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PUC: Wholesale Increases Causing Some Electricity Rates To Rise Significantly

By Tony Romeo

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The Public Utility Commission is again reminding consumers with alternative electric suppliers to check their contracts because increases in the wholesale market price for energy are causing some rates to double and triple.

At the end of January, the PUC issued a warning about increases on the wholesale market.

Spokeswoman Jennifer Kocher says since then, "in just one week, we received 175 complaints from customers expressing concern over their electric bills, and saw their kilowatt-hour price increase, in some cases two and three times."

The issue for customers with a competitive supplier is that you may be on a variable rate plan, or the fixed rate contract you signed when supplier competition began may have expired, and you may have been moved into a variable rate plan.

Kocher says contact your supplier and check your contract status. You can shop for a new plan at the PUC's website.

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