Higher rates for electricity transmission and distribution went into effect Sunday, but several retail electricity providers have not updated their plans on the state-sponsored comparison shopping site, making their offerings look cheaper, but setting up buyers for an unpleasant surprise when they open their first bill.
The front page of the Public Utility Commission’s Power to Choose website in Houston includes several plans that are continuing to use the lower expired transmission and distribution rate of 3.4168 cents a kilowatt hour to calculate the price of power in three key increments: 500 kilowatt hours, 1,000 kilowatt hours and 2,000 kilowatt hours. Plans are presented to shoppers based on price, with the cheapest offerings listed first.
CenterPoint, the regulated utility that distributes most of the electricity in the Houston area, increased its transmission and distribution rate a little more than half a cent to 4.0512 cents per kilowatt hour on Sunday to reflect the cost of building new transmission facilities and phasing out the corporate tax windfall utilities shared with customers last year. Customers are also charged a monthly billing fee of $5.47, which did not change.
The Public Utility Commission does spot checks for accuracy of the electricity facts label — the document that spells out the cost of electricity — and can remove inaccurate plans from the Power to Choose website until they are corrected, said commission spokesman Andrew Barlow. Consumers who suspect they’re being misled can also contact the…
Source: FuelFix
