However, PECO’s delayed rate case filing and any financial effect is “manageable,” he said in a note on Thursday. “We recognize that Pennsylvanians are struggling with basic necessities like gas, food, and energy and have decided to withdraw our proposal,” said David Vahos, CEO of the Exelon subsidiary. Several of the Southern Tier’s state representatives, including State Senator Tom O’Mara, R-Big Flats, State Assemblyman Phil Palmesano, R-Corning, and Assemblyman Joe Sempolinski, R-Canisteo, spoke in support of Blakeman during the event in Corning. Blakeman said he would support fracking in a bid to boost the state’s energy portfolio and its economy. “I almost fell off my chair when I was watching Hochul’s State of the State speech this year where she was talking about how affordability is a problem in our state,” Blakeman said.
California State Campaigns
Critics saw this as bad for ratepayers and for the environment, while supporters said it was necessary for grid reliability and growth—both for population and data centers. Charlotte-based Duke aims to add about 20 gigawatts of new power generation over a decade through gas-fired power plants, solar energy, battery storage, grid upgrades, and efficiency gains. And that’s not even counting the next-generation nuclear power that Duke aspires to add in due time. The bill requires the PSC to develop a replacement program for Maryland’s net metering framework that expands it to 6 GW from 3 GW, but must reduce ratepayer costs. It is unclear how those changes would affect electric rates, according to the legislative analysis.
Leading Through Energy Affordability: When Love Is a Business Strategy (S5:E
“The Transportation sector saw the highest increase, up 23.6%, then the Commercial sector, up 10.7%, followed by the Industrial sector, up 8.6%, and finally the Residential sector, up 7.4%,” EIA said. Revenue per kilowatt hour for electricity — a proxy for https://www.softcourier.com/list.php?cat=System%20Utilities%3A%3ASystem%20Maintenance&page=58 retail rates — rose by 26.3% in Virginia, 21.9% in Ohio and 19.5% in Pennsylvania, according to the U.S. This guide breaks down how to embed affordability into strategy, operations, and customer experience to balance cost, reliability, and sustainability. Grid modernization, electrification, policy shifts, and rising customer expectations are converging, placing unprecedented pressure on customer bills. Jordan Blum is the Energy editor at Fortune, overseeing coverage of a growing global energy sector for oil and gas, transition businesses, renewables, and critical minerals.
Maryland General Assembly passes rate relief measure to lower utility bills by $150/year
Governor-elect Spanberger and fellow Democrats outlined their energy agenda last month, emphasizing the need to lower costs. A new coalition says extending Diablo Canyon to 2045 will save customers $20B and secure climate … “PECO represents 22% of Exelon’s 2025 rate base and 19% of Exelon’s $41.3 billion capital investment plan, making it an important driver of management’s consolidated 5%-7% annual earnings growth rate target,” Bischof said.
Activists opposed to putting turbines in the ocean saw stopping the wires as a strategy for delaying the overall construction timelines for offshore wind, intensifying both the costs and permitting headaches for all state and development stakeholders involved. Some of those fighting the wires did so based on fears that electromagnetic radiation from the transmission lines would make them sick. I chronicled the fight over this specific transmission infrastructure before Trump 2.0 entered office and the White House went nuclear on offshore wind. Known as the Larrabee Pre-Built Infrastructure, the proposed BPU-backed network of lines and electrical equipment resulted from years of environmental and sociological study. It was intended to connect wind projects in the Atlantic Ocean to key points on the overall grid onshore.
This evolution is essential for affordability on a practical level, as managing local energy resources more efficiently will allow them to reduce the need for massive, high-cost projects. However, the communication around such efforts will be just as important as the work itself. Participants noted, however, that addressing special contracts poses significant practical challenges. As an example, one participant described how their state PUC has limited leverage when the local utility negotiates with the Department of Defense. If the military does not receive the rates it wants, it can threaten to build its own generation, which could strand existing distribution and transmission assets and leave remaining customers to cover the costs.
