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Rate changes and rebates for Saint John Energy CustomersMarch 14, 2008
Saint John Energy will be rebating customers the difference between amounts charged under the interim rates in place since June 8, 2007 and the approved 5.9% average rate increase that was approved by the Energy and Utilities Board (EUB) on February 22, 2008. Please see attached for details. The average rebate for an electrically heated customer will be $10 and will appear on customers' bills by May 2008.
Saint John Energy will also pass along NB Power's recently announced 3% rate increase effective April 1, 2008. This would mean a monthly increase of $4 for the average customer.
Mr. Eric Marr, President and CEO of Saint John Energy, stated that as a wholesale customer, the Commission received the same increases and must recover these costs through increases to their own rates. He attributes the requirement for increased rates not only to the increased cost to purchase power, but also to escalating prices to other costs related to utility operations, all of which increase the Commission's own costs.
"We are concerned with the impact of any rate increase on our customers; however, these increases are required to allow us to assure the viability of Saint John Energy and to continue our mission of providing safe reliable electricity at the lowest cost possible."
Chris Titus, Chairman of Saint John Energy stated that the company continues to offer lower rates than neighboring jurisdictions and looks forward to working with the public and other agencies regarding energy efficiency and will continue to be a advocate in the reduction of our energy footprint. "We invite our customers to contact our energy advisor, who can offer suggestions geared toward their specific needs."
"To help offset the effect of this increase; Saint John Energy will continue to promote energy conservation efforts such as their recent LED Christmas light exchange and Compact Fluorescent Lighting initiative."
Energy conservation tips are available at www.sjenergy.com.
For more information:
Mr. Eric Marr, President & CEO
Saint John Energy
(506) 658 5252
Application of Rebate
| Time Period | Increase % | Revised % | Rebate % |
| Jun 8, 2007 - Aug 27, 2007 | 9.6% | 5.9% | 3.7% |
| Aug 27, 2007 - Mar 28, 2008 | 6.4% | 5.9% | 0.5% |
Saint John Energy dedicates New Operations HeadquartersDecember 6, 2007
The dedication of Saint John Energy's new Operations Headquarters will take place at noon on Thursday, December 6, 2007 at the 325 Simms Street Location.
 Saint John Mayor Norm McFarlane will unveil a commemorative plaque assisted by Councilor Chris Titus, Chairman of Saint John Energy and Mr. Eric Marr, President and CEO of Saint John Energy.
Saint John Energy launches LED Holiday lighting campaignNovember 1, 2007
Saint John Energy customers will soon be able to save in more ways than one when they purchase LED holiday lighting. Starting October 15th, 2007, Saint John Energy customers can bring their old incandescent holiday lights to the Charlotte Street office along with an original 2007 receipt indicating the purchase of LED Holiday lighting for a credit of up to $20 on their next bill.
Chris Titus, Chairman of Saint John Energy, states that each customer would save approximately $4 of electricity per string per year if they switch to LEDs. The projected savings to our customers over the life of the LED lights translates to a whopping $360,000.
Saint John Energy converted the City of Saint John's Holiday lighting to LEDs in 2006 and reduced the electricity consumed by over $6,000 annually. The company wanted to provide incentives to ratepayers to achieve similar savings in their own homes.
LED decorative light strings are safer, use up to 90% less energy than traditional holiday lights and last up to 10 times longer. LED lights are also more durable than incandescent bulbs: they're shatterproof, shock resistant and because they produce very little heat, LED seasonal lights reduce the risk of fire.
How the program works: Purchase any LED Holiday lighting, bring your receipt AND your old set of incandescent Holiday lights to the office, receive a credit of up to $10 for the purchase price of your LED Holiday lights on your Saint John Energy account. Customers can receive a maximum of two $10 credits provided they bring in at least 2 sets of incandescent holiday lights plus receipts. Receipts must be clearly marked LED.
The offer is valid from October 15th-December 15th, 2007 or until 9,000 strings have been received. Any 2007 receipt for the purchase of LED holiday lighting will be accepted.
Saint John Energy Decreases Interim RatesAugust 27, 2007
Saint John Energy customers will soon be paying less for power as the company passes along the NB Power interim rate reduction as approved by the Energy and Utilities Board (EUB). This interim rate reduction was applied for on August 8th by NB Power as a result of their recent settlement involving Petroleos De Venezuela, SA.
Mr. Eric Marr, President and CEO of Saint John Energy supports the EUB's decision to advance the realization of the benefit from the Orimulsion settlement to 17 years from the proposed 23.
"We are concerned with the impact of any rate increase on our customers and anytime we can offer a decrease, we are very pleased".
Councillor Chris Titus, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, stated that the Board met on Monday and approved management's recommendation to reduce the interim rate increase from 9.6% to 6.4% effective August 28th, 2007.
Per Mr. Titus, "The reduction in the interim rate will help to ease the burden of rising energy costs. Saint John Energy continues to offer our customers the lowest rates possible while maintaining a viable position for the utility".
Saint John Energy was formed as the Power Commission of the City of Saint John in 1922 to construct and operate works to transmit and distribute power in the City. Today, Saint John Energy services more than 36,000 local customers through 13 substations, with energy sales of over 950,000,000 kilowatt hours annually.
For more information: Mr. Eric Marr, President & CEO Saint John Energy (506) 658-5252
Datadot Technology and Theft from SubstationsAugust 15, 2007
Faced with a growing number of incidents of theft of copper wire, Saint John Energy, in conjunction with the Saint John Police Force, is taking action to deter this criminal activity.
