by: Jordan Mead
Watch the report at https://www.wowktv.com/news/west-virginia/lower-rates-for-all-west-virginia-citizens-rally-for-lower-electric-rates/
CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – West Virginians’ electric rates have doubled between 2005 and 2022, according to state lawmakers. Shawn Phillips said she suffered from the increase in electric payments.
“Two years ago, I was fired from a job and was just facing really strong economic hardship. At that time, I was hit with an almost $1,000 electric bill. If I didn’t pay that money immediately, they would shut off my electricity before Christmas, like three days before Christmas,” Phillips said.
Since then, she’s decided to become the Community Coordinator with the West Virginians for Energy Freedom. She said what encouraged her to help others was wanting to make other struggling people aware of resources that can aid them with payments.
“I want to make it easier for people to find those resources. I want to empower people to fight back against these systems that raise our electricity rates,” Phillips said.
She said even though the $1,000 bill came at the worst timing in her life, paying for electricity is still a constant challenge.
“My electricity bill is about $400 per month in the summertime, and in the wintertime, it’s about $200 even though I use gas to heat my home,” Phillips said.
Phillips was one of many people rallying at the State Capitol on Thursday in protest of Appalachian Power’s proposed rate increases of 13.5% next year. The company refiled a request with the state Public Service Commission to implement these rate increases, which would mean the average customer would pay an extra $23 on average per month.
In a statement to 13 News, Appalachian Power said, “We have concerns with the bill, but we will continue to work with members of the legislature as the bill moves through the legislative process.”
Citizens called on the PSC to not approve this proposal.
“There are a lot of folks in our state who live on fixed incomes. We have a disproportionately large population,” Dani Parent said. “There’s elderly and people functioning off of Medicare, Medicaid, that have fixed incomes. So, every little bit counts. $20 a month doesn’t sound like that much right now, but if you get another $20 tacked on next year, and another $20 tacked on the next year, it does add up.”
Parent is the Co-director of the West Virginia Citizen Action Coalition of West Virginians for Energy Freedom.
“It feels a lot like a David and Goliath situation. I have never in all of my years canvassing on this issue encountered anybody who said, ‘Yeah, I love to pay my power bill, and I totally think it’s reasonable,’” Parent said. “This is absolutely bipartisan and even apolitical, I would argue. The issue is really affordability and feeling taken advantage of.”
State lawmakers are pushing for legislation to change the rate increases to electric utilities. House Bill 3173 would place a two year temporary cap on electric rates.
Another topic tackled during the rally was net metering credit cuts and how that would affect people wanting to supply their homes with solar power and give back to the grid.
“The net-metering credit is a billing mechanism that provides fair compensation for the excess solar that solar owners put back onto the grid. So it’s a way that really helps people take control of where their energy comes from,” West Virginia State Director with Solar United Neighbors Leah Turgeon said. “It helps to insulate them from higher bills by going solar, and if the Public Service Commission were to approve the proposal to slash net metering by almost two-thirds, it would not only affect our state’s budding solar industry and actually successful solar industry. It also takes energy freedom opportunities away from people that don’t want to be subject to these high bills.”
Turgeon said they hope the PSC hears their voice and issues and order that would reflect fair credit for solar owners.
“We’ve talked to some lawmakers about enabling community solar programs, which is a separate issue. We are really in the throes of a missed opportunity in the State of West Virginia right now as it relates to solar,” Turgeon said. “By enabling programs like community solar, which allow people to benefit from solar by participating in solar array that’s located within their service territory. So for folks who can’t go solar on their home, we’re hoping to really enable those programs because it makes our bills go down as well.”