I just wanted to pass along to you my neighbors some disturbing information i just found out from Central Alabama Electric Cooperative for those of you that use them as your power company provider. Apparently they are charging all their customers $18 a month on top of your power usage for what they refer to as a ''Facility Charge.'' I can't get a straight answer from them as to what this charge is for but it is part of your bill each month. Don't look on your bill to find it though, because it is not listed. It is what i would refer to as a hidden charge. It's hidden because it is listed nowhere on the bill and yet it is charged into your bill each month. I have written a letter to the company about this hidden charge and i have contacted the Better Business Bureau. I hope that more of you will do the same so that our power company is more honest and upfront with us about what they are billing us for.

This is not a hidden fee

This is a fee that is charged by ALL utilities, including Alabama Power. Different utilities refer to it by different names. It is basically a customer charge or ''minimum bill''. This amount covers the cost of handling your account whether or not any kilowatt hours are used.

Hidden means you can't see it...

If the fee is not listed on your bill and yet you are charged for it each month then i would call that ''hidden.'' It's there but you can't see it...isn't that the definition of hidden? I think our utility companies need to be more up front with us...i mean come on how hard is it to add an extra line in your monthly bill to show that you are being charged 18 dollars each month for nothing more than just being able to have power come to your house. To me this is almost like being billed twice. We are paying 18 dollars every month just to have a power line come to our house and then we are paying again for the actual power usage. Thank god the cable companies don't operate that way, otherwise we would be screwed for those us who watch a lot of tv if they charged us by the hour or by the programs we watch on top of the fee we already pay to have cable come into our house. The power companies run the biggest racket and the real reason for this truly hidden fee is that they know that their customers would be outraged if they knew they were paying 18 dollars a month on top of their power usage.

are you serious?

You are correct in that it isn't a line item on the bill, and perhaps it does need to be listed. However, it is disclosed from time to time, including in their magazine this month.

You are not being charge extra just for the line. They have expenses to maintain the system, read your meter, process your payment and things of this nature. Would you prefer that it be completely hidden like it is with the cable company where it is structured in the rate they charge you? I guess you could pay a higher rate per kwh and let the folks who use more kwh absorb more of this base cost than those who use fewer kwh. Then the could eliminate the facility charge. Would that be better?

At least our power supplier is a cooperative and they are a NON-PROFIT organization. That means they are charging us based on their cost of doing business. With investor owned utilities and cable companies, you are lining the pockets of share holders. With your power supplier, you are building equity in a company you own and will one day receive capital credits from. I personally and very glad I am part of an electric cooperative.