compliant electric companies

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Electric Utilities and Y2K : One Thread

I posted a question a few days ago about using alternative electric companies besides PG&E that might be in better shape. Rick responded by pointing out that few have come foreward and boasted of y2k compliancy. However, out of the 10 that I contacted, two have written back and stated that they are 100% compliant (not "y2k ready" or any other jargon). Four of the companies did not respond, and four gave the regular hard-to-read mumbo jumbo that they are spending such and such and so on, leading one to believe that they are in great shape. My question is: are there companies "kicking in" with compliancy now, or what is one to make of these reports? One company (Commonwealth) even detailed things on their report like the phone company they use (Siemens) which is also "100% compliant" as well as all theri hardware, software and servers.

I understand the systemic nature of this problem, but I am wondering: are we now seeing some of the "A" students? And if they are not really compliant, how can they use this language?

sophia

-- Anonymous, January 29, 1999

Answers

Sophia,

I'm glad to see you followed up! "Y2K Consumer activism" is a good thing, and tends to get the attention of any type of company.

Ok, to your question. Of the 10 you contacted, two said that they're compliant. Great to hear that! If you have a letter in writing from the companies stating that, in exactly those terms ("we are compliant"), please post the names of the companies, and I'll try to help you out in determining which way to go.

But be careful - the power market in California is fraught with danger right now. The two companies that provided you that information may simply be power marketing organizations, not true electric companies. So, in a legal sense, they may be right when they say they're "compliant" - because power marketers/brokers have no hardware, transmission equipment, or generation equipment. A lot of them have no more than simply billing systems. They contract to buy the power they sell, and route the power through the traditional power companies.

My message: be wary, but let's take a look at what you have.

-- Anonymous, January 29, 1999


Here is the info I have. I cannot tell if they are utility companies that just buy and sell from this, but I think cleen & green is, not sure about the other one. ================= Dear M S,

Thank you for your interest in cleen 'n green energy. Please visit our website, http://www.go-green.com, for more information. If you would still like information via snail mail, please drop us another email with your address and we would be more than happy to drop our literature in the mail.

We are 100% Y2K compliant.

Also, feel free to call us at 1-888-425-3361 for more information.

By choosing cleen 'n green energy as your electricity supplier, you are taking a vital step toward changing the way power is produced and protecting our planet.

Dennis Dyc cleen 'n green energy ======================= (Follow-up) > Who is your third party verification? > We use VoiceLog for our third party verification ============================================================ Commonwealth responded by snail mail:

Craig Tovatt, MIS Director Commonwealth Energy Corp. 15991 Red Hill Ave. Suite #201 Tustin, CA 92780

Dear Ms. Compton and Salaam,

Thanks you for your interest in Commonwealth. We are 100% Y2k compliant. An August 13, l998, we completed the testing of all hardware products, servers, desktops, etc., and found all to be 100% year 2000 compliant. We have a Siemens phone system, which is 100% year 2000 compliant. You can verify this by visiting their web site, or we will provide documentation upon request. We presently use Cisco and 3Com products that are also 100% year 2000 compliant.

Commonwealth is currently building an in-house billing program which is completely Y2k compliant. However Commonwealth is working closely with other major utility companies that are not currently Y2k compliant at this time. These utilities are taking steps to ensure that they do meet the y2k requirements as soon as possible. Our current solution to this problem is to inquire each and every vendor and supplier as to when they will be Y2k compliant.

If you have any other questions regarding this matter, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely, Craig Tovatt

=========== sophia

-- Anonymous, January 30, 1999


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