INDIANA (WTWO/WAWV) – Duke Energy’s second rate increase request was approved by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC).
The 7.2% increase will begin this month and run through December of this year.
According to Angeline Protogere, a spokesperson with Duke Energy, this will average out to $11.71 per billing cycle.
This second request comes months after a 16% rate increase that went into effect in July and ran through September.
She explained this part of a quarterly request that is based on the fluctuating fuel costs.
“It is 7% over what customers are paying today because unfortunately what has been happening on the global market and on the domestic parts is we have seen a steady rise in fuel costs since the middle of 2021,” Protogere said.
This rate spike will affect bills in October, November, and December.
Protogere said Duke Energy understands that with the higher costs, some people may be unable to pay their electric bill.
“We urge customers who may be struggling to pay their bills to contact us. We have extended our interest-free payment plans for eligible customers to six months, we also have a program called ‘Share the Light’ that provides up to $300 in energy assistance to customers in need,” Protogere said.
To see if you qualify for energy assistance through “Share the Light”, you can do so by clicking here.
