Electric rates to rise 12.1 percent first of year

Dec 20 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - G. Wayne Miller The Providence Journal, R.I.

The state Public Utilities Commission has approved a rate increase for customers who buy electricity from National Grid. The board on Friday completed action that will see rates rise 12.1 percent for the typical Rhode Island household, starting on Jan. 1.

The "overwhelming majority" of the increase, the utility said, comes from a rise in the cost of wholesale production of electricity -- costs that National Grid does not control and which bring no profit to National Grid.

The 12.1-percent increase includes a minimal increase in the energy efficiency charge that the utilities commission also approved. Starting on the first of the year, the typical Rhode Island household's monthly bill is projected to rise from $78.91 to $88.47, an increase of $9.56, the company said.

www.projo.com

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