Pepco Seeks Rate Hike that Will Cost $5.14 a Month
Pepco is asking the Maryland Public Service Commission for a rate increase that would add $5.14 to an average consumer’s bill, the company said Tuesday.
The rate increase covers $41.4 million for work done in 2017. The company spent about $222.9 million in the year, said Donna Cooper, Pepco region president, in a conference call with reporters.
The utility spent the money to improve safety, reliability and customer service through replacing and improving aging equipment and installing advanced equipment to automatically identify and isolate issues and automatically restore service to customers, according to a Pepco news release.
“Utilities do this every six months. It’s what they do. And it’s our job to say no,” Montgomery County Councilmember Roger Berliner said.
Berliner, an energy lawyer, said the PSC has reduced Pepco’s requests by half or two-thirds consistently.
“My expectation is no different than those in the past, and our county will fight on behalf of our residents,” he said.
Pepco also said the tax reform legislation that passed Congress on Dec. 19 would mean “meaningfully lower tax costs” for the company. Those lower costs, which still need to be calculated, would result in savings that would be passed on to consumers, the company said.
On the call, Pepco Vice President Kevin McGowan said the utility plans to update the rate case with the tax information by the first part of February.
Pepco has more than 566,000 customers in Maryland.
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