Lehigh Valley residents will pay more for electricity beginning Dec. 1, and state utility regulators are looking at an additional increase for local provider PPL Electric Utilities.

PPL Electric Utilities and FirstEnergy Corp.’s Met-Ed are both raising their Price to Compare electric-supply rate with the start of December.

For customers that do not shop for an electricity supplier, PPL’s residential rate is increasing 3.7% from $0.1249 to $0.12953 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) as Met-Ed’s rate rises 8.9% from $0.11903 to $0.12965 per kWh.

A customer using 1,000 kWh of electricity per month will pay $4.63 more to PPL and $10.62 more to Met-Ed.

Pennsylvania’s electricity providers like PPL Electric Utilities and Met-Ed purchase power through competitive auctions. These costs are then passed along without markup to customers who do not secure an alternative supply at PA Power Switch — the official electricity marketplace of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.

Utility providers’ Price to Compare resets every six months in Pennsylvania, on June 1 and Dec. 1. Electricity costs are rising across the 13-state PJM Interconnection LLC electric grid, according to PPL.

“PPL Electric continues to see electric generation supply prices rise across Pennsylvania and the broader PJM region due to an unprecedented surge in electricity demand and limited new generation resources being added,” company spokeswoman Jane George told lehighvalleylive.com.

Factors driving higher electricity demand include growth of large-energy users like data centers and more electric vehicles used for transportation.

Supply costs, meanwhile, are also rising. Natural gas generates more electricity consumed in Pennsylvania than any other source, followed by nuclear, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. And natural gas prices are rising, according to the EIA’s snapshot for the week ending Nov. 12.

In terms of new electricity generation, Pennsylvania PUC spokesman Nils Hagen-Frederiksen said the current supply-and-demand situation “requires all-of-the-above solutions.” That includes renewable energy — Pennsylvania in July reached 2 gigawatts of installed solar generation in operation statewide, just 17 months after reaching 1 GW in late 2023.

Separate from the electricity-supply side of customers’ bills, PPL Electric Utilities in September asked for PUC approval of its first increase since 2015 on the distribution side.

That rate case seeks an annual increase in revenues of $356.3 million (33.4%), the PUC says. As proposed, the total monthly bill for a residential customer using 918 kWh per month would increase 7% from $177.01 to $189.40.

The PUC in October voted to suspend and investigate the PPL distribution rate hike, with a final decision due by July 1, 2026.

The commission on Tuesday announced four in-person hearings and two telephonic hearings in December open to PPL’s 1.5 million customers across 29 counties, including Lehigh and Northampton.

Full details of the hearings and how to participate can be found below, and at puc.pa.gov.

PPL Electric Utilities recommends customers facing difficulty in covering their bills to consider:

Making bills more predictable and affordable with budget billing, payment plans and customized alerts.Saving energy used at home or work through no-cost and low-cost energy saving programs and products. PPL Electric offers an Energy Analyzer to help customers discover when, where and how their home or business uses energy.Seeking bill assistance or support programs, which are available regardless of income.

“We understand that rising energy supply costs are a real concern for many of our customers, and we share their concern,” the company’s George told lehighvalleylive.com.

The PUC offers further details on help with home utility bills at puc.pa.gov.

PPL Electric Utility hearings scheduled

The PUC scheduled its hearings on PPL Electric Utilities’s proposed distribution-rate increase as follows:

In-person public input hearings will be held at the following locations and times:

Monday, Dec. 8, 6 p.m. at Scranton University, Brennan Hall – Rose Room, 5th Floor, 320 Madison Ave., Scranton, PA 18510.Tuesday, Dec. 9, 6 p.m. at Catasauqua Municipal Building, Borough Hall, 90 Bridge St., Catasauqua, PA 18032.Wednesday, Dec. 10, 6 p.m. at Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Keystone Building, Hearing Room No. 1, 400 North St., Harrisburg, PA 17120.Thursday, Dec. 11, 6 p.m. at Manheim Township Public Library, Morgan Center, 595 Granite Run Dr., Lancaster, PA 17601.

Two telephonic hearings will be held as follows:

Monday, Dec. 15. Telephonic hearing No. 1 will begin at 1 p.m. Telephonic hearing No. 2 will begin at 6 p.m.

Participate in a telephonic hearing by calling toll-free 866-421-8851 and entering PIN Number 66640466 when instructed. Next, speak your name when prompted and press #. Then, the telephone system will connect you to the hearing.

NOTE: Individuals wishing to testify at a telephonic public input hearing are encouraged to register by 4 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 11 by contacting Legal Assistant Pamela McNeal at 215-560-4228 or pmcneal@pa.gov and providing the following information:

Your first and last name.The hearing for which you are registering.The phone number you will be using to call into the public input hearing.A phone number where you can be reached prior to the hearing, if needed.Your email address, if you have one.

Visit puc.pa.gov for further details on requests for interpreters, tips for offering testimony at a public input hearing.

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