PPL Price to Compare Rate Increase Drives Up Business Costs in Pennsylvania
PPL Electric Price to Compare to Rise 26%
It's that time of year! The PPL Price-to-Compare (PTC) has officially been posted on the PPL website.
For small business customers in Pennsylvania, including GS-1 and GS-3 (< 100 kW), the new PTC will be 14.751¢/kWh, which is 26% higher than the current PTC of 11.695¢/kWh. For many businesses, the beginning of winter means more electricity use and higher bills.
The new PPL default rate will be effective from December 1st, 2022 - May 31st, 2023.
Now is a perfect time to go shopping for a new commercial electricity plan.
The PPL Now Under Investigation
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) has announced an investigation into PPL Electric Utilities after some customers received "unusually high" energy bills. The PUC will examine the cause of the excessive bills, as well as the accuracy and billing practices of the company. The commission is encouraging customers to reach out to PPL with any concerns, but if they don't receive a satisfactory response, they are advised to contact the PUC's Bureau of Consumer Services. The PUC's investigation will aim to ensure "safe and reliable utility service at reasonable rates."
Last month, PPL acknowledged a technical system issue that temporarily prevented the company from accessing customer usage data, leading to some customers receiving estimated bills based on their past usage. The company informed customers that the differences between the estimated bills would be corrected in the following bill, however, some customers were still surprised to receive bills much higher than expected. Although the PUC allows for estimated bills to be temporarily charged, the agency's investigation will ensure that customers are not overcharged.
The recent price increase by PPL, which took effect on December 1, has likely contributed to the customer's surprise. The rate increase raised the default rate to 14.61 cents per kilowatt-hour, an 18% increase from the previous rate of 12.36 cents. The company acknowledged that the rate increase would add approximately $22 to the average customer's monthly bill, and that this was the third price increase in just over a year.
On Tuesday, the president of PPL apologized to customers, admitting that the company has "fallen short" in its billing and responsiveness to customers.
PPL isn't the only utility raising their rates. Check out what is happening all around Pennsylvania!
PPL Electric Utilities is a subsidiary of PPL Corporation, a publicly traded company headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania. PPL Electric Utilities is responsible for the delivery of electric service to more than 1.4 million customers in 29 counties in eastern and central Pennsylvania. The company was founded in 1920 as the Pennsylvania Power and Light Company (PP&L).
PP&L was created by the merger of several smaller electric companies, including the Allentown Electric Company, the Bethlehem Gas and Electric Company, and the Easton Electric Company. The company's primary focus was the generation and distribution of electricity to customers in the eastern part of the state.
In the early years, PP&L's power generation was primarily fueled by coal, but the company gradually diversified its fuel mix to include natural gas, nuclear, and hydroelectric power. In the 1980s, PP&L was one of the first utilities in the United States to begin investing in energy efficiency and demand-side management programs to help customers reduce their electricity usage.
In the 1990s, PP&L was acquired by the UK-based company, Powergen plc. In 2000, PPL Corporation was created as a spin-off from Powergen and became an independent company. The company's primary business became the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity in the United States, primarily in Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
In 2010, PPL Electric Utilities was separated from PPL Generation, LLC and became a stand-alone utility company. PPL Electric Utilities has since focused on modernizing its electric distribution system, upgrading substations and transmission lines, and investing in advanced metering infrastructure and smart grid technologies.
Today, PPL Electric Utilities is one of the leading utilities companies in the state of Pennsylvania. The company is committed to providing reliable and affordable electricity to its customers while also investing in cleaner energy sources, energy efficiency, and demand-side management programs.
If your business has been affected by the PPL rate increase please contact us as soon as possible to start saving!
