INDIANAPOLIS — If you are an Indianapolis Power & Light Co. (IPL) customer and would like to comment on the utility’s pending rate request, you have several opportunities.
The Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC), the state agency representing consumer interests in cases before the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC), is reviewing IPL’s request and is scheduled to file testimony on May 24, 2018.
Along with its legal and technical review, the OUCC is inviting written comments from IPL’s residential, commercial, and industrial customers through May 17, 2018.
In addition, the IURC will hold two public field hearings in Indianapolis:
• Mon., April 23: Arsenal Technical High School (Anderson Hall), 1500 E. Michigan St.
• Monday, May 7, 2018: New Augusta Public Academy-North (Auditorium), 6450 Rodebaugh Rd.
Each hearing will start at 6:00 p.m. Consumers are encouraged to arrive no later than 5:45 p.m. for an overview of field hearing procedures and the rate case process.
IPL provides electricity to approximately 490,000 customers in Marion County and portions of nine additional counties. Under IPL’s request, a monthly residential electric bill for 1,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) would rise from $112.95 to $124.38.
• This would include raises to the utility’s flat monthly customer charges. The monthly charge for a residential customer using more than 325 kilowatt hours (kWh) per month would rise from $17.00 to $27.00. For a residential customer using less than 325 kWh, the monthly charge would rise from $11.25 to $16.00. Flat monthly charges for commercial customers would rise, varying by tariff.
• The volumetric part of the base rate would also rise.
• The request would give IPL an increase of approximately $96.7 million in overall annual operating revenues, which is a raise of nearly 7.1 percent over current revenues. IPL originally requested a $124.5 increase (about 9.1 percent) but adjusted it in February 2018 due to changes under the federal Tax Cuts & Jobs Act.