CON Edison - CONNING US with HIGH VOLTAGE!
Shocking (literally) how this greedy utility monopoly and others like it get away with their screw-the-public practices. I've noticed that my light bulbs burn out faster than they should. I am an electronics engineer and have test equipment, so I measured the line voltage and found it to be high, 126 volts. When I enquired, CON Ed told me that up to 128 volts is acceptable.
NO, IT ISN'T!
This is 6.7% OVER the rated voltage (120 volts) for most light bulbs and appliances. As power is proportional to the voltage squared, this means that all our appliances are being force-fed about 14% more power than they were designed for. CON Ed of course does this to increase your monthly bill by up to 14% over what it would be at the optimum 120 volts.
But it costs us far more than this. With a 6.7% overvoltage a light bulb burns brighter but burns out much faster, lasting only half as long as it would at the rated voltage. Excessive voltage is harmful to and reduces the life of all appliances without regulated power supplies, which means most of them. Do you think CON Ed will take any responsibility when your expensive air conditioner fails prematurely? And of course all that unnecessary power generation is doing wonders with our resources and environment.
So we pay for this corpseration's arrogant greed not only with higher bills, but with reduced appliance life and even with reduced lifespans due to their pollution - or from the fact that a shock from 128 volts is more likely to kill you than one from 120 volts.
Don't look to government for help. The present administration couldn't care less about protecting consumers and the environment, and encourages corpserate monopolies like CON Ed to soak us for all they can and poison our air and water in the process.
By the way, have you noticed the price of gasoline, despite the record oil company profits?
Aren't you glad now that you voted RepubliKKKan-KKKon$ervative?