Possible SCAM on your electric bill

[villagetinker]

I just received an email, referencing signing up for Arcadia Power, called SECO Energy, and sent it to them for their review. I did check on Google, and it appears that if you sign up for this "service", Arcadia Power pays your power bill, and then bills you for the power used with 1.5 cents per kwh for the renewal energy.

Bottom line, while this is promoted as renewal energy, this is going to cost you MORE.
Hope this helps.

[kcrazorbackfan]

Thank you; going to look at ours regarding this. Did SECO remove the amount from your bill?

[villagetinker]

I did NOT apply, I called SECO as soon as I saw the email, my post was a caution to others that may get this that they may be subjected to ADDITIONAL costs on their bill. The way this appears to be setup, if you sign up for it, you are NO LONGER paying SECO, you are paying Arcadia Power and they are paying SECO. It appears that there would be no changes in the SECO charges, but the bill from Arcadia would be 1.5 cents ADDITIONAL per kwh on their bill to you, so for a 1000 kwh, you will be paying an additional $15.

[Barefoot]

I just received an email, referencing signing up for Arcadia Power, called SECO Energy, and sent it to them for their review. I did check on Google, and it appears that if you sign up for this "service", Arcadia Power pays your power bill, and then bills you for the power used with 1.5 cents per kwh for the renewal energy.

Bottom line, while this is promoted as renewal energy, this is going to cost you MORE.
Hope this helps.
Sounds counter productive to me. :ohdear: So many ways to rip people off. Sigh.

[retiredguy123]

I just received an email, referencing signing up for Arcadia Power, called SECO Energy, and sent it to them for their review. I did check on Google, and it appears that if you sign up for this "service", Arcadia Power pays your power bill, and then bills you for the power used with 1.5 cents per kwh for the renewal energy.

Bottom line, while this is promoted as renewal energy, this is going to cost you MORE.
Hope this helps.
Apparently, this "service" is not a scam. The concept is promoted and recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency. So, for people who support renewable energy, this is a way to "put your money where your mouth is" by diverting money to companies that produce renewable energy. I would not sign up for the program because I believe that renewable energy companies should compete on an equal basis with non-renewable energy companies. But, if you think that signing up for this service is a ripoff, then electing politicians who spend your tax dollars on renewable energy is also a ripoff.

[rubicon]

Renewable's from solar to wind continued to be subsidize by the government fed/state. Hong Kong refused to subsidize Telsa any longer and Telsa sales went flat

In Florida this issue came up as to the unused energy sold back to utilities and who would pay for this and also the subsidy in purchasing solar, etc. The bill was voted down by taxpayers. I suspect this Arcadia Power is a work around to that defeated bill?

[fred53]

I did NOT apply, I called SECO as soon as I saw the email, my post was a caution to others that may get this that they may be subjected to ADDITIONAL costs on their bill. The way this appears to be setup, if you sign up for it, you are NO LONGER paying SECO, you are paying Arcadia Power and they are paying SECO. It appears that there would be no changes in the SECO charges, but the bill from Arcadia would be 1.5 cents ADDITIONAL per kwh on their bill to you, so for a 1000 kwh, you will be paying an additional $15.

not as a scam...huuuuge difference.

[villagetinker]

OK, scam might be a the wrong designation, but by inserting a 3rd party into your electric bill just does not sound like a good idea. I came from PA which is a deregulated state, and you can actually shop for your electric supplier. When I called SECO, they did not know anything about this "offer", which is why I initially thought scam. Now I did not go to the site, but the initial info, did not mention the additional costs. I am all for renewal energy, and in the deregulated states, this seems to work well.
Also, if the 3rd party (arcadia power) were to miss or be late on a payment, what happens, my guess your credit rating gets hit, and you may be required to make a deposit to the electric company. I believe a better solution would be to have the electric company offer a renewal rate for renewal energy.
Sorry if I caused any confusion in this matter. Bottom line if you are looking at this option, be sure you completely understand what you are getting into.

[Harry Gilbert]

If this change in provider was made without your consent then yes it is a scam. Floridians may not have much experience with this particular scam but in the deregulated states we are bombarded with mailings and phone calls looking to switch your account to 3rd party electric providers promising lower rates. the rates are not lower for long and its a nightmare to get away from them.

[villagetinker]

As I stated above, I called SECO, then forwarded the original email to SECO, below is their reply (I asked before I posted this), Please note they used the term SCAM also.

