Comments on: Interesting idea: bulk energy buying plan for small business http://blogs.kansas.com/business/2008/06/27/interesting-idea-bulk-energy-buying-plan-for-small-business/ Insights into Wichita business from the staff of Business Today Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:29:32 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5.2 hourly 1 By: JWink http://blogs.kansas.com/business/2008/06/27/interesting-idea-bulk-energy-buying-plan-for-small-business/comment-page-1/#comment-318 JWink Mon, 30 Jun 2008 01:24:55 +0000 http://blogs.kansas.com/business/2008/06/27/interesting-idea-bulk-energy-buying-plan-for-small-business/#comment-318 Hey, I wonder if some kind of similar shared arrangement could be organized for residential natural gas users. I notice my natural gas bills have been increasing. Or to be more accurate, my "EPP settlement amount" after payment of my monthly flat fee has been increasing ... so I have to pay several hundred more dollars to "catch up." I went back and analyzed my bills over the past year. It appears my usage is remaining fairly constant for similar months give or take a little for different weather. The difference appears to be from higher costs Kansas Gas Service is paying for the natural gas. Is anybody trying to put the brakes on this? I would like to know more about this purchase arrangement. Who does Kansas Natural Gas purchase the natural gas from ... is it directly from the producer? Or is a middle man in the picture? Does our natural gas come from the Hugoton gas fields in southwestern Kansas? Are various electrical power companies competing with us residential users for this natural gas thereby driving the costs up? Can we trust and depend on our natural gas supplier, in my case Kansas Gas Service Co., a subsidiary of Oneok Company in Oklahoma, to actually try to give us a good deal? Does this natural gas monopoly come under the surveillance of our Kansas Utilities Commission or whatever its called? Anybody know anything about this? Hey, I wonder if some kind of similar shared arrangement could be organized for residential natural gas users. I notice my natural gas bills have been increasing. Or to be more accurate, my “EPP settlement amount” after payment of my monthly flat fee has been increasing … so I have to pay several hundred more dollars to “catch up.”

I went back and analyzed my bills over the past year. It appears my usage is remaining fairly constant for similar months give or take a little for different weather. The difference appears to be from higher costs Kansas Gas Service is paying for the natural gas. Is anybody trying to put the brakes on this?

I would like to know more about this purchase arrangement. Who does Kansas Natural Gas purchase the natural gas from … is it directly from the producer? Or is a middle man in the picture? Does our natural gas come from the Hugoton gas fields in southwestern Kansas? Are various electrical power companies competing with us residential users for this natural gas thereby driving the costs up?

Can we trust and depend on our natural gas supplier, in my case Kansas Gas Service Co., a subsidiary of Oneok Company in Oklahoma, to actually try to give us a good deal? Does this natural gas monopoly come under the surveillance of our Kansas Utilities Commission or whatever its called?

Anybody know anything about this?

]]> By: bth http://blogs.kansas.com/business/2008/06/27/interesting-idea-bulk-energy-buying-plan-for-small-business/comment-page-1/#comment-312 bth Sat, 28 Jun 2008 17:03:10 +0000 http://blogs.kansas.com/business/2008/06/27/interesting-idea-bulk-energy-buying-plan-for-small-business/#comment-312 In rural areas there is even something better - Community Wind. The idea (K-State) is to build a local wind farm in an area controlled by the members of a sort of cooperative. Then, rather than just buying their power together, they actually make it. K-State - through its existing extension program - has been working in this area. In rural areas there is even something better – Community Wind. The idea (K-State) is to build a local wind farm in an area controlled by the members of a sort of cooperative. Then, rather than just buying their power together, they actually make it.

K-State – through its existing extension program – has been working in this area.

]]> By: ksfarmgrrl http://blogs.kansas.com/business/2008/06/27/interesting-idea-bulk-energy-buying-plan-for-small-business/comment-page-1/#comment-303 ksfarmgrrl Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:22:14 +0000 http://blogs.kansas.com/business/2008/06/27/interesting-idea-bulk-energy-buying-plan-for-small-business/#comment-303 It sounds good, but I hope it goes better than all the failed proposals for small businesses to band together in pools and buy health insurance. It sounds good, but I hope it goes better than all the failed proposals for small businesses to band together in pools and buy health insurance.

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