Eastern Kentucky utility seeking hefty rate increase
By John McGary,
Kentucky Power, which provides electricity to customers in 20 eastern Kentucky counties, wants to raise its rates — including residential rates by more than 18 percent. The company filed the request with the state Public Service Commission in late June. On its website, Kentucky Power cited a windstorm, ice storm, historic flooding and a “notable” population decline in its service area. State Senator Robin Webb represents Boyd, Carter and Greenup counties – all served by Kentucky Power.
“It’s concerning, very concerning for my population, and the demographic of those three counties.”
Kentucky Power has 163-thousand customers in eastern Kentucky. Webb said she knows the utility’s costs are up – but worries about how her constituents will deal with a hefty rate hike.
“I’m not being dramatic when I say that some will die, at some point, when the threshold gets to where they’ve got to make decisions that affect their lives, whether it’s buying medicine or buying power.”
Webb, who has two energy degrees and is a former coal miner, said energy diversification is a long-term solution – and she’s not opposed to the use of nuclear energy as part of that solution.
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I already have a electric bill that’s over 1500 needless to say our power is shut off! People are going to die from this bullshit because of the power bills either meds or food we can’t afford it
Same situation for a friend of mine. It’s heartbreaking.
According to their 2022 10K report AEP net profit was 2.3 billion. Of this profit they gave their shareholders 1.6 billion in dividends. They need to tighten their way of operating and stop gouging the working class.
Need to take care of the share holders GOP message
They cut the corporate taxes out and gave it to the share holders.
When Trump was in office this wasn’t going on and gas was $1,49 a gallon, how bout them apples KAG? yzsh
8
The reason gas was $1.49 a gallon they couldn’t sell any the Trump Flu had us all staying home. Over 100 oil companies went bankrupt in 2020.
https://www.ogv.energy/news-item/over-100-oil-and-gas-companies-went-bankrupt-in-2020#:~:text=The%20107%20oil%20and%20gas,bankruptcy%20report%20published%20this%20month.
The Bad Orange Man even went to the Saudis and Russia try to get them to stop drilling they was putting American oil companies out of business.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/02/trump-calls-on-russia-and-saudi-arabia-to-cut-oil-production-161368.
So when you can’t sell your product you lower prices or go broke Whiplash.
What happened to working within your budget? Storms have always been here and will continue to be here, duh. Kentucky Power is the MOST corrupt and mismanaged subsidiary of AEP. No wonder they want to sell it. Ky. Power cannot even be honest when they are trying to sell. In the last 10 years only 5 utility sales have been rejected by FERC. Guess who is in that number? Two times. Just sayin.
Our bill are already so high we can’t pay them. Why does the government keep letting them raise these prices.
Storms and other acts of nature? Had AEP done preventive maintenance like line right of way clearing, kept maintenance depots to store supplies and parts vice running out of state vice paying shareholders, those catastrophies wouldnt have cost so much for one. Also those storms were declared disaster areas which the fed covered through FEMA aid to AEP. As for declining population? Means there ahould be less power consumption therefore reduced fuel costs. Public utilities should be a not for profit biz model not one saddled with the burden of sharholders where all the money goes which could offset these rare catastrophes.
Bs the tree cutters steering in their trucks making almost$20 an hour blame something else,here’s a idea blame coal again it’s going overseas
If that happens I won’t be able to afford electricity on my Medicare! What are people to do. I will switch as much as I can to gas! Robin
ME TOO !!!😡😡
I did live in Michigan last year! So I had unplugged everything in my house except the washer and dryer and the fridge. My power bill went up from two hundred dollars to around six hundred dollars. I make too much money to get help. But not enough to live on. I think the electric company should live on just minimum wages or on a fixed income just get paid once a month.
you should walk around your home and see if your neighbors have cords plugged in your home
I’ll bet that’s what you do KAG?
