Consumers would no longer have to participate in an Ohio utility's program that effectively forced them to buy overpriced energy-efficient light bulbs, under a revamped proposal the company presented to state regulators.
Akron-based FirstEnergy said Wednesday it will make the program voluntary, but all details of that option have not been finalized.
Under the old, short-lived plan, the company charged unsuspecting customers $21.60 for two light bulbs, even as it cost only $3.50 to buy and distribute the lightbulbs, trigging consumer ire for having to pay extra to use less energy.
To make up the cost for lost electricity sales, FirstEnergy also planned to charge customers using an average amount of electricity 60 cents a month for three years.
But consumer backlash forced state regulators to pull the plug on the program earlier this month until a new deal could be worked out.
The commission on Wednesday ordered that a new proposal be worked out that would make use of the millions of compact fluorescent lightbulbs that are now sitting in storage. There is no timeline for an agreement.
FirstEnergy proposed that consumers get the lightbulbs if they request them from their utility, and are offered them when they sign up for service, among other ways.
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