I went to Alabama Power’s website and it said that we would not be changed over until 2010.  Also it had dates for all the areas of the state execpt for north of B’ham which I don’t really understand.

My parents live in Spanish Fort and Riviera Electric installed these on the homes there recently. My dad said his power bill jumped about $170 in the first month. He complained, they said the meter COULD NOT BE WRONG! So, he tracked his daily usage the following month, and his bill was even higher. He took his notebook down there to show them his daily readings he was taking and they said THE METER CANNOT BE WRONG! Funny thing is, he and mom were in Chicago for over a week that month and NO ONE was even at their house! The power company doesn’t care one way or another...and it is your word against theirs. RIDICULOUS! As for solar energy, yes, it is a great alternative, but it is somewhat costly right now. The power panels that they sell at Harbor Freight cannot sustain enough current to be cost effective. However, if you Google solar panels, you will find sources. I checked on the cost for setting up a moderate system for my home, with the grid and storage, it was around $30,000.

Solar energy is looking better and better everyday. Is there a place around here that sells and installs solar panels?

You can bet you are going to pay more! They are going to save a bundle on labor and gas and also go up on their charges. I could tell you a real good one about my incident with them before katrina after I did some changing such as solar hot water heater,solar cells,and all new neon bulbs in the house. To make a long story short I ended up with a higher bill than before, AFTER they changed the meter out. I get the feeling if you use less,as a community,they’ll just up the rates so they make the same or more,just like the gas situation.

Rest assured the meters will be adjusted to the benefit of ala power. they replaced mine paying around $200.00 and now paying up to $500.00 a month for operating 1 fridge, 1 big screen tv, 1 freezer, 1 cooler and hot water heater and 1 computer. I live alone and work all day, no air conditioning or heat system.  turned off hotwater heaters, got rid of freezer and cooler, bill is now around $240.00 a month. If you check around you will fine ala power is one of the higher charging companies.