SECO REPLY:
Thank you for your email, Mr. Xxxxxxx. You are correct – the message below is not exactly forthcoming, especially since we have no relationship with Arcadia Power. In fact, our Corporate Communications department published an alert regarding Arcadia at the link below:

https://www.secoenergy.com/clean-energy-scam-targeting-seco-members/

As we have been advising members who call to inquire about Arcadia, instead of purchasing certificates from Arcadia, we urge our members interested in promoting renewable energy to join our new Solar Life program.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Thank you,

Jody
Member Support Associate
SECO Energy
352-793-3801

[rubicon]

OK, scam might be a the wrong designation, but by inserting a 3rd party into your electric bill just does not sound like a good idea. I came from PA which is a deregulated state, and you can actually shop for your electric supplier. When I called SECO, they did not know anything about this "offer", which is why I initially thought scam. Now I did not go to the site, but the initial info, did not mention the additional costs. I am all for renewal energy, and in the deregulated states, this seems to work well.
Also, if the 3rd party (arcadia power) were to miss or be late on a payment, what happens, my guess your credit rating gets hit, and you may be required to make a deposit to the electric company. I believe a better solution would be to have the electric company offer a renewal rate for renewal energy.
Sorry if I caused any confusion in this matter. Bottom line if you are looking at this option, be sure you completely understand what you are getting into.

villagetinker you are the village thinker and you called this move by Arcadia . its a scam

Personal Best Regards;

[ColdNoMore]

By no definition...is this actually a 'scam.' :oops:

It's simply a third party/middleman, offering to make your payments for you...for a fee of course.

There is no deception, nor false claims being made.

It's just a dumb move to pay someone to do what you can (and most have)...already been doing themselves. :shrug:

[graciegirl]

By no definition...is this actually a 'scam.' :oops:

It's simply a third party/middleman, offering to make your payments for you...for a fee of course.

There is no deception, nor false claims being made.

It's just a dumb move to pay someone to do what you can (and most have)...already been doing themselves. :shrug:

It sounds "iffy" to me. When someone offers you a service you don't need and wants you to pay them for it, that is a scam to me.

When in doubt call Crimes Against Seniors and ask them.

Here is an "opinion" piece on this but it is BY a Solar Energy company so I don't know if it is trustworthy.


Should I Buy Power From Arcadia Power? - Florida Solar Design Group (https://floridasolardesigngroup.com/should-i-buy-power-from-arcadia-power/)

Unless and until solar energy gets to be less costly than the energy we now have in place I will be skeptical. Global warming IS happening but we, ONE small section of the Earth in the U.S., cannot reverse it all by ourselves and getting everyone on this planet to do something altruistic seems like an exercise in futility. Maybe someday when people are dying in huge groups from the heat............

[biker1]

Arcadia is selling Renewable Energy Credits (RECs). Think of it as a way to financially support wind power directly even though your power doesn't come from a wind farm. For many people, I believe this is a "feel good" sort of thing and an opportunity to financially support alternative energy (they are a financial vehicle). In our previous home (not in The Villages), our power company did offer the same service: you could pay extra per kWh and essentially contribute to alternative energy sources through RECs. I suspect the participation rate was very low.

I just received an email, referencing signing up for Arcadia Power, called SECO Energy, and sent it to them for their review. I did check on Google, and it appears that if you sign up for this "service", Arcadia Power pays your power bill, and then bills you for the power used with 1.5 cents per kwh for the renewal energy.

Bottom line, while this is promoted as renewal energy, this is going to cost you MORE.
Hope this helps.

[biker1]

That is not what they are doing. They are selling RECs.

By no definition...is this actually a 'scam.' :oops:

It's simply a third party/middleman, offering to make your payments for you...for a fee of course.

There is no deception, nor false claims being made.

It's just a dumb move to pay someone to do what you can (and most have)...already been doing themselves. :shrug:

[retiredguy123]

Arcadia is selling Renewable Energy Credits (RECs). Think of it as a way to financially support wind power directly even though your power doesn't come from a wind farm. For many people, I believe this is a "feel good" sort of thing and an opportunity to financially support alternative energy (they are a financial vehicle). In our previous home (not in The Villages), our power company did offer the same service: you could pay extra per kWh and essentially contribute to alternative energy sources through RECs. I suspect the participation rate was very low.
But, they offer a free option where they claim to certify that 50 percent of your energy will come from renewable sources. How can it be free?

