P.U.C. lowers electricity rates again

The Public Utilities Commission has once again lowered electricity rates; this time by six point six cents. According to a release issued this evening, this latest amendment to the 2008 Annual Review Proceeding Final Decision was undertaken after a process of consultation and represents a fifteen percent reduction in the Mean Electricity Rate. The new calculations are slightly lower than the changes announced by the P.U.C. in early January. Two weeks after that announcement, however, the commission recalled the amendment and asked the public to submit written comments. Taking those comments and other factors into consideration, the P.U.C. revisited its calculations. The monthly charge for social customers remains at four dollars, but the amount they pay per kilowatt hours has been reduced by three cents to twenty-three cents. Residential customers will now see their rates decrease by an average of six cents. Commercial customers get an average reduction of seven cents and a decrease in their monthly service charge of ten dollars; while bills for industrial customers will now go down by an average of five cents per kilowatt hour. The biggest reduction was in the energy charge for street lights, which dropped by ten cents to forty-five cents. The new rates are effective from January first to June thirtieth.