Last year we changed our electricity provider thinking we were going with a Maine company and were doing something good. This week I learned, after months of increasing bills, that my electricity provider has been in effect ripping us off.

I called Central Maine Power and got a great education on deregulation, the benefits and ills. We now have to become more informed as there are many companies offering electricity delivered to our door and they all are providing it at quite different rates per kilowatt hour.

We found out that we had been paying double the going rate, and this would have continued had I not called and told them we were done and were going to change. They instantly matched the rate provided by CMP and the Public Utilities Commission.

Here is the kicker. They send a renewal form each year through bulk email, and if your email provider sends that message to spam you will probably not receive it. They will then charge a $100 cancellation fee.

Be vigilant about where your money is going. If you have electricity bills on the rise, call CMP or go to the following website for more information: The Maine Office of the Public Advocate, www.maine.gov/meopa/utilities/electric/supply.htm.

Rebecca Ranks

Chelsea

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