[biker1]

They are not an energy supplier and they don't impact where your energy comes from. SECO makes those decisions. They are selling a financial vehicle to support alternative energy. Reread their offers - one is for RECs for 50% of your usage - that does not mean that 50% of your usage will come from renewable energy sources. They will essentially sell you RECs that represent 50% of your usage. Big difference. You should contact them directly for specific questions.

But, they offer a free option where they claim to certify that 50 percent of your energy will come from renewable sources. How can it be free?

[retiredguy123]

They are not an energy supplier and they don't impact where your energy comes from. SECO makes those decisions. They are selling a financial vehicle to support alternative energy. Reread their offers - one is for RECs for 50% of your usage - that does not mean that 50% of your usage will come from renewable energy sources. They will essentially sell you RECs that represent 50% of your usage. Big difference. You should contact them directly for specific questions.
The 50 percent option does not cost anything. So, how are they selling something for nothing?

[biker1]

The fact that they are charging you $0 doesn't mean they aren't making money from another source behind the scenes. These are financial vehicles. Unless you are in the biz it is hard to know all the ins and outs. You should contact them directly for specific questions.

The 50 percent option does not cost anything. So, how are they selling something for nothing?

[retiredguy123]

The fact that they are charging you $0 doesn't mean they aren't making money from another source behind the scenes. These are financial vehicles. Unless you are in the biz it is hard to know all the ins and outs. You should contact them directly for specific questions.
So, they don't charge anything, they don't produce or provide any energy, they don't change how or where you get your energy or what kind of energy you use, but they still make money. I want to get into that business.

[biker1]

It does sound pretty good! Many financial vehicles are difficult to understand and the people involved don't actually make anything yet they still get paid (and provide, at least in some cases, a valuable service). Think of Wall Street and options, credit default swaps, short sales, etc.

So, they don't charge anything, they don't produce or provide any energy, they don't change how or where you get your energy or what kind of energy you use, but they still make money. I want to get into that business.

[autumnspring]

So, they don't charge anything, they don't produce or provide any energy, they don't change how or where you get your energy or what kind of energy you use, but they still make money. I want to get into that business.

This lesson was learned many years ago. WE used to send for FREE STAMPS advertised on matchbook covers and then the BILLS would just keep coming.

TRUTH, I did not learn the lesson the first time. I picked up a tear off thing for FREE LAND IN-that right-IN FLORIDA, from a NYC bus about 1958. If, you remember all the scams for FLORIDA SWAMP LAND in the 1950's and 1960's.
On this ad, you supplied your phone number. I was about seven when I sent in for MY FREE LAND. These guys kept hounding us on the phone. My dad finally got rid of them when he explained my allowance was TWENTY-FIVE CENTS A WEEK and they could not do business with a minor.

[biker1]

You have drawn a very poor analogy. If you own any mutual funds, ETFs, individual stocks, futures, options, etc. then you are using financial vehicles. This is just another one.

This lesson was learned many years ago. WE used to send for FREE STAMPS advertised on matchbook covers and then the BILLS would just keep coming.

TRUTH, I did not learn the lesson the first time. I picked up a tear off thing for FREE LAND IN-that right-IN FLORIDA, from a NYC bus about 1958. If, you remember all the scams for FLORIDA SWAMP LAND in the 1950's and 1960's.
On this ad, you supplied your phone number. I was about seven when I sent in for MY FREE LAND. These guys kept hounding us on the phone. My dad finally got rid of them when he explained my allowance was TWENTY-FIVE CENTS A WEEK and they could not do business with a minor.

[autumnspring]

I repeatedly wonder.

THE VILLAGES is a financial powerhouse and yet, we do not operate TOGETHER for LOWER COST cable service, generate our own power. legal discounts, investment discounts etc etc

JUST TOSSING IT OUT. Could we get 100 Villagers to agree on anything?

[rubicon]

Arcadia is selling Renewable Energy Credits (RECs). Think of it as a way to financially support wind power directly even though your power doesn't come from a wind farm. For many people, I believe this is a "feel good" sort of thing and an opportunity to financially support alternative energy (they are a financial vehicle). In our previous home (not in The Villages), our power company did offer the same service: you could pay extra per kWh and essentially contribute to alternative energy sources through RECs. I suspect the participation rate was very low.

biker: not to be a contrarian see my post #6. the voters voted this down. I wish people would get more of a "feel good"attitude and financial support to convert my vehicles so they can run on natural gas. some posters are debating the term to be used . Put any label you want on it but Aradia Power move is a scam as sure as Telsa Motors subsidies are and government continues to pick winners and losers