Key Takeaways

• Transmission, distribution, and billing is provided by Toledo Edison while generation is provided by Energy Harbor.

• Bridgefield's only items that require electricity are the two lights for the signs up front and the sprinkler system.

• Around 98% of our bill goes to fixed costs that we cannot reduce without completely terminating service.

• Efforts to reduce cost are ongoing, but there are challenges in achieving significant savings.

• Our annual electric bill is between 8-10% of our annual budget ($813.42 in 2020, $499.23 first half of 2021).

Analysis of Current Situation

Our electric bill has been fairly consistent month-to-month.  Actual usage ranges from 21 KWH - 38 KWH/month, or around 1 KWH/day.  The electric bill averages between $60-$80/month, with our highest bill being $88.95.  Of this bill, a very small amount of the bill is actual charges for energy.  For example, in November of 2020, our bill was $80.96 and of that, $1.65 is actual energy charge through Energy Harbor, which is our energy choice provider.

We can change energy providers (there are 145 to choose from), but the only savings we will see is on the energy charge ($1.65), not on the full bill.  The prices range from $0.028 to $0.139/KWH.  We pay $0.045/KWH, which is in the lowest 10% of providers.  The maximum amount we could save on our bill by changing energy providers is about $0.50/month.

Efforts to Reduce Cost

The board understands how important it is to reduce costs for our electric, so we are exploring every available option:

• We have engaged First Energy to ask if special billing tiers exist for low usage customers like us, but they do not.  Per First Energy (as well as a supervisor), there is no real way to reduce our bill short of terminating service.  No special rates for non-profits, no reduced charges for such minimal use, etc. 

• With the assistance of a generous resident, we are in the process of changing our CFL fixtures to LED fixtures, but the savings from this will likely be minimal as the majority of our bill is comprised of fixed fees, not energy.

• We have investigated options for an entire solar-powered system, but the payback period would be long.

We are still working on other options like possibly using solar-powered lights (without an attached system), but then the sprinkler system needs to be considered as well, so the challenges can compound.  However, our board promises that we will continue to investigate all feasible options to reduce our electric bill.  All of us agree that our costs for electric are far too high for what we use, and we are committed to bringing that cost down as much as possible for our residents.

Current Invoices

Historical Invoices

Questions about HOA dues or finances can be directed to:
HOA Treasurer, Ryan Lamy, via email (rlamy@live.com) or phone (419.283.0800)