As we wrote about in last month’s newsletter, there will be changes to electric rates effective May 1 following a comprehensive cost-of-service study. Below, you can learn more information on how this impacts you, why these changes were necessary and the resources that are available to you.
How Will This Affect Your Bill?
Our goal always has been and always will be to provide our members with reliable and affordable power. While there will be a modest increase in electric rates, there will also be a greater decrease in the wholesale power and TIER adjustment (WPTA), with the expectation that members will see little to no net change. That means that if you use the same amount of energy in May as you did in April, your bill should be about the same, even with the new rate change. Our goal is to keep costs as low as possible while still providing you with the exceptional service you have come to expect.
What Else Is Changing?
With this change, we are also simplifying our residential rate from three tiers down to two. We hope that this will make rates easier to understand for our members. Also, some of our rates are different for summer months versus winter. For many of our rates, including our residential rate, that difference will be going away and we will have one rate structure year round.
Why Is This Change Happening Now?
We know that inflation has impacted all of our members’ lives over the past several years and we have waited as long as possible to implement a rate change. This is a direct result of inflation and rises in energy costs from 2020 to today, and unfortunately, we can’t put it off any longer.
What if I Need Help Paying My Bill?
We can offer more time to pay your bill, connect you with resources that may help you pay your bill and we can provide you with information to help you save money and energy. Please contact our office at 800.222.3107, info@pemc.coop or through our website.
We are a not-for-profit cooperative and we will continue to provide you with programs to help you offset these changes, which you can learn more about on our website. As always, thank you for your support and trust as we continue to serve you.