is unfortunate that a service company representing a “cooperative” has shown so little interest in the concerns of its members, that such drastic and public measures had to be pursued.”
TVEC Communications and Marketing Coordinator Jeffrey Jordan responded to an inForney.com inquiry and said TVEC’s rates have remained unchanged since January 2008. The thing that has changed, however, is the PCRF — which isn’t unique to TVCC.
Jordan says the PCRF has been one cent for January and February 2015 and is direct correlation between usage and temperature. When usage is low and outside temperatures are moderate, the PCRF lowers and is often negative — resulting in a customer discount on their rate.
“The Power Cost Recovery Factor (PCRF) is how we adjust for the fluctuating cost of wholesale power,” read a statement from TVEC earlier today. “PCRF for the two most recent billing periods was a positive one cent per kilowatt hour to recover the wholesale power cost billed to the cooperative.”
inForney.com also spoke with a Farmers Electric Cooperative customer, which is also under the parent company Touchstone Electric Cooperatives, and similar billing patterns existed with higher bills in the winter months and a flucutating usage or delivery fee.
Local cooperatives join together to purchase electricity at a group rate from larger collective cooperatives who, in simple terms, bid out for the lowest cost electricity. Jordan says the electricity is purchased through the cooperative and passed onto the customer at the purchase rate with no additional markups.
Several examples of TVEC customers on the “Fight against TVEC” group said their monthly bills increased from $387 to $548, from $207 to $527, and from $136 to $237.
Jordan says TVEC is aware of the group and the petition but says TVEC “looks forward to talking with its customers.” TVEC will handle each billing issue case-by-case on an individual basis, says Jordan.
Customers can contact TVEC through the local numbers listed on TVEC’s website, by walking into a local office, or by emailing memberrelations@tvec.coop.
Additionally, TVEC offers a free home energy audit and payment assistance programs. “If you would like to discuss these service options or review your bill with us, please call our Member Service Department at 1-800-766-9576,” stated TVEC.
For more information on the petition and for a calendar of future signing dates and times, visit the “Fight against TVEC” Facebook group.
