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The Pennsylvania PUC (Public Utility Commission) released a statement that the energy costs in Pennsylvania are set to rise as much as 50% in some parts of the state starting on 1^st December. The PUC said, “Most Pennsylvania regulated electric utilities are adjusting the price they charge for the generation portion of customers’ bills on December 1 for non-shopping customers, also known as the Price to Compare (PTC)”. The PTC averages 40% to 60% of the customer’s total utility bill. However, this percent varies by the utility and by the level of individual customer usage. Point to be noted that Pike County Light & Power serves approximately 4,800 customers in northeast Pennsylvania. It will experience the biggest surge in its PTCs, up from 6.5234 cents to 9.796 cents per kilowatt (kWh), which represents a spike of 50.2%.

The PPL Electric Utilities are based out of Allentown and encompasses parts of Bucks, Montgomery, and Chester Counties. The energy costs are slated to rise from 7.5 cents per kWh to 9.5 cents per kWh, or 26% at the PPL Electric Utilities. The PUC Chairman Gladys Brown Dutrieuille issued a statement and said, “The upcoming price changes, combined with falling temperatures, make this an important time for consumers and businesses to evaluate their energy options and explore ways to save money and energy in the coming months. We encourage consumers to carefully review their electric bills, understand the energy prices they will be paying if they stay with default service, and then explore the PUC’s official electric shopping website, PAPowerSwitch.com for details on competitive offers, along with tips for energy conservation and savings”.

The PUC spokesperson Nils Hagen-Frederiksen said, “All-electric distribution companies face the same market forces as PPL Electric Utilities. It’s all market forces right now. The director of environmental policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Jason Hayes recently blasted the Biden administration for its energy policies during an interview. He explained that he has trouble understanding why some Western leaders seem unable to grasp the importance of reliable, affordable energy and electricity for everyday citizens. Hayes said, “It seems like the only nations that understand that we require reliable, affordable dis-patchable energy is China and Russia. And they’re the only ones that are producing energy and they’re more than happy to hold that energy hostage for the rest of the world”. Point to be noted that the Biden administration canceled the Keystone XL pipeline and paused oil and natural gas leases on federal lands.