I live in Austin but am not on Austin Energy. Apparently the rebates for new energy efficient A/C systems are pretty nice with them. It's 225 per unit with Pedernales. I recently bought two new units. So, to get the rebate, they have to send someone to check it out. Weirdly enough, the A/C company set up an inspection for us with the City of Austin, and a guy from the city inspection team came and inspected the unit to make sure it was new and was energy efficient. Irrelevant, since we're not on the city's electric utility. We're on Pedernales Electric Cooperative. You'd think they might check that out before sending someone out. When the guy showed up, I told him I was on Pedernales, not Austin Energy. He seemed to not even know what that was. Like I was speaking Spanish to him or something. Just a blank look. So I repeated it a few times in different ways. He finally seemed to get what I was saying, but said something like "they wouldn't have sent me out if you weren't in the City of Austin." Maybe he thought I meant that I lived outside of city limits (I don't) and thought I was crazy or stupid or something. Who knows. But I gave him plenty of information that should have tipped him off that this whole trip was not going to mean anything. Okay, weird. That whole visit was pointless. Whatever. At least he checked my A/C and said everything looked good. I wasn't ripped off by the A/C company, in other words. Anyway, so this morning the Pedernales guy gets around to coming to check out the units. He did nothing of the sort. He asked for my paperwork and wrote down some numbers and said he would be sending a check soon, then he left. If that's really all it is, why even have this job? Surely, I could fax in the paperwork. Or mail it. Or scan and email. Or have the A/C company do that. I am guessing he was supposed to inspect the actual equipment and didn't, thinking I wouldn't mind. After all, that means he's in and out in three and a half minutes instead of 20 or 30 minutes. But I do mind. I mind that their rebate program is not as good as Austin Energy's. I mind that they are paying people to drive around and go to homes to do this, when really it could be done far more efficiently. If he was supposed to inspect but was just being lazy, I mind that I am basically paying his salary and he's not doing anything for it. Having to pay this guy to do this (and probably many more like him) means the rates are probably higher than they should be, and the efficiency rebates are lower. Anyway, I just thought it was weird. There's a whole employment sector based on checking to see if people really have new air conditioners, and both the City of Austin (came and did a long, thorough, and irrelevant inspection) and Pedernales (came and wrote down numbers) seem like they need to re-think their practices.
Your points are all completely valid, but that is so very far down the list of ways that Pedernales wastes money that it's not even a drop in the bucket. You probably got your info this week about board elections. Vote!
