The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) is continuing its investigation into rising bill costs of PPL Electric Utilities (PPL) customers as local residents take to social media to express frustration over prices.
Nils Hagen-Frederiksen, press secretary for the PUC, said last week that the agency is still receiving customer complaints for the investigation started Jan. 31 into the bill prices and the “accuracy and integrity” of PPL’s billing practices. The investigation was referred to the PUC’s independent Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement, which enforces the state public utility code and PUC regulations.
Some customers began receiving PPL bills in January that had costs more than double or triple normal prices. PPL blamed the discrepancy on a technical issue resulting in consumers seeing excessively high estimated bills.
Hagen-Frederiksen said the investigation continues to remain open, and the PUC’s Bureau of Consumer Services is continuing to work on assisting individual consumers who either call or submit electronic information to the Commission. He said the PUC is also encouraging customers to contact PPL with any concerns about the size and accuracy of their bills and to work with the utility to “explore options for corrected bills, payment options and financial assistance options.”
“Each investigation has its own unique circumstances and pace,” Hagen-Frederiksen said. “There is no specific timetable for this investigation, but the PUC’s independent Bureau of Investigation & Enforcement will conduct their review in a timely manner.”
PPL Response
PPL’s last price hike, which took effect Dec. 1, raised its electric supply rate to 14.61 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh), up from 12.36 cents. According to PPL, the 18% increase added about $22 per month to the typical residential customer’s bill.
PPL cited inflation, energy supply sources and supply chain issues as some of the reasons for the December rate increase. The Dec. 1 increase came after a 38% increase on June 1.
On Jan. 31, PPL issued a statement to its customers from its president, Steph Raymond, on the billing issue and its planned response.
Raymond said PPL “resolved the technical issue” that resulted in a “significant” number of electrical bills that were based on estimated electricity usage. The issue included bills sent from Dec. 20 through Jan. 9 and included historical usage that may have been higher or lower than the actual usage.
“You have a right to expect excellent service from your electric utility,” Raymond said in her letter. “We know that delivering reliable electricity – keeping the lights on for you – must be matched by exceptional customer service. In recent weeks, we’ve fallen short of this standard in both our billing and responsiveness to customers.”
PPL said it will not shut off power to residential and small-business customers for nonpayment through March 31 and it will also waive all late fees in January and February. Raymond said fees already charged to accounts will be waived and those already paid will show as credits to customer accounts.
Raymond said PPL is adding more agents to answer calls and reduce wait times, including self-service options available online at pplelectric.com/billhelp or by calling 1-800-DIAL-PPL.
Besides the billing issues, prices were further impacted by the cold weather that gripped the region through the Christmas weekend. PJM Interconnection, the electrical grid operator for Pennsylvania and other nearby states, had to enter emergency procedures because of the low temperatures and several generation outages.
In a preliminary examination of its operations in December, PJM said some underperforming electrical generators could face between $1 billion and $2 billion in fines.
“While we don’t control these energy supply costs, we are committed to doing what we can to help you in this challenging time,” Raymond said in her letter. “While estimated billing and higher prices are unrelated, together they have fueled a sharp increase in customer calls, resulting in long wait times for many who have tried to contact us. If you received an estimated bill or have had difficulty reaching our call center, I apologize. Simply put, you deserve better, and we are committed to regaining your trust.”
PPL, which delivers electricity to 1.4 million customers in 29 Pennsylvania counties, is a subsidiary of PPL Corp. and also provides electricity and natural gas to more than 3.5 million customers in three other states: Kentucky, Rhode Island and Virginia. PPL is Lancaster County’s primary electricity provider with about 227,000 customers.
Legislative Responses
Legislators from around the state commented on PPL’s bills to customers and the subsequent PUC investigation.
U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright of the 8th Congressional district in Northeast Pennsylvania issued a letter on Feb. 2 to Gladys Brown Dutrieuille, chair of the PUC, saying that his constituents reported that their electric bills had doubled or tripled based on estimated electricity usage and urging action by the commission. Cartwright said one constituent was billed $411.16 in January with a bill from the previous month of only $194.60, an increase of more than 100%.
“Ratepayers received these bills with no guidance or explanation from PPL regarding the increases, and their attempts to reach PPL were often met with excessively long phone holds/waits and/or less than helpful reactions from PPL,” Cartwright said in his letter. “One of my constituents reported being informed that there was a 90-minute wait time on the customer service line and requested a call back, which he never received.”
Locally, State Sen. Ryan Aument (R-36) addressed the billing issues in his weekly newsletter issued Feb. 10, saying the expansion of Pennsylvania’s energy infrastructure and “preserving the diverse mix of energy sources” in the state is one of his top priorities this year.
Aument said during the Christmas weekend cold snap, customers were told to turn down their thermostats and turn off holiday decorations to conserve power on the grid. He said power bills have spiked by nearly 40% in some areas of the state as “power companies faced pressure to shut down carbon-based energy plants.”
Aument said three years ago he formed a bipartisan, bicameral state legislative caucus focused on the economic and environmental benefits of maintaining a “diverse energy profile,” including nuclear, gas, renewables and coal. He said the final report showed that efforts to preserve energy diversity in Pennsylvania would “protect consumers from higher energy costs and spare us darkened holidays.”
“People should never have to suffer unreasonably high energy costs or unmet energy needs when both were preventable,” Aument said in his weekly newsletter. “Yet, because Pennsylvania’s diverse energy sources have been shunned rather than embraced, that’s exactly what happened this past Christmas.”
Representatives Bryan Cutler, Dave Zimmerman and Keith Greiner all highlighted a hearing of the House Republican Policy Committee on Feb. 6 to discuss the rising cost of energy in Pennsylvania. Industry testifiers, which included Kevin Sunday, director of government affairs for the PA Chamber of Business and Industry and Terry Fitzpatrick, president and CEO of the Energy Association of Pennsylvania, said that overregulation of the energy industry has driven up costs.
“Those testifying on behalf of the energy industry blamed overregulation for the high cost of doing business,” Greiner said in his weekly newsletter. “They also said that by focusing exclusively on environmental factors or sustainability, we lose sight of reliability and cost. They said that the demonizing of fossil fuels and suggestions of abandoning them threaten the dependability of our energy supply.”
Local Reactions
Social media was filled with comments from dissatisfied PPL customers, including several in Lancaster County.
Lititz resident Chris Shertzer wrote on Facebook in January that he was “livid” after receiving his latest electric bill. Shertzer said in 2022 he signed up for a program that took 3% off of PPL’s rate by using a third party, but his latest bill showed the rate went up 125% in January, double PPL’s current rate.
“How is this kind of price gouging legal?” Shertzer wrote. “My bill is over double what it usually is for this time of year!”
Conestoga resident Laken Rehm posted on Jan. 25 that she shut off her electric heat and her PPL bill is still $670.
“Who wants to yell at PPL for me?” Rehm posted.
Manheim resident Tracy Musser wrote on Jan 25 that her estimated electricity usage went from 549 kWh in 2022 to 3,218 kWh, a 486% increase. Musser said the average daily cost went from $2.74 in 2022 to $13.60 in 2023, a 396% increase.
“Alright PPL Electric Utilities, whoever is doing your estimating should probably check their math,” Musser wrote.
Any consumer who doesn’t believe PPL addressed their issues or believe that the utility has not responded appropriately to their situation is asked to contact the PUC’s Bureau of Consumer Services (BCS) at 1-800-692-7380.
Staff writer Michael Yoder is an award-winning journalist who has been honored with several Keystone Press Awards for his investigative pieces.
