The average increase will be about 20 cents per month, according to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.
Residents serviced by PPL will on average see a 20 cent-per-month increase on their electric bills under a new charge approved today by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, the PUC says.
The commission approved the Allentown-based utility’s request to implement the charge “to recover costs associated with capital investments on its distribution system to improve service reliability,” according to a news release.
The charge, formally called a distribution system improvement charge, goes into effect July 1. It is allowed under a state law passed last year. The law aims to encourage electric, natural gas, water and sewer utilities to accelerate investments in infrastructure improvements, the news release says.
In the case of PPL, the monthly charge will vary. The 20 cent figure is based on a residential customer who uses 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month of electricity.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the average U.S. household used 940 kilowatt-hours per month in 2011.