Energy efficient consumers should not have to pay surcharge

The West Virginia Citizen Action Group and Energy Efficient West Virginia and the Consumer Advocate Division of the Public Service Commission want electric companies to give customers a break on such things as purchases of energy efficient lights, appliances and air conditioning systems.

That’s all well and good, but it can come at a cost. MonPower spokesman Todd Meyers said his company offers two incentives in West Virginia: helping out low-income residents pay their bills and rebates to businesses that install high-efficiency lighting equipment.

But to pay for these programs, according to Meyers, West Virginia customers pay a surcharge of 10 cents per month. In other states with additional energy efficiency programs, customers spend upward of $2 to $4 extra per month.

“Should customers have to pay for other customers through a mandated surcharge on their utility bill?” Meyers asked.

Byron Harris, director of the PSC Consumer Advocate Division, said he would have the PSC remove surcharges.

“If (utilities) recover that as an expense through a surcharge on customers, they’re not actually investing (in energy efficiency.) They’re just billing you for it,” Harris said.

“In states where there are strong energy efficiency programs, it’s typically because the (regulators have) changed incentive structures to give the utility more of an incentive to invest in energy efficiency,” said Cathy Kunkel of Energy Efficient West Virginia.

Harris said the PSC should require a utility to create regulatory assets for energy efficiency and then be allowed to earn a rate of return on those assets rather than impose a surcharge on everyone.

Bottom line, customers should be rewarded for energy efficiency, not charged for it. This is something the Legislature and the PSC should work hard to resolve. In the end, the consumer could benefit by using less electricity.