Discount Initiatives
The benefits of membership...
...grow more tangible with each passing year! The AGWG Membership Committee has been working on a number of community discount initiatives in recent months, to include refuse disposal, home security systems, and fuel oil delivery. The membership can benefit from AGWG's efforts to realize savings through "quantity discounts" in these three areas immediately! (Need a membership application?)Follow the SHORTCUTS on the right to learn more about the discount initiatives and to get contact information for the firms offering special rates to AGWG members.
To suggest how AGWG might save your household money through cooperative action, contact any officer or Board member, or email your idea to Admin@agwgcivicassociation.org. For just $20 a year you can become a member of the AGWG Civic Association and benefit from this and future discount programs. If you are not presently a member, please fill out the membership application and return it promptly.
Electricity & Gas
AGWG 2011 & 2012 Special Offer
Thanks to the efforts of Joe Giacalone, the AGWG Civic Association offers as a service the opportunity for AGWG members to purchase discounted, de-regulated electricity and gas for your home. We are working with CorCom Partners, Inc. and one of their partners, Allied Power Services, to take advantage of today’s deregulated utility rates.
Allied Power Services has created an Affinity program that allows residential customers in the PEPCO and Washington Gas Services (WGS) trading area to sign up for de-regulated electric and gas. This Affinity program allows you the opportunity to save additional dollars compared to buying direct from PEPCO and WGS for these services. De-regulated electric and gas will be delivered by Washington Gas Energy Services (WGES) and billed as usual on your monthly PEPCO and/or WGS bill.
“How much money will this Affinity program save me?” Joe submitted PEPCO electric utility bills for four of our AGWG community members.
- Member #1: in the Willson Hills uses electricity and oil
- Member #2: on Tierra Drive uses electricity and oil
- Member #3: on Marymont Rd. uses all electricity
- Member #4: on Merrifields Drive uses electricity and propane
$$$$$ SAVED PER YEAR FOR TWO YEARS, based on the above members actual PEPCO bill...
- Member #1: $196.00 x 2 years = $392.00
- Member #2: $428.00 x 2 years = $856.00
- Member #3: $477.00 x 2 years = $954.00
- Member #4: $613.00 x 2 years = $1,226.00
Yearly savings of electricity based on a two-year lock-in rate with WGES of $0.096 Kwh, which is what the discount price is today for program participants. The program allows subscribers to participate for 1, 2 or 3 years, your choice!
The average yearly saving for these four members is $428.50.
Multiply 2 years = a saving of $857.00.
An excellent return for $20.00 a year AGWG membership dues!
This offer by the AGWG does not constitute an endorsement of services, but only the opportunity to subscribe to these services as a member of the AGWG. An agreement to subscribe to these services is between the subscriber and the service provider.
To participate in the program, contact Jules LeBoyer at jlcorcom@comcast.net or (301) 438-2290.
To calculate your savings, visit: www.alliedpowerservices.com.
To check on your membership status, contact Joe at renman1@mac.com.
Home Heating Oil
2009-2010 Prices
Mike King, project leader for the Home Heating Oil Discount Initiative, reports the following prices offered by local companies:
COMPANY |
Spot Price (price expiration) |
12 month guarantee (fixes prices) |
Floating Price Today's Price/Ceiling |
Cancellation Cost |
Service Plan Offered |
| PETRO | $2.45 | $2.70 | $2.519 - $2.719 | yes | |
| 1-800-645-4328 | 2 weeks | n/a | |||
| Cancellation Cost |
n/a | $599.00 | $399.00 | ||
| GRIFFITH OIL |
$2.50 | n/a | ???-$2.849 | see fine print on brochure | yes |
| 1-800-633-4328 Karen Hamilton |
|||||
| Burtonsville Fuel |
$2.48 | n/a | n/a | n/a | yes |
| 301-384-7575 | |||||
| CARROLL FUEL OIL* |
$2.52 | ||||
| 1-800-834-8590 Susan Jocelyn |
$2.27 for new customers, first fill only | Cap $2.849 | n/a | yes |
* As of 10/19/09, Carroll Fuel is offering a CAP rate of $2.819 per gallon. The cap is a ceiling that will ensure that you will not pay more then $2.819 per gallon thru May of 2010 however when prices go down you will always get the benefit of the lower rate. We are also offering a $.25 discount off or your first fill so new customers today would pay $2.409 per gallon. Carroll fuel does off a $50 referral bonus for each new automatic delivery residential account. Contact Susan Josselyn, 443-519-9775, for details.
Refuse Collection
2010 Trash Discount
USE YOUR MEMBERSHIP PASSWORD, and you could save as much as $300 per year! Dramatic savings are being offered by Potomac Disposal (14815 Old Dover Rd, Rockville, MD 20850, (301) 294-9700).Your Civic Association initiated a project to seek discounts from neighborhood trash collection companies in order to save our members’ money while increasing membership in the AGWG. After receiving bids, the lowest bid that also provided the most variety of services came from Potomac Disposal Inc., a small business located in Rockville, Maryland. For more information on how Potomac was originally selected in 2007, see the AGWG Announcement, the comparison of refuse collection proposals, and the comparative cost analysis.
