Delmarva Power today asked the Maryland Public Service Commission to authorize an increase in electric delivery rates for the company’s nearly 200,000 Maryland customers. If approved, the change would add 2.8 percent to monthly residential electric bills, effective July 21, 2011. The typical bill for a Standard Offer Service residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours a month would increase by $3.76, moving the average monthly bill from $135.26 to $139.02.
The proposed $17.8 million increase reflects rising costs required to provide customers with safe and reliable electric service. Factors include upgrades to the electric system to improve reliability and support investment in new technology.
“We are seeking a relatively modest rate increase to help us keep pace with the demands for quality service and the cost of maintaining and improving our electric delivery system so that we can ensure the continued, reliable flow of electricity to our customers,” said Gary Stockbridge, President, Delmarva Power Region. “Investing in a safe, reliable and efficient electric system benefits the communities we serve.”
Delivery rates cover the cost of the poles and wires that carry electricity to customers’ homes and businesses and are separate from supply rates. Supply rates are driven primarily by the cost of fuel to make electricity and reflect the cost of energy that Delmarva Power purchases on behalf of its Maryland customers who do not buy power from an alternate supplier. Customers who buy from a competing supplier will see the same increase in their delivery rates.
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