CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The state Public Service Commission has scheduled an evidentiary hearing for next June on Appalachian Power Company’s request for a 14 percent increase in its base rate that could up the average customer’s power bill by $24 a month.
Energy Efficient West Virginia Policy Director Emmett Pepper, who is also a member of Charleston City Council, has reviewed the proposal. He said the utility said it could spread out the increase over a number of years.
“The companies have really talked up a proposal to kind of spread out the rate increase over a 20-year period and so that may end up being some cost savings for some folks,” Pepper said. “We don’t know exactly how much yet, because the way their proposing, they have a separate case for part of the rate increase that would come up in the next couple of months.”
He says that the system the PSC has in place allows for their to be a lot of feedback given.
“This is a system where it’s irregulated, where we can push and pull and look at it and there’s oversight from the Public Service Commission,” Pepper said.
Pepper said the commission also gave the public the chance to give feedback on the first proposal back in August and most of the public were frustrated with the proposal.
“People are frustrated, the rates just keep going up, it’s gotten a lot more expensive, it’s more than doubled the last 15 years here in this area for Appalachia Power customers,” Pepper said.
The PSC rejected Appalachian Power’s first filing. The utility then refiled.