YOU MUST USE YOUR 2010 PASSWORD FOR 2010 DISCOUNT! Quarterly rates for AGWG members who contract with Potomac Disposal Inc. will be as follows:
- Once a week curbside collection - $21.00
- Twice a week curbside collection - $24.00
- Once a week garage door pickups - $55.50
- Twice a week garage door pickups - $67.50
- (Optional) ninety gallon containers rented @ $3.00 a month
Potomac Disposal will provide one free bulk pickup per year on an on-call basis. The above rates are locked in until August 2010. Payments are due in advance on a quarterly basis. Check these quarterly rates against your last trash bill. You will discover a saving of from $48 –to more than $300 annually. Just one more reason to be a member of your Civic Association, the AGWG!
Only 2010 AGWG members will receive the negotiated discounted rate. To participate contact Potomac Disposal 301/294-9700 and identify yourself as a member of the AGWG.
POTOMAC DISPOSAL, Rick Lavine, Vice President, may be reached at 301-294-9700. Collections are on Wednesdays and Saturdays. When you enroll (or renew with Potomac), tell Potomac you are a AGWG member. Give them your AGW 2010 PASSWORD.
This proposal by the AGWG does not constitute an endorsement of Potomac Disposal Inc. and its services, but only the opportunity to subscribe to these services at a discounted rate for members of the AGWG. An agreement to subscribe to these services is between the subscriber and Potomac Disposal Inc. only.
Security Systems
Maximum Security (301-261-3600) continues to offer discounts to AGWG members
Representatives of the five Maryland-based home security firms ranked highest in the most recent Consumer Checkbook came to Joan Donoghue's home in June 2007 to provide installation estimates.
The background information and observations that follow were offered during security assessments of the home, and in response to the questions that appear in the evaluation grid at the bottom of the page.
· None of these local firms offers low-cost, one-size-fits-all base packages, unlike many large national companies. Pricing is based on the individual customer's security needs and the labor costs associated with the house's layout and selected devices.
· All firms suggested a "hybrid" alarm system for my home, with some hardwired components and some wireless components, perhaps because there are no unfinished areas in my house.
· Hardwired systems are suggested for customers who want a system that will continue functioning for a decade or more. Wireless components are more prone to failure, and rapidly evolving technology means that comparable replacement units may not be available over long periods of time. Total cost for hardwired systems is typically not much more than hybrid systems, because the lower cost of hardwired components offsets labor costs of running (and hiding) wires. Another advantage of a hardwired system is that you can mix and match components from various manufacturers.
· No firm recommended tying carbon monoxide monitoring into an alarm system, although most will install if requested. These sensors must be replaced every 5 years at a maximum, and it's far more cost effective to buy devices from the local hardware store.
· Customers who primarily want to protect the house from entry when they are not at home can get a system for less than $1500, to include keypads, door sensors, and motion detectors. Price escalates rapidly if the customer wants "perimeter protection" to prevent entry when they are home, due to the cost of contact sensors on every ground floor window or glass breakage listening devices covering likely entry points.
· Most firms cautioned strongly against the use of key fobs. If a criminal gets your key fob in addition to your vehicle (or the contents of your glove box), they'll know the location of your house from the registration and can disable the alarm system. Key fobs are also extremely easy to activate accidentally.
· Monitoring services call the homeowner when a device is tripped and ask for a password. If no answer or the wrong password is given, emergency agencies are contacted. The monitoring service's response can be customized.
· The firms that employ out-of-town monitoring services claim that there is no advantage in local service, since they guarantee a one-minute response time; a more important criterion is whether a service is large enough to be fully staffed on holidays. One firm claimed local service is preferable because they are familiar with local codes and laws.
· Monitoring service requires hardwired installation of the control panel, which is located in an inconspicuous location, usually in the basement; remote sensors can be wireless in a hybrid system.
· All firms said they could customize existing systems and take over monitoring if they're not locked out by proprietary programming, as is occasionally done by major national companies.
FEATURE |
Maximum Security |
|
Activation/disarming with one-touch button rather than numeric code |
Yes |
|
Alert (verbal) from system when specific door is opened when system is not armed |
Yes, +$40 for verbal-capable keypad |
|
Basement wetness monitoring, cost per wireless sensor |
$100; ($60 wired) |
|
Closed-circuit camera installation available; cost estimate |
No |
|
Carbon monoxide monitoring available; sensor cost |
Yes, not recommended; $98 |
|
Corporate presence in Washington area; year beginning |
1978 |
|
Discount on cost offered for multiple AGWG installations |
10% with five commitments; rebates possible |
|
Door-Window contact sensors, cost each |
$52 wireless |
|
Exterior (yard, deck) security options available |
No; wildlife trigger false alarms |
|
Fire detection monitoring; option cost |
$90 per sensor |
|
Glass-breakage acoustic listening device (10x12 panes or >); cost each |
$85 wireless; $65 hardwired |
|
Keyfob device; option price |
$68, programmable unit |
|
MONITORING SERVICE |
||
Cancel if sell home? |
Yes |
|
Cost complications if switch to monitoring service using existing equipment |
None |
|
Minimum contract length |
0 |
|
Location |
Hunt Valley, MD |
|
Minimum monthly fee |
$20 |
|
Motion detectors at major points of entry into home or with full-room range, cost each |
$100 pet immune |
|
Senior monitoring pendent (medical alert); option price |
$65 |
|
Signage provided (yard signs and window stickers) |
Yes |
|
Siren Exterior, option price |
$60, usually included in base installation |
|
Siren Interior; option cost if not in base-level system |
included |
|
Siren activation/panic button available on keypad |
Yes |
|
Waiting period (avg) between assessment and installation |
10 days maximum; often few days |
|
Installation charge for additional |
$0 if single/few trips |
|
Maximum Security |
1702 Picadilly Rd, Crofton,MD, 301-261-3600 |
|
