To: Mr Gale Klappa, WE Energies CEO, The Wisconsin State House, The Wisconsin State Senate, and Governor Tony Evers
WE Energies should charge us MORE for the energy we use (really!)
Like any business, WE Energies needs to ensure its financial well being, but it does not need to do so by penalizing its customers who are taking the lead in energy conservation and green energy production. Instead of raising fixed charges for everyone, they could instead slightly raise the price per unit of actual energy used. In this way, they would not only generate the income they need, but would also be encouraging energy conservation, something that would benefit us all.
Why is this important?
When I put some grid connected solar panels on my modest Milwaukee WI roof a couple years ago, at the same time that I was trying to get our 30+ year old home to be as energy efficient as possible, I certainly didn't do it for the money. I did it as one tiny way to help the planet instead of hurting it. With our panels and other efficiency upgrades combined, our average WE Energy bills have been roughly half of what they used to be. I actually thought I might be helping WE Energies out as well, since I know sourcing more green energy is a goal for them. The current plan to raise fixed charges for all WE Energies customers, rich and poor, energy hogs and energy sippers alike, feels like a slap in the face, and is most frustrating since it will hurt low income and low energy consumers the most, take away financial incentives for both individuals and businesses to conserve energy, and is completely unnecessary, since by slightly raising the cost of energy consumed instead, they could not only meet their financial needs, but encourage conservation and green energy production at the same time.