I switched to gas Whiplash
I’ve been in contact with congressman Rodgers,gov Beashear,the attorney general’s office and filed a complaint with the public commission, I urge everyone to do the same! There’s no excuse that were held hostage by AEP. I’m old enough to remember when there was only one phone company and how prices went down when other companies came into the mix,why is there no competition,only one power co.beinh on a fixed income my pay dates don’t always coinside with their due dates and they will absolutely not work with you other than enormous late fees and cutoff threats. Please people I urge you to contact the above,that can’t ignore us all!
Hell KU won’t even come to our house cause we have a dog that goes outside on a chain to use the bathroom. She’s not out there long so they do an estimate for that month and our bill has been. Anywhere from 300 to 400 when it really wasn’t after like three months or four so do the put the money to go back in there and correct it and take all the extra money that we paid and then paid on the bills and then I’ll be I’d like to bill be $30 and that’s wrong. They shouldn’t be playing with peoples money at all. I believe it should be illegal because our dogs are nowhere near our electric pole that’s how shitty they are
Look at their profits. They need to stop getting rich while customers can’t afford their electric bills. They aren’t hurting for the money, they just want to increase their dividends.
Have to keep the shareholders happy that’s the American way
It’s bad enuff in some counties that there is a power adjustment that’s on everyone’s bill raising the cost of power is really going to put a damper on those that are already having to pay , and having to pay there ad on to bills such as school taxes, we already pay school taxes with property taxes every year and 911 taxes? I have a cellphone that covers that, what corrupt way of getting more money out of customers already struggling to pay there bill with all the price hikes in play!
Greedy bunch that have no sympathy or respect for how this increase will hurt elderly low income eastern kentuckians still recoverying from the last disaster. They shouldn’t be allowed to raise rates for these reasons.
Let’s all switch to gas if eligible
We have too pay an customer fee for them too maintain the lines and do up grades so who is the money really going towards
Why 18%? That’s highway robbery! This company has become greedy, just like the rest. People can’t pay these prices, especially those on fixed income. What happens when so many accounts are lost because of non payment? Your company will lose money!
You do not understand the game they are allowed to play. As they lose customers they ask for rate increases to make up for that. If they lost half of their customers the half that’s left will make up that difference with rate increases. They use to maintain their transmission lines as preventive maintenance. Now they just ask for an increase. If you read the fine print in their proposal it says that. Let’s say they asked for a partial rate increase 5 years ago to maintain transmission lines. You are still paying for that in addition to what they will get this time. It never ends. Also they will usually ask for double what they really want. That way they get what they want and the public service commission looks good for not giving it all of what they asked for. Sometimes the commission is just as bad as they are. They want to look good. Trust me on this.
how they exspect normal person to live grocery,gas tv ,utilitys ,insurance,rent everything sky rocket this is rediculous if politicians cant protect us than remember it when elections come around
Are you serious. You make billions of dollars a year and now you want to raise the prices on the people that can’t afford the prices as they are now anybody who allows this to go through should be voted out of office and made to pay the bills that other people can’t pay maybe then we would actually get somebody in Congress that would wake up and realize that’s every there because we voted them in not because they’re entitled and getting kicked back from these big giants like AEP so that they don’t make them manage their money better.
These counties are the poorest counties around. And they’re going to raise the rates!!! We can barely afford the cost of them NOW!!!! I’m disabled and barely making it as it is
Quit giving away trees, scholarships, and such and help your customers. Greedy mismanaged company.
Harry it’s the old bait and switch trick works everytime
Is that what you do down at the welfare office?
Exactly
whatever happened to utilities being affordable to everyone not just the rich elites. This is ridiculous; some of the shareholders are probably sitting in Frankfort running the government. Utilities should not make profits over affordability. Our state government could put a stop to the price gouging but it not going to happen due to they are making money from it. sad and disgusting.
OH ! NAT GAS IS CHEAPER COAL !SOLAR AND WIND IS FUTURE ! YOU MISS OLE KING COAL KNOW ! PAY UP SUCKERS ! RUN OUT VOTE FOR THE IDIOTS AGAIN ?
Lil Ricky you do know the majority of your electricity still comes from COAL Ky Power owns 50% of the coal fired plant in WV Mitchel plant.