SPRINGFIELD — Some rate relief has been approved for Eversource customers, but a city councilor has called for a state investigation of electric rate increases.
New rates took effect Saturday and stay in effect through Dec. 31. The rates were approved by the Department of Public Utilities, said Priscilla Ress, regional spokeswoman for Eversource.
Eversource customers in Western Massachusetts who are on the Basic Service Supply option “are seeing savings of 23% on their electric bill,” Ress said.
“The decrease will result in a monthly savings on the supply charge of $14.55 for residential customers using an average of 550 kilowatt-hours of electricity,” Ress said. “We were able to secure the lower six-month price thanks to a reduction in wholesale power prices.”
“Customers are not seeing any additional rate hikes on their bill,” she said.
Ward 8 City Councilor Orlando Ramos said he is seeking clarification on the rate issue after receiving a complaint from an elderly constituent last week. He is asking the state Department of Public Utilities to investigate.
Connecticut’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority is instructing Eversource to suspend price increases in that state and restore prior rates until there is a public hearing, NBC Connecticut reported.
Ramos said the public outcry regarding an increased “delivery charge” by Eversource in Connecticut is the same complaint he received from the Springfield constituent.
“I’m not certain that the explanation given by Eversource is good enough,” Ramos said. “Their excuse for the rate hike does not make sense to me, and I believe it should be investigated by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities.”
The “higher-than-normal electric bills our customers received in Connecticut do not apply to our customers in Massachusetts,” Ress said.
“Rates in Massachusetts and Connecticut differ and are subject to the respective individual regulatory processes in each state,” Ress said. ”We’re always working to keep our rates as low as possible.”
The cost of delivery to customers in Western Massachusetts has remained virtually the same, but the overall total bill for customers has gone down, Ress said.
“Part of that decrease is due to the significant decrease in the cost of our Basic Service Supply rate, which went down nearly 23% as of July 1,” Ress said. “It’s possible that Councilman Ramos is confusing our delivery rates with the delivery rates in Connecticut, which are completely different.
Electric bills consist of two key elements: the supply charge and the delivery charge. Supply is the cost of electricity itself, Ress said. Our customers can either buy the electricity we purchase on their behalf at the current market price, or they can get their power from a third-party supplier. The delivery charge is the cost of delivering energy to a home or business and to maintain a safe, reliable system, she said.
“Even with the drop in the price of electricity, our customers can take advantage of deeper savings by making full use of energy efficiency programs available to them,” Ress said.
Eversource and other utilities in the state are blocked from shutting off customers’ electrical or gas service by a state moratorium related to the coronavirus.
Related content:
"electric" - Google News
August 04, 2020 at 04:48AM
https://ift.tt/3i8dzKn
Eversource: Some rate relief approved for electric customers - MassLive.com
"electric" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2yk35WT
https://ift.tt/2YsSbsy
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Eversource: Some rate relief approved for electric customers - MassLive.com"
Post a Comment