POWER RATE FALLS IN FEBRUARY; NATURAL GAS COST UP A BIT
In a move that will be good for all of AUB’s power customers, the wintertime power rate from Athens Utilities Board (AUB) for the coming month of February is falling as the TVA fuel cost drops.
The local power rate will move from the current $0.09700 down to $0.09153 per kilowatt hour. AUB’s winter base rate remains the same as January’s base rate, but TVA has a lower fuel cost for February, thereby decreasing the effective rate.
The February fuel cost from TVA is going down to $0.02065 compared to January’s $.02612.
“This is good news as we head into what is typically one of the colder months of the season, requiring a greater heating load by our customers. AUB’s base rate is staying steady in February, and this falling fuel cost from TVA is welcomed,” said AUB’s Wayne Scarbrough.
Your power rate has two components. There is the base rate, which changes seasonally, and a fuel-charge adder from TVA that changes monthly. This winter, the base rate is $0.07088.
“The base rate will stay the same through March. The thing that changes each month is TVA’s fuel cost, and in February it is dropping, and that’s a great thing to see,” Scarbrough said.
“Indications last month hinted at a lower February fuel cost, so it is good to see that come through,” he said.
About 83 cents of every dollar that AUB’s power division collects go to TVA for wholesale power.
Our area is starting to experience wintertime temperatures in a real way, with overnight levels falling to 20 degrees or so and daytime temperatures hitting the 30s for the coming few days.
This winter temperature profile means that homes and businesses will use more energy to maintain comfort whether the source is electricity, natural gas, or even wood in the stove or fireplace.
“We hope everyone has taken steps to get ready for the chill. If you haven’t, now would be the time to make your home as air-tight possible. And I can’t stress enough the advantage of putting on a sweater and sweat pants, even indoors. It’s just that time of year,” Scarbrough said.
The internet has a multitude of tips on winterizing your home or apartment. Even seemingly small fixes that are inexpensive can make a real difference.
As in the past couple of months, Scarbrough again warned that natural gas costs are higher now than what we have become accustomed to in the past year.
“We knew it was coming and are now seeing it, the higher cost of natural gas. AUB’s base charge for natural gas has not gone up a bit, but the Purchased Gas Adjustment (PGA) we get from the pipeline is going up to levels we haven’t seen since around 2014 or so,” he said.
The PGA rose from $0.06795 in October $0.08225 in November before backing down somewhat in December to $0.06728.
January’s PGA, however, has risen a bit, to $0.07208.
“We’ve really had it pretty good in the past few years. Just a year ago that same cost was less than five cents and today is a little more than seven cents,” Scarbrough said.
“We plan for the PGA in the coming months to be close to where it was in 2013 and 2014, and we hope our customers plan for that as well,” he said.
