WARWICK – Small commercial customers will see their electric bills rise by between 0.2 and 4.1 percent on March 1, according to paperwork filed by National Grid with the R.I. Public Utilities Commission (PUC) Thursday.
Commercial customers using 500 kilowatt-hours a month would see their bills rise to $86.61 from $84.91 – or an additional $20.40 a year. Commercial customers using 1,000 kilowatt-hours a month would see bills rise to $164.87 a month, up from $163.56, or a $15.72 annual increase.
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The compliance filings come a week after the PUC took a series of votes that slashed the company’s requested rate increases for the cost of distributing electricity. The company initially proposed upping rates for small commercial customers, the so-called C-06 rate, by about 7 percent. National Grid proposed increasing rates for residential customers by 11.2 percent, a number the PUC lowered to 4.2 percent for the average residential customer using 500 kilowatts a month.
In a cover letter attached to the filing, National Grid lawyer Ronald Gerwatowski was sharply critical of the PUC decision.
“The company is not only surprised and disappointed by the result, but stunned by the magnitude of the cost disallowances,” Gerwatowski said.
Gerwatowski criticized the PUC for not allowing the company its requested increases, which National Grid said it needed to pay for a portion of employee salaries, pension costs and programs such as keeping tree limbs away from power lines. Gerwatowski said the ruling will force the company to re-evaluate its discretionary spending in the Ocean State and hinted that the company may look at layoffs to reduce costs and scale back the use of contractors.
“In this case, the commission cut so deeply into the company’s request that the company’s ability to maintain reliable service, cover its costs and make the investments needed to maintain high-quality electric service has been severely compromised,” Gerwatowski said.
Let’s see, National Grid’s response to not being allowed to rape us is to resort to threats. It’s high time National Grid saw it’s nearly 100% share of our distribution network shrink. They are expensive and their service is not all that reliable. My power flickers on and off at least once a month.