"So it does feel disingenuous that they would, at the same time, make a pledge that the base rates will not go up," she said. She said there are many rate mechanisms outside of base rates that can and do change, including some proposals the utility has under consideration that will "almost certainly raise some of those other rate components."īeck mentioned infrastructure and renewable energy projects the company is currently working to develop that could require some fee-based costs that customers would likely have to pay at least some portion of. "They're parsing their words," Beck said.
While the company said the pledge offers customers a period of relative long-term rate stability, the state's consumer watchdog said the situation is not quite that simple.Įven though base power rates will remain the same for the foreseeable future, there are other costs that could very likely increase over that same period, said Michele Beck, director of the state Office of Consumer Services. Rocky Mountain Power Tuesday announced its "pledge to all Utah customers that base rates will not go up at any time before the year 2021." In a statement, the utility said the move was motivated in part to maintain affordable rates for customers who pay nearly 20 percent less than the national average for its electricity. SALT LAKE CITY - The state's top consumer advocate had strong criticism for Utah's largest electricity utility following the company's issuance of a pledge to hold rates steady for the next three years.
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