AES Ohio has proposed updating its electricity rate, which could lead to increased power bills for residents this summer.
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The Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel is calling for a public hearing before the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio decides on the new rate this month.
The proposed update to AES Ohio’s Transmission Cost Recovery Rider aims to cover the costs the company incurs to move electricity from power plants to its local network and into homes.
This rate change would begin next month if approved.
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The Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel is advocating for consumer protection and wants to ensure the new rate is reasonable for residents.
The Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel has highlighted several concerns regarding AES Ohio’s proposal.
These include the potential for another rate increase following a previous hike last year.
The counsel also points to unaudited peak load billing, which may shift costs to residential consumers.
Additionally, there is a risk that data centers could avoid paying their fair share of transmission costs under the new rate.
Larry Daumann, a Beavercreek homeowner, expressed his opposition to the potential rate increase.
“I don’t think so. I’m not for that at all,” Daumann said. He added that many people, like him, are on fixed incomes.
“A lot of people are on fixed income, so it makes it hard for them to make the payments even with gasoline bills,” Daumann stated.
AES Ohio provided a statement explaining its rationale for the proposed update.
“The annual update is a requirement to align rates with transmission costs. This is consistent with the broad-based settlement approved by the commission,” a spokesperson said.
According to AES Ohio, this aligns with a broad-based settlement previously approved by the Public Utilities Commission.
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio is expected to issue its decision on AES Ohio’s proposal sometime this month.
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