HARRISBURG PA – Objections to a newly approved Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) order that opponents claimed would force customers to pay higher rates for electricity by making some service plans more costly were lodged Friday (Feb. 15, 2013) by the state chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).
AARP Pennsylvania, which says it represents 1.8 million members, charged the PUC order will change current law that requires electric utilities to offer default rate programs to consumers who opt not to choose a specific provider.
Those rates, it said, involved a “prudent mix” of resources intended to provide adequate and reliable service at the least cost to customers over time. Its provisions, AARP added, were put in place to prevent customers from experiencing price spikes occurring in neighboring states.
It could not be determined Monday (Feb. 18) how, if at all, the PUC had responded.
More than 60 percent of households statewide reportedly purchase electricity through default rate plans. AARP claimed the PUC rules “represent an effort to drive consumers into open electricity markets by making legally-mandated default service plans less attractive for customers.”
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