Summer Season Base Rates Push Local Power Rates Up In June

Media Contact:

Wayne Scarbrough

(423) 745-4501 ext. 6002

wscarbrough@aub.org

May 16, 2019

ATHENS, Tenn. – Local electric power rates for June will rise by about 7.3 percent compared to May as Athens Utilities Board (AUB) moves from springtime base rates to summer base rates, which run June through September.

The AUB residential power rate for June will be $0.09295 per kilowatt hour compared to May’s rate of $0.08662.

In TVA’s rate scheme, summer base power rates are higher than those in the spring and account for the bulk of the month-to-month increase, said AUB’s Wayne Scarbrough.

The summer base rate is $0.07456 versus the springtime base rate of $0.06917.

“Your rate has two components that compose the all-up rate you pay for a kilowatt hour of energy, the base rate and the fuel charge.  The sum of those is your all-up rate,” he said.

For June, the fuel charge of $0.01839 cents per kilowatt hour is slightly higher than May’s fuel charge of $0.01745 cents.

The month-over-month change in rate will increase the average residential user of 1200 kilowatt hours by $7.60, Scarbrough said.

Recent summer-like temperatures offer a reminder that there are simple steps to lower your summer utilities bills.

“Most everyone’s bill goes up considerably in the heat of summer and in the dead of winter.   It’s only May, but we’ve been in the high 80s already.   Now’s the time to plan for the weeks ahead when the upper 80s and higher become the norm for daily temperatures,” he said.

To ease the sticker shock of summertime cooling bills:

• -Bump your thermostat to 75 degrees.  Sixty-nine degrees feels great, but it will result in considerably more energy use and a notably higher cooling bill.
• -Check all doors and windows to ensure they are completely closed at all times.
• -Use weather stripping on doors and windows to preserve cooled air.
• -Use curtains, awnings, or other coverings for windows to reduce solar heat gain from the sun.
• -Ceiling fans can help circulated cooled air throughout the house.

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