Copper wire used for grounding is an integral part of the electrical system. It provides personnel safety as well as electrical stability to the system. Interference with its integrity could result in severe injury or death, by electrocution, to any person exposed to the hazard. In addition, the cost of property damage to the utility's electrical system or to consumer's equipment as a result of insufficient grounding far exceeds the value of the stolen wire. Saint John Energy has incurred $25,000 in repair costs due to stolen ground wire over the past 18 months.
"The safety of the public, utility workers and other emergency personnel is our primary concern" stated Eric Marr, President & CEO of Saint John Energy. "We hope to stop the theft of ground wire before it occurs by applying a variety of methods."
Chief among these will be the utilization of DataDot technology which involves the application of a spray-on coating, carrying thousands of tiny identification dots, to bare copper wire. It is only necessary to have one of these micro-dots on the wire in order for the police to identify the owner as Saint John Energy. DataDot technology is being utilized by numerous electric utilities across Canada including BC Hydro, New Brunswick Power and Nova Scotia Power. Hydro One in Ontario and Hydro Quebec are also piloting the program this summer.
"With the cooperation of the Saint John Police Force and local scrap dealers, we hope the practice of stealing ground wire can be deterred." said Mr. Marr.
In addition to the application of wire identification, substations now have surveillance equipment installed and the use of an alternate material for ground wires is being investigated.
Saint John Energy requests that any member of the public report any suspicious behaviour, involving substations or other electrical facilities, directly to the police force at 648-3333, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or to Saint John Energy at 658-5252.
Media Contact:
Saint John Energy
Eric Marr, President & CEO
1- 506-658-5266
Saint John Police Force
Inspector Darrell Scribner
Oi/c Criminal Investigation Division
1-506-648-3211
DataDot Canada
Pat Cowman, President
1-888-980-1002
Election of Officers for Board of CommissionersJuly 6, 2007
At the regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners held Thursday, June 28, 2007, it was resolved that Christopher T. Titus be elected as Chairman of the Board, that Bernard F. Desmond be elected as Vice Chairman of the Board, and that J. Patrick Woods be appointed as Secretary.
Two new commissioners, Mr. Robert Manning and Ms. Lisa Keenan have also joined the Power Commission of the City of Saint John.
Ratepayer Advisory for Saint John Energy CustomersApril 27, 2007
Saint John Energy will pass along the NB Power interim rate increase when approved by the Energy and Utilities Board (EUB). NB Power is proposing a 9.6% average increase. This interim rate increase will remain in place until NB Power's permanent rate application is approved by the EUB. This interim rate increase will not apply to the Saint John Energy's water heater rental program.
Mr. Eric Marr, President and CEO of Saint John Energy, stated that the Commission had been anticipating this rate increase for a number of months. They were relieved that the announced interim increase request was less than 10% contrary to what had been indicated in recent media reports. He attributed the increased rates not only to the increased cost to purchase power, but also to escalating prices in fuel, metals and other costs related to utility operations, all of which increase the Commission's own costs.
"We are concerned with the impact of any rate increase on our customers, however, these increases are required if we are to continue to maintain the financial stability of the Commission's operations. We continue in our mission of providing safe reliable electricity at the lowest cost possible."
To help offset the effect of this increase; Saint John Energy will continue to promote energy conservation efforts such as their recent "Lighting the Way, Save Everyday" Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) Campaign which resulted in 90,000 CFL's being distributed to residential customers. Since that campaign, customers have saved an estimated two hundred and fifty thousand dollars and have reduced green house gas emissions by eleven hundred tonnes. Other energy conservation tips are available at www.sjenergy.com.
"We will continue to work with Efficiency New Brunswick in their efforts to assist homeowners with energy efficiency measures in the upcoming months. We invite our customers to contact our energy advisor, who can offer suggestions geared toward their specific needs."
Saint John Energy provides home energy audits at a nominal fee.
Saint John Energy was formed as the Power Commission of the City of Saint John in 1922 to construct and operate works to transmit and distribute power in the City. Today, Saint John Energy services more than 36,000 local customers through 13 substations, with energy sales of over 950,000,000 kilowatt hours annually.
For more information:
Mr. Eric Marr, President & CEO
Saint John Energy
(506) 658 5252
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Ground Breaking Ceremony for new office complexApril 23, 2007
Saint John Energy, now located at 239 Charlotte St. in the South End, will move in 2008 to a new building to be built on the site of the former Labatt Brewery on Simms Street.
The utility's president and CEO, Eric Marr, said the 6,750-square-metre (75,000-square-foot) building is necessary to suit the needs of the growing utility.
"We feel it's a strategic location," Marr said, moments after a ground breaking ceremony at the new site Friday. "We've been at our present location for over 40 years and the operation has grown more and more into an industrial type of operation with heavier trucks and equipment," he said. "To be operating out of a heritage area is not quite appropriate."
Construction on the multi-million dollar building will begin immediately, and Marr said he sees Saint John Energy staff moving into their new home this time next year.
Not only does the West Side location make more sense for growth, Marr said, the site is also better connected to roads and highways.
"It has great access to the transportation system to allow us to have quick response to any trouble we may have and we'll normally dispatch crews out of here on a daily basis."
When the time comes to move into the new abode, Marr said it will likely take several days and happen over a weekend. He said the relocation will not affect staff numbers at Saint John Energy, which employs about 100 people.
Deputy Mayor Michelle Hooton also attended the ground breaking, and topped in a white construction hat, she applauded Saint John Energy for bringing growth to the city's West Side.
"I think the fact that we're seeing development on the West Side is tremendously encouraging," she said. "There will be activity again and we'll have an additional, beautiful new development here."
It was a three-year process to finally select a design for the building, which will be the third location for Saint John Energy in 85 years. Marr said the project is the largest single investment ever made in the utility's history.
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