Penelec energy users will be paying more for their electricity when the “rate to compare” increases at the start of next month.
The price changes every six months. First Energy’s four utilities, Met-Ed, Penelec, Penn Power, and West Penn Power, will all see rates increases ranging from 6.1 percent to 8.9 percent. Penelec’s rate will rise about 6.8 percent from 11.0 cents per kilowatt hour to 11.47 cents. For comparison, the rate that took effect on December 1st last year was 10.48 cents, and six months before that it was 9.75 cents.
The average residential bill for customers using 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity will rise from 15 percent to 17 percent per month.
The increase is being blamed on wholesale energy prices for grid manager PJM Interconnection, which increased nearly tenfold this year, and the increased demand for energy from new data centers.
