Electric bills will soon go up across much of Pennsylvania, including for customers of PPL, Met-Ed and PECO.
Supply prices for utilities regulated by the state Public Utility Commission will increase starting Dec. 1, the PUC said in a news release Monday.
For those who do not competitively shop for electric suppliers, the generation/supply price-to-compare, or default price, for the utilities is increasing for residential customers, according to the release.
For PPL customers, the price-to-compare is increasing from $0.1249 to $0.12953 per kilowatt-hour, or 3.7%.
Met-Ed customers will see an even higher increase from $0.11905 to $0.12965 per kWh, or 8.9%.
For PECO customers, the price will increase from $0.1040 to $0.11024 per kWh, or 6%.
Penelec’s price-to-compare will increase from $0.11004 to $0.11747 per kWh, or 6.8%.
The commission noted that it does not regulate energy prices, which are driven by the energy market. The price-to-compare accounts for 40% to 60% of a customer’s electric bill, but factors such as total usage, weather, and the efficiency of a heating or cooling system also have an impact, according to the commission.
Amid rising energy prices, the PUC is advising those struggling to pay their electric bill to call their utilities to learn about assistance programs.
The Dec. 1 increase is separate from a proposed 7% residential rate increase proposed by PPL. The Allentown utility is requesting an annual base rate increase of $356.3 million.
The PUC has scheduled four in-person hearings and two telephone hearings in December to gather public input on the proposal, with a final decision expected by July 1.
Under the proposed increase, a residential PPL customer using 918 kWh per month would see their bill increase from $177.01 to $189.40.
