A brief history of Buttermilk Micro Hydro

A brief history of Buttermilk Micro Hydro vs ORU

Prior to 2006, 2 separate ORU residential accounts existed. 

2006 to 2014: The same two residential accounts, had automatic transfer switches installed to connect to BMHydro as the main source with ORU on standby / emergency during low water periods seasonally. 

November 2014: BMHydro powerhouse was approved by ORU to connect through a newly installed underground feeder to a new ORU net meter / account. This one net-metered account now feeds power to each of the formerly separately metered residential accounts and simultaneously accepts excess power produced by the BMHydro generator. See: Side bar,  One Line Diagram B5.2.

2014 to 2019:  At first ORU continued to charge and demand payment monthly in $ rather than kWh credits accumulated over one year periods. After opening a PSC case #418003 Cust act # 06471-69006, ORU started providing hand / spreadsheet prepared statements carrying forward a net kWh credit of 62178 kWh on November 21 2018, our anniversary date of grid connected launch in 2014. So we were averaging stored credits of more than 15000 kWh’s per year after ORU took their share of kWh’s in payment. 

After this time we stopped getting statements. Upon inquiry the answer was a variation of " …we are re-programming our computers … we can’t reprogram for just a few customers … ConEdison is installing new systems… COVID is delaying our switch over to new systems". 

At last in February 2024 we got a 1 page mailing with a new account # and a bottom line: “ Amount due: NONE”. A few more just like that in following months. 

In June 2024 we entered a period of drought that, for the first time, led to serious fires in the North East. We had to shut down the turbine / generator to enable sufficient flow over the waterfalls. In a typical year we might be off line from 0 to 3 months, in 2024 we were off line for 6 months. 

On July 22, 2024 having pulled 1962 kWh we got a bill for $556.17 and our 60000 kWh credit (from back in 2018, which at the previous rate of storage should have doubled by 2024) disappeared. This caused a lot of heart burn. When after many hours of trying to chase down a real human with at least superficial knowledge of general commercial billing issues, I was told “… ignore the billing and the “Termination Notices” …They are still working on the programming”. And, after another breathtaking wopper of a bill, indeed the crazy bills stopped coming. 

What next?