Murray: Holy Cross bait-and-switch with solar
I have been a happy customer of Holy Cross Electric – both residential and commercial – for years in Aspen and now in Glenwood.
Holy Cross encouraged me to put a solar system on my home, costing thousands of dollars, even after rebates and tax benefits.
I said yes because I thought it was a community benefit and because the numbers almost made sense financially, some 17 years in the future.
I was protected from any change in the numbers because of a Colorado Law that said the electric company had to buy extra electricity from me and sell it back to me at the same price (Colorado Net Metering Statute 2008).
So I felt I was safe in my calculations. That was two years ago. Holy Cross knew they had a way around that law, but that information was not forthcoming.
Now, they plan to raise my rates on the buy-back end – and not just a little but a lot.
It seems that they are not controlled by the Public Utilities Commission. So fighting the change is impossible. If there ever was a bait-and-switch scheme, this is it.
Terry Murray
Glenwood Springs
