DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — Prices on about everything, including electricity rates, across all areas around the Miami Valley have been recently impacted.
On Wednesday, Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) approved the settlement plan for AES Ohio’s Electric Security Plan. The plan is said to meet consumer needs, while also improving reliability.
“Approval of the ESP settlement represents a significant milestone for AES Ohio to create
meaningful reliability improvements while supporting customer needs and the rapid growth of the Dayton region,” said Ahmed Pasha, acting AES President, US Utilities. “We are appreciative of the efforts and collaboration among our stakeholders to reach this settlement for the benefit of our customers.”
PUCO ordered in December 2022 that following the approval of the Electric Security Plan, the authorized increase would be activated.
“A residential customer using 1,000 kWh a month will see a $2.71 decrease from the
ESP settlement, which will offset the distribution rate increase of $8.04 for a net increase
of $5.33,” the release said. “This reflects a 3.4% increase for customers on AES Ohio’s Standard Service Offer (SSO).”
AES Ohio says the first billing change will go into effect in September.
According to a release from AES Ohio, the $25 charge for meter reconnection with smart meters will be eliminated.
PUCO released their own statement in another release:
“The settlement we approve today will serve to improve the service quality and reliability of the grid across AES Ohio’s service territory,” PUCO Chair Jenifer French said. “Incentivizing off-peak electric vehicle charging, economic development opportunities and customer and community assistance programs are exciting opportunities for Ohio consumers.”
The Ohio Consumers’ Council, which had opposed the settlement plan, released its own statement after its announcement.
“The PUCO today approved an AES rate increase that will be a double whammy for Dayton-area electric consumers,” said the OCC’s Merrilee Embs. “Over the next three years consumers will pay $160 million in rate increases to AES for a so-called ‘electric security plan.’ And AES consumers will now start to pay an additional $75 million annually for another AES request that was suspended until today’s case.
“That’s about $385 million more over the next three years, for both rate increases.”
To learn more about the changes, click here.