- These targeted efforts may include marketing, education, and outreach for existing subsidy and other programs, as well as consideration of additional programs to address community affordability concerns.
- However, with rising demand and uncertainty about its future, local and state governments, along with utilities, must take greater action to tackle the growing energy affordability crisis.
- Policy and public spending can offset these up-front costs, particularly for low-income households.
- The speaker noted that while low-income customers enrolled in assistance programs have received some protection, moderate-income households and small businesses have fared worse and remain largely excluded from affordability measures.
- Participants stressed that one major barrier to implementing income-based allocation is the difficulty of identifying who belongs in the low-income rate class.
Human Services
The massive power demands of data centers can be the primary driver of these rising costs, but the average consumer doesn’t actually care why their bill is going up. They’re just focused on that reality, which is why utilities will most often be blamed for those higher bills, even when proactive strategies to manage data center loads exist. It’s why the industry needs to realize that addressing affordability is about more than engineering solutions. Success with affordability in 2026 is about a comprehensive communication strategy that bridges the gap between utility operations and consumer perception. The conversation concluded with reflections from the closing speaker, a high-level utility regulator, who emphasized that the US is currently facing yet another affordability crisis—one in a series that have unfolded over the past two decades alongside broader economic disruptions. The regulator noted that despite numerous interventions, utility ratemaking continues to follow a business-as-usual approach with outcomes unchanged.
- The United States has seen historic increases in nominal average electricity prices since 2021, and these prices have risen even faster than inflation during the same period (Chart 1).
- But in at least three states with high concentrations of data centers, electric bills climbed much faster than the national average during that period.
- One participant noted that overcoming this mindset will require sustained dialogue and ultimately a shift in institutional culture.
- In 2026, that awareness will evolve into empowerment for both utilities and their customers.
Energy Affordability Program Fact Sheet 2026
Donalds has emphasized reducing regulatory barriers to lower the cost of building new homes and has tied housing affordability to insurance reform and broader economic policy. From rising housing and insurance costs to everyday expenses, the issue is taking center stage on the campaign trail, reflecting what experts say is a growing strain on residents’ quality of life. Texas operates its own grid, ERCOT, with a relatively fast process that can connect new electric supply to the grid in around three years, according to a February 2024 report from the Brattle Group.
With little generation expected to be built in the PJM Interconnection, Morningstar expects power costs to remain high in the region, with “continued stakeholder pressure” over rising utility bills, Bischof said. “Only 30 percent of your payment goes to energy. The rest goes for taxes. They even tax the utility bill. Delivery costs are excessive,” said Blakeman, who also criticized the state’s green energy policies. The degree to which a representative household is able to pay for an essential utility https://www.softarmy.com/60942/reviews/ service charge, given its socioeconomic status. For utilities, this heightened awareness will enable them to better define their requirements for regulators and showcase how customers can directly support efforts designed to lower monthly bills.
The Report summarizes decades of work by utilities, academics, and associations that have been at the forefront of this research. It presents EPA’s analysis of the prevalence of water affordability challenges to both communities and utilities across the country and provides approaches to address water affordability concerns. The areas of affordability concern (AAC) for each industry are the geographical areas where the AR20 scores are greater than the affordability demarcations. These demarcations represent the inflection points of the distribution of all AR20 scores across the state. The demarcations are 15% for essential electric and communications services, and 10% of essential gas and water services. For detail tables of AACs for each industry, please refer to the Annual Affordability Reports and Updates section.
This state-level action follows a wave of local ordinances across dozens of California cities and counties that have already restricted or prohibited gas hookups in new construction. Hochul has made affordability a key component of her 2026 agenda, with policies aimed at bringing down costs for insurance, housing, childcare and utilities. You may be enrolled in traditional EAP automatically if you receive benefits from certain government assistance programs. If you believe you are eligible for traditional EAP but not automatically enrolled, or if you wish to verify that your account is enrolled, please contact your utility. Customers can contact their provider by phone, fax, mail, website, or email for information about the EAP program.
