CONSUMER ALERT:

AES WANTS THE PUCO TO INCREASE YOUR ELECTRIC BILL…AGAIN. THE OHIO CONSUMERS’ COUNSEL SAYS NOT SO FAST.

You Have the Right to Make Your Voice Heard at the PUCO!

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) is inviting public comments on a proposal by AES (formerly DP&L) to increase your electric bill. The Ohio Consumers’ Counsel (OCC), your state advocate, opposes AES’s so-called “electric security plan.” Our plan is to protect Dayton-area consumers from higher energy bills. The PUCO will decide how much AES can charge its consumers after it hears from the public and case participants.

Let the PUCO hear your voice!  Consumers need electric service that is affordable, reliable and equitable. With soaring energy prices and inflation, now is not the time to increase electric bills.

Here is how to make your voice heard:

Comment In-Person, Online or By Mail

In-Person: A PUCO local public hearing will be held in Dayton on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023, at 6 p.m. AES consumers can speak (testify) about any concerns they have with AES’s rate increase proposal. Click here for OCC tips on how to speak at local public hearings: http://bit.ly/how-to-testify

Location: Dayton Municipal Building Commission Chambers, 101 W. Third Street, Dayton OH 45402

Online: Visit the PUCO’s website at http://bit.ly/AES-ESP and click “File a Public Comment.” It’s easy peasy!

By Mail: Mail a letter to the PUCO with comments referencing “AES-Ohio” and “PUCO Case 22-900” at:

Public Utilities Commission of Ohio
180 E. Broad St., 11th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215

What’s Not to Like About AES’s Rate Plan? We Say Plenty.

AES proposes five new charges (riders) on consumers’ bills. For example, there’s a charge for consumers to continue subsidizing AES’s share of 60-year-old coal plants. That includes the Indiana Clifty Creek plant that is not even in Ohio.

Also, on AES’s table for charging consumers:

• A so-called “decoupling” to collect to collect fixed charges, regardless of consumer usage, to make AES more recession-proof at consumer expense
• Approximately $100 million in charges to consumers for expenses dating back to 2014
• A $15 million  program (estimated at $5 million per year for 3 years) where AES charges consumers for energy efficiency measures and utility profits even though consumers could buy the measures on their own without AES
• Instead of having electric vehicle (EV) users pay for charging systems, AES proposes to charge all its customers subsidies for EV charging infrastructure and equipment, whether they own an EV or not. OCC opposes collecting EV  subsidies from a monopoly utility’s consumers.

To top it off, AES is pushing a rush to judgment on its request. This limits the time for advocacy on behalf of consumers.

Additional Details

An End to the Rate Freeze

AES’s new rate plan, when adopted by the PUCO, will end a current rate freeze that prevents a separate $75 million in annual charges. AES will begin charging consumers for the $75 million annually when its plan is approved.

Service Reliability: Pay More for Less

AES is proposing to increase charges for reliability while at the same time reducing its commitments to achieve reliability. Consumers could pay more for reliability but get less reliable service, which could mean more and longer power outages. OCC expects to call for reliability targets and limits on charges for consumers.

More Information

OCC’s Motion to Intervene to represent consumers in this case is available online at this link: https://bit.ly/OCC-AES-MTI

More information is available online at the PUCO docket for the case at this link: http://bit.ly/AES-ESP

Questions?

Contact the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel, your advocate, at 1-877-742-5622 or occ@occ.ohio.gov.

 

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