Jackson County REMC wants Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to OK two increases in its metered rates based on new wholesale prices charged by its power supplier.
The rate changes would increase an average user’s cost by 2.1 percent, REMC General Manager Jed Wheatley said last week.
The first request of $1.66 per 1,000 kilowatt-hour stems from a pending Jan. 1, 2009, increase in Hoosier Energy Inc.’s base rate to cover regular operating costs. Hoosier Energy is based in Bloomington.
The second request is a pending Jan. 1 quarterly adjustment to Hoosier’s “tracker” of $4.44 per 1,000 KWH to cover the net increase in costs for energy fuels, market power purchases and other highly fluctuating expenses, Wheatley said in a news release.
The overall impact is $2.10 per 1,000 KWH, increasing a typical Jackson REMC bill of 1,000 KWH from $100 to $102.08, an increase of 2.1 percent, Wheatley said.
As submitted, the new rates would become effective Jan. 1, 2009, and should first appear on bills mailed on Feb. 27, due and payable by March 17.
REMC directors and management of the cooperative stressed that only the rising costs of wholesale electricity are included in the rate adjustment, Wheatley said. The REMC will not retain any of the revenue generated by the higher rates.
Jackson County REMC, headquartered in Brownstown, serves its 24,200 customers in rural sections of Jackson, Washington, Jennings, Scott, Lawrence, Brown, Bartholomew, Monroe, Jefferson and Clark Counties.
Any inquiry about the increases may be directed to Jed Wheatley, General Manager, Jackson County REMC, P.O. Box K, Brownstown, IN 47220. The REMC phone number is 358-4458.
