Net Metering - South Carolina

With a recession for sure and maybe a depression coming to South Carolina it is not very good news that our state owned electric utility, Santee-Cooper, has told us our electric would increase by up to 35 percent this winter.

Utility seeking rate increase

Santee Cooper has also proposed charging a higher rate for electricity from June through September.

This increase will effect almost everyone in the state as Santee Cooper, the state’s largest power producer, provides power either directly or indirectly through the state’s 20 electric cooperatives to about 2 million people in all 46 counties across the state.

Santee Cooper is spending millions of dollars in an advertising campaign to convince the public that they are doing everything possible to promote renewable energy, even bribing all of their customers with 1.6 million free light bulbs at a cost of $2.7 million dollars. It is truly amazing that the South Carolina elected officials and The South Carolina Public Service Authority ( Santee Cooper ) are not even talking about the one thing that could made a huge difference in our everyday lives, “True Net Metering” for the people, businesses, city, county, and school districts. Santee Cooper is only Greenwashing !

Please look at how some places have made is easy and simple to cut energy needs and address the increased costs. Look at the San Francisco Solar Map and see how the state of South Carolina could do the same thing. Then ask the questions “wouldn’t it be better if the $2.7 million dollars for light bulbs was spent to install solar in a program like this?” “Could “true net metering” be a way to lessen rate increases? Could it eliminate the need of building a new coal fired plant?”

Santee Cooper could allow “True Net Metering” without any new laws, taxes, floating any bonds, or costs to the state.

With a recession for sure and maybe a depression coming to South Carolina its time for Santee Cooper to do the right thing for the state of South Carolina. Allow “True Net Metering”