Oklahomans aren’t the only ones complaining of never-ending rate hikes for electric utilities.
Having listened to stories of $700 electric bills, Missouri regulators now have to decide whether to grant a 14% rate hike increase to Evergy, the utility headquartered in Kansas City.
The utility wants authority from the Public Service Commission of Missouri to raise electric rates by 13.99%, giving the company nearly $104 million more a year in revenue, reported the Missouri Independent. The extra revenue would be on top of the $731 million in earnings Evergy recorded in 2023.
Last year was a time of anxiety for the 340,000 western Missouri customers after Evergy rolled out time-of-use rates, which meant that prices would be their highest when ratepayers used the most electricity.
The Independent reported regulators held a series of public hearings where some were opposed to the rate hike, such as Kelly Smith, “As people do we pick between: are we eating,or are we paying our power bill?—My bill is just shy of $300. I work all the time. I’m hardly ever home. … My thermostat is set to 75 degrees.”