In 2010, Androscoggin County commissioners made the decision to switch electricity providers (for county buildings) from Central Maine Power to Glacial Energy, as Glacial Energy stated the company could deliver the energy for less.

The county’s first statement from Glacial Energy, dated Feb. 7, shows the current energy charge was $8,540.25 for 88,500 kilowatt-hours (the rate per kilowatt-hour is $0.09650). CMP’s rate per kilowatt-hour is $0.07828, therefore, if the county had stayed with CMP, the bill would have been $6,297.78. That means that since the county went with the new company, the county’s bill was $1,614.47 or 19.6 percent higher than if it had stayed with CMP.

The county sent Glacial Energy an email dated Feb. 8, asking for an explanation. As of this writing, Glacial Energy has not provided one.

How long will it take to straighten out? What about next month’s bill? If the bill is correct, then it is conceivable that taxpayers could end up paying $19,000+ during the course of a year, unnecessarily.

It should also be noted that Glacial Energy is headquartered in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Could that hamper the county’s ability to void the contract?

There are too many unanswered questions and I strongly urge the commissioners to rethink their decision.

Mary Roussel, Auburn,