CARLSBORG — Electric rates are going up for Clallam Public Utility District customers.
The new electric rates are effective on all bills rendered on or after April 1.
Commissioners approved the rate increase at their Dec. 12 public meeting.
The new retail electric rates include a 3.8 percent average increase. This equates to about $4.48 per month for the average PUD residential customer using 1,200 kilowatt-hours per month.
The actual retail electric rate increase will be applied as an increase of 10 percent per month on the customer’s base charge and approximately 2 percent on kilowatt-hours used, which all totaled is approximately 3.8 percent overall for the average residential electric bill.
For example, a current bill of $114.29 will be $118.77 after the rate increase.
In October 2015, the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) increased rates by approximately 6 percent.
This represents the largest cost center for the PUD at about 43 percent of the total budget, said Mike Howe, PUD spokesman.
For this increase, staff and commissioners decided to divide the rate impact over the course of two years instead of just one, he said, adding that “keeps with the philosophy of providing stable rates.”
“In part, the 2017 PUD rate increase is attributable to both the 2015 and 2017 BPA wholesale increases,” Howe said in a news release.
For the PUD, weather is responsible for almost all usage and revenue variations.
Since 2014, the area has seen warmer-than-usual weather, resulting in decreased revenues for the PUD, Howe said.
Howe said other rate pressures include Bonneville Power Administration’s wholesale rate increases, the added costs of meeting the mandates of Washington’s Energy Independence Act (formerly known as Initiative 937) and personnel costs that include escalating health care costs as a result of federal legislation.
For additional information on the PUD, visit www.clallampud.net.
