PSC approvals lower Central Hudson’s rate plan

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ALBANY – If you are a customer of Central Hudson Gas and Electric Corporation,
you are going to see a higher monthly bill effective July 15. That is
when a new rate plan kicks in.
The State Public Service Commission today (Thursday) approved a new
three-year electric and natural gas rate plan for Central Hudson, but
it is lower than the utility had proposed.

The plan includes the first-ever reduction in the fixed charge that is
levied regardless of the amount of electricity consumed.

The $24-per-month rate will drop by $3 in the first year and another $1.50
over the next two years.

Jennifer Metzger, director of Citizens for Local Power, a party to the
PSC rate proceeding, called the reduction “an important victory
for fairness in our electric rates,” as they will be more closely
aligned with the amount of power a customer uses.

Metzger said, despite their pleasure with the rollback in the fixed electric
rate, Citizens for Local Power did not sign onto the proposal.

? “We were concerned about any rate increases at all, but especially
in the third year. Their rate increase was higher than we were willing
to accept, but despite that, there were some real improvements in the
approved rate plan over the original proposal all around,” she said.

The approved rate plan limits the overall revenue increases in the first
year to $13.7 million, or one percent, for electric customers, and $3.2
million, or 1.5 percent, for natural gas customers. Central Hudson originally
wanted a $63.4 million revenue increase in electric rates, or 21.2 percent
of delivery revenue, and a $22.2 million increase, or 24.3 percent, of
delivery revenue in natural gas rates.

The new rates become effective on July 15.

 




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