Keep up with UCAN.org by following us on Twitter!
Thanks for visiting UCAN.org! Please remember our services are available because of grassroots donations from people like you. Please help us continue our work with a donation of any amount. Click here to visit our secure donation page.
Many Southern California homeowners are weighing the cost of installing solar, but energy experts agree they should first take advantage of lower-cost energy-saving measures that can be taken now -- especially in older homes.
Real estate prices have plunged, and now SDG&E is using the power of Eminent Domain to make property owners sell their land at depreciated rates to make way for the proposed Sunrise PowerLink. It remains to be seen if the PowerLink will be approved, but in the meantime, this brief primer gives practical advice on what to do when SDG&E comes calling. Read it now in html, or download the PDF.
Can SDG&E legally force you to sell your home? Yes they can. Learn how to protect your self and assert your rights with this Eminent Domain Primer (Click here for a PDF document).
Our economy may be in a tailspin but not at Sempra Energy. They're celebrating huge first quarter profits -- especially those recorded by San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E). The gains are largely due to a rate increase approved by state regulators last year. SDG&E ratepayers are picking up the tab for the celebration.
Hot embers are falling on your neighbor's roof. You call the Fire Department, but your phone won't work ... you grab a hose to put the fire out ... but there is no water because SDG&E has shut off your power in order to preserve its profits. Do you feel burned yet?
The San Diego Center for Algae Biotechnology, or SD-CAB, could be a serious threat to the oil industry. Algae is an alternative source for gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, and a huge income opportunity for San Diego citizens. How? By harnessing the power of algae, we will soon be producing gasoline for as little as $2 a gallon. Full Story
KGTV NEWS: UCAN's Executive Director came out swinging today after pledging $500,000 to fight construction of the Sunrise PowerLink. UCAN is a member-supported not-for-profit. Full Story.
So you want to go solar, but you can't. Something's holding you back. And it's not just that deep-seated hatred for the polar ice caps.
A 37-page analysis performed by three UCAN experts concluded that the Commission should turn off the lights on an SDG&E proposal to "de-energize" over 45,000 customers who live in rural San Diego County during fire threats. The experts concluded that SDG&E's plan might actually increase fire risk, rather than decrease it. It also found that it was inadequately evaluated, contained misleading data and couldn't be economically or legally justified. To read the entire report, click here. The Commission is planning to hold public hearings on the proposal in San Diego during April but - incredibly -- it chose not to hold evidentiary hearings on the proposal.
UCAN's affiliate New Media Rights is hosting a discussion forum on the future of media and journalism in San Diego. Join in on the discussion now!
Need help resolving a dispute with a company? Get individualized help with your dispute from the Fraud Squad by using our Online Complaint Forms. Once you've filled out a complaint, call the Fraud Squad Hotline at (619) 696-6966!
Visit our page dedicated to the Sunrise Powerlink Transmission Project. You will find news, data, legal hearings and testimony, open-letters from UCAN's executive director, and just about everything else you might want to know regarding this important proposal. Or, listen to Michael Shames explain UCAN's opposition to Sunrise in this UCAN.org podcast.
Miracles don't happen often enough in our world. But when Michael starts growing his own fish and food in his garage, then you know that there's some divine intervention because Michael doesn't fish and he's got a brown thumb that makes all leafy things tremble. So how did Advocate Michael become Farmer Michael? One word: AQUAPONICS.
December 8th, 2006 was not a good day for San Diego. On that day, San Diego Gas & Electric asked state regulators for permission to raise base rates for electricity and natural gas customers by some $250 million annually for the years 2008 through 2013. You don't need a calculator to realize that adds up to a chilly $1.5 BILLION over those six years. Listen to Michael Shames explain UCAN's position on SDG&E's rate request.
From SDG&E to SBC, get the real story on undergrounding in San Diego inside this issue center.
In a filing with the Public Utilities Commission, SDG&E has asked for approval to deploy "real-time" advanced meters to all of SDG&E's small business and residential customers. Find out why the SDG&E AMI proposal needed to be substantially revised.
Utility Consumers' Action Network
Terms & Conditions
UCAN.org is made available by the Utility Consumers' Action Network to assist you in becoming what you always knew you could be, a consumer ROCK STAR! We take no corporate money, and are beholden only to you, the consumer. As such, the site is here for educational, advocacy, and empowerment purposes, as well to to give you general information and a general understanding of the law. Just remember this site is NOT here to provide specific legal advice. By using this web site you of course understand that there is no attorney client relationship between you and the Web Site publisher, UCAN. The Web Site should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state.
That said, get to digging on the site, inform yourself, speak your mind, and earn Watchdog Bones! This is YOUR site, and we mean it. So comment on any of the content, discuss the latest issues in the forums, file a complaint on a company with the fraud squad, and generally cut loose.
See our Privacy Policy and Copyright Policy, Some Rights Reserved
You can earn Watchdog Bones by commenting on content and speaking out in the forums. See the Watchdog Bones Leaderboard here!
We recommend you browse this site with the latest version of the best Internet browser available, Mozilla Firefox.
Have questions about your gas or electric bill? Wonder how all those charges are calculated? Then see our guide to Understanding Your Electricity Bill.
Save money on your energy bill AND reduce your carbon footprint with the Energy Conservation Guide!
Get personal assistance with your consumer complaint about a company by using our Online Complaint Forms. Or, call the Fraud Squad Hotline at (619) 696-6966!
What are you packin? Is it anything like UCAN's new and improved Consumer Complaint Directory? If not, you should really pick up a copy. This thing is chock-full of hard-hitting consumer punch.
Energy RSS Feed
