Using less electricity lowers your monthly utility bill, or at least it should. If Duke Energy’s proposal “to significantly raise its ‘customer fees’ is approved,” that might not be the case for many Cincinnati consumers, according to a recent Cincinnati.com opinion piece. Shannon Baker-Branstetter, senior policy counsel for Consumers Union, writes that Duke Energy plans “to nearly quadruple these fixed customer fees — from about $72 a year to over $270 a year — even if energy use decreases.” Fixed or base fees apply to every customer, “in addition to separate fees that depend on how much energy you use.” Raising the fixed fees would erode the savings from energy-efficiency or energy-saving measures. According to the article, “dozens of Cincinnati residents” protested Duke’s proposal at recent public hearings. A similar recent proposal from AEP Ohio was dropped after Columbus residents protested. For more, read the full article.
Duke Energy’s proposed fee increase would hinder consumers’ efforts to save on energy
