Jennifer Lewke checked into three frequent ads from the past few weeks to find out who is behind each of them and whether you're getting the Real Deal.
The National Grid Ads
The power company is asking us to commit to use 3% less power? Here's the real deal:
The state has asked utilities to outline a plan for energy consumption and educate their customers about it.
National grid has set-up this website, powerofaction.com. They ask you questions ranging from what kind of appliances you have, to how you get around, even whether you eat red meat and then give you advice on how you can do all of it more efficiently.
But your stories viewers want to make sure, if they do their part, National Grid will too. Pat Hunt asks, “If I conserve, won't National Grid have to up their prices to make up the difference?”
The company says their supply prices are based solely on the market--not how much gas or electric they sell to each homeowner.
Your delivery rates could change slightly too by conserving. But keep in mind, National Grid has a base price of $31 dollars a month for delivery of Natural Gas and Electric, even if you don't use any of it -- So you'll always have to pay that plus the amount calculated by your usage.
The “Miracle” Heater
A company trying to make money on your fears about how much it'll cost to stay warm this winter is running this next ad. They want to sell you a "Miracle" Heater. Bottom line: this product is far from a "miracle" so, don't be fooled.
That is an overstatement, to say the least. It is a glorified space heater. You plug it into the wall and use it in one room at a time. Unless you're going to turn the heat off in your whole home and pull this around with you whenever you move, you will not save 50% on your bill with this heater
The ad makes it sound like you're getting some special deal on it too. But if you go to the company's website, you'll see the same heater sells for the same price with free shipping everyday.
Which means, there's no need to rush out to one of the local events they're holding to get this special heater. You can go to the hardware store and get one that works just as well for half the price.
There will be other companies claiming they've got the magic heater that'll help you slash your bills this winter. They'll take out full page ads in the paper, set-up store-fronts and try to lure you in with coupons. If you're trying to heat just one small room, a space heater may do the trick but there are plenty of options out there for less than a hundred bucks.
Soda and Juice Tax
This ad, urges you to call your federal lawmakers and tell them you're against a soda and juice tax. The Real Deal? There isn't even a soda or juice tax being considered by Congress right now, so what's the point of running the commercials?
The group behind this ad is called American's Against Food Tax. It's made up mostly of food manufacturers, grocers and convenience stores.
Even though there is no current Federal legislation that would impose a tax on soda and juice, they don't want to take any chances.
Especially since President Obama recently floated the idea in an interview, saying a soda tax could be something for congress to consider as they debate healthcare reform.
You'll remember, Governor Paterson proposed an 15% tax on sugary drinks here in New York late last year but that was dropped amidst heavy opposition.
Senator Chuck Schumer tells us, "now is not the time and this is not the place to do the soda tax. It will not be part of health care reform"-- still the ads will run because the group says they don't want any lobbyists changing lawmakers minds.
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