Appalachian Power rate review to SCC
![Appalachian Power rate review to SCC 2 APCo](https://pcpatriot.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/APCo.jpg)
The SCC last conducted a triennial review of Appalachian Power’s rates and earnings in 2020. In the application filed today the company requested to increase rates by approximately $212 million, or 16 percent, to continue to provide customers with safe and reliable electric service.
Numerous factors contributed to the request to modify rates, including increases in capital, depreciation, and material and labor costs related to the company’s distribution operations and vegetation management. Additional funds will allow Appalachian Power to restore maintenance of miles of its rights-of-way to pre-2020 levels and target the worst-performing circuits.
“Trees and other vegetation are consistently the leading cause of outages,” said Aaron Walker, Appalachian Power president and chief operating office. “We have an obligation to ensure our customers have access to safe and reliable service. Substantial tree removal, pruning, and brush clearing are needed to prevent and reduce the duration of outages across the system.”
“We understand this request comes at a time when other costs are increasing for customers,” said Walker. “We have included a proposal to reduce the financial impact on our lower income customers and will work with the SCC and others to help balance competing interests to the greatest extent possible.”
The proposed increase will vary depending on customer class and usage. If approved as requested, residential customers using 1,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) a month will see a net increase in their monthly bill of approximately $20. A customer using 2,000 kWh would see their bill increase approximately $40. Any increase approved by the SCC will not take effect until January 2024.
To reduce the impact on lower income customers, the company has requested approval to eliminate the basic service charge for qualifying low-income customers. Appalachian Power serves about 540,000 customers in southwest, central and southside Virginia. Under the proposal about seven percent of its residential customers would qualify for the discount, which would amount to savings just under $100 a year.
Appalachian Power has 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia, and Tennessee (as AEP Appalachian Power). It is part of American Electric Power, which is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions. AEP’s approximately 17,000 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 224,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.6 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP is also one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with approximately 31,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including more than 6,900 megawatts of renewable energy.
April 1, 2023 @ 7:21 am
Arp has the option to pay a lower amt every month and they look at the bill increase your payment to cover the costs it’s supposed to balance out your acct
..but when they don’t stay on top of it u could get a ,1000 .oo bill when it’s all said and done and they won’t investigate why your bill has increase to 345.00 a month from 170.00. they can legally do whatever they want to you cause they have a monopoly on electric.
April 1, 2023 @ 8:22 am
For low income families aep increases are really digging into our pockets these increases are bollcrap I’m on disability with 5 kids my bill went from 185 a month to 650 almost 700 a month how can anyone survive when all yall keep doing is increasing electric bills maybe we all should burn candles and live in the dark and then see how the electric company survives
April 1, 2023 @ 8:35 am
Eventually their greed will get them.
They make very good profits but must not be satisfied with their wealth so why not take more from us especially when we are hurting financially and some have have to choose paying such bills over food or medications. Hopefully I will live long enough to see the greedy have to pay their dues for such greed.
April 1, 2023 @ 9:09 am
When we are all struggling to make ends meet, AEP wants more, more, more. Can’t you give us a break!!! You are paying back for overcharging. I guess you want to re-coup that. What a disgrace!!!!!!!!!!!
April 1, 2023 @ 9:54 am
just another way to stick it to the poor and make the rich richer. Only allowing cross state electricity and someway competition. We pay for fuel building plants to transfer the electricity now to clear trees. We pay for everything then why does the people not own this instead the Kochs
April 1, 2023 @ 11:48 am
My light bill for Feb was 265.00 and when I called to pay the bill said I only owned 29.95. So I paid that and the next day I called and talked to a real person and they told me the same thing and VA was getting refunds on their account. I asked her my bill was suppose to be 265.00 dollars
She said all that was showing me owning was 29.95. She told me several times. So I paid my bill in March they said I owed 5.99, so I paid that. Light bill I got yesterday said zi owed 759.
00 dollars. I called and they told me this is what I owe. They said the agent said these amounts was my late payments
No that is not what they told me
They sent rebellied
from Oct. well I paided more then the rebilled charges. I don’t understand this system and how do people on fixed income to pay these amount
April 1, 2023 @ 1:42 pm
Biden should stop these companies from raising these bills anytime the want to. He’s afraid of them! I’m raising a granddaughter and I can’t make it month from month. I’m going to loose my apt. Because of everything going higher! We are becoming a 3rd world country! That’s what the government is wanting. People is going to start shooting g up these building and I do t give a dn if they do! We can’t live like this! My electric is 600. A month water 150. Not to mention all of the other bills I have!
April 1, 2023 @ 2:15 pm
My husband and I have an income together of around 2,100. Between electric bill being around 350 to 450 a month rent another 400 water and sewer plus car insurance and gas and paying off furniture which is another 800a month we have to choose how much we are paying on what or if we skip paying something all together just to put food in the house and keep gas in the car. Electric is way to high. I live in an apartment building that uses baseboard heaters and the windows leak air year round.
April 1, 2023 @ 3:48 pm
Why doesn’t AEP lower the rate at night? Other power companies do this.
April 1, 2023 @ 4:11 pm
I can’t afford my electric bill now I am on disability raising 2 special needs grandkids my bill went up from 200.00 to 495 it’s outrageous I haven’t done anything different appliances I don’t use are unplugged I keep my lights off in the evening we what are low income people supposed to do
April 1, 2023 @ 5:49 pm
Worst electric company ever! Our bill was ridiculously high for December. We weren’t there and the power was off for 4 days. What they are doing to people is just criminal.
April 3, 2023 @ 9:15 pm
This is pitiful….AEP is ripping customers off…the bill is outrageous!!! 20 here 20 there…SICK AND SAD..SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE..PEOPLE ON FIXED INCOME..JUST POOR PEOPLE..CANT AFFORD THIS…
April 7, 2023 @ 9:21 am
I feel badly for all the folks struggling with such high electric bills, but I must ask (please reply kindly as this is a legit question), why do you think your your bills so much? Do you use electric heat only, or keep it set very, high? Do you run air throughout the summer months? Does the TV run all day long or lights left on throughout the house?
In the 10 years I’ve lived in my house, the bill has never been over $160 and that was in the summer when I used to have a pool. This winter my highest bill was $110. My March bill was under $70. I keep lights off if I’m not in the room, keep the monitor heaters set at 66 degrees, and simply where a sweater. I do not use air conditioning, but keep my ceiling fans and extra floor fans running in the summer.
Mine is a 3 bedroom 2 full bath home. What do you believe is causing the high costs for some while others are able to keep the cost so much lower? I simply cannot figure out why the difference is so vast.
April 23, 2023 @ 8:47 pm
I would like to know as well since it is just my husband and I in a 1 bedroom apartment. Our bill this month is $190 when last year in April it was $88.
May 6, 2023 @ 10:51 pm
The people need to stand up and do something. Allowing a company to continue to line their pockets. There needs to some kind of class action. There’s no way bills should be this high!
May 6, 2023 @ 10:58 pm
Please tell me , my heat is ran from a wood stove, I keep getting initial installment payments because I can’t keep up with my electric bill, I just had a $504 one and now they are charging me $122 but they told me when I’m in good standing for a year with no late payments they will give me my money back? Uhm can someone explain the legality of this, my electric hasn’t been cut off but how on top of everything else can aep force a savings account for me? At this point I’m calling a lawyer, like I said my bill is thru the roof I’m talking $500 before I went into budget but now that’s 386 and then an extra 41 a month on top of that for an installment plan, I literally just finished paying for one in January and you’re forcing another, because you can? Also the only central I have is ac we run our heat off a wood stove! This is wild