AES Ohio wants to raise electric distribution rates by 14%

In a sample of a letter the electric utility sent or is sending to local governments, the company said it would file by Nov. 29 to ask for a rate increase that would raise monthly electric bills by $21.75, a more than 14% increase for customers using a certain amount of electricity.

“AES Ohio will ask the PUCO to approve rates that include these investments and align the value of electric distribution service with its costs,” the company says in the sample letter filed with the PUCO. “If the PUCO approves this request, then the monthly bill for a typical residential customer using 1,000 kWh (kilowatt hours) would increase by $21.75, a 14.2% increase to the total bill for Standard Service Offer customers.”

Residential customers who have AES Ohio as their supplier are “standard service offer” customers. If you have another electric service supplier, that category doesn’t apply to you.

The PUCO’s review process includes a “thorough and independent audit of AES Ohio’s costs, public hearings, and opportunities for customer comment,” the utility also said in its letter.

Dayton utility customers may be in for something of a double whammy in terms of higher bills in coming months. The AES Ohio notice comes the same week that natural gas provider CenterPoint Energy filed with the PUCO for its own rate increase proposal that, if approved, would mean an increase of approximately $23 per month for the “average residential customer.”

AES Ohio serves more than 20 counties in Western Ohio.