BEDFORD COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) – From gas prices to grocery stores, the prices of products and services are on the rise. This includes higher electricity bills.
Southside Electric Cooperative (SEC), which serves customers mainly in Bedford County and Campbell County, recently implemented a new rate structure. The new model has increased the bill of more than 600 customers, while reducing the bills of other customers by the same amount.
Customer Dan Audette in Bedford County moved to solar power to save on bills, but a recent change in electricity rates left him paying more. His bills have tripled since last year, because the SEC increased his application fees by nearly 3,000%.
However, its energy use decreased.
In addition to the higher bills, Audet explained that SEC pays him less for overproducing energy from his solar panels.
“They charge me less for what I put back into the grid, and then they charge me more for not using electricity,” Audette said. “This makes no sense, makes no sense at all.”
The utility company told Target 7 in a statement that the latest rate adjustments are designed to be revenue neutral for the co-op and fair to all customers. They did not make anyone available for an on-camera interview.
In the full Target 7 report Thursday evening, we’ll break down the price changes for customers and exactly how much customers with solar panels might pay.
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(Tags for translation)Southern Electric Cooperative
