AUSTIN, Texas —
Austin Energy customers will see an increase on their bills starting Tuesday.
The company is enacting a 3-year rate increase after record-breaking heat this past summer. On average, most customers will see about a $15 increase on each bill.
This price increase was voted on and approved by the Austin City Council in October to go into effect starting Nov. 1.
The rate increase that customers will see is specifically for the power supply adjustment and regulatory charges. The increase of these two metrics will go to recover money that Austin Energy spent during the summer to cover the increased demand and price of natural gas.
Typically, the rate is adjusted before the winter season arrives. But this year is seeing a larger increase due to the larger cost Austin Energy paid during the summer months.
This year's summer was one of the hottest on record for the city, and officials with Austin Energy say overall energy usage was up by about 14%. Austin Energy Spokesperson Matt Mitchell said it's important for the company to recuperate the money that was spent in the summer to cover the increased costs and to continue serving their customers moving forward.
"The most important thing is that Austin Energy continues to reliably serve our customers in the greater Austin area. We are a publicly owned utility [and] we don't have any other way of generating revenues other than these cost recoveries by way of our rates," Mitchell said.
For this coming winter season, Mitchell recommends conserving energy by installing LED lights and putting your holiday lights on a timer. Additionally, regulating your home's temperature could help keep costs down.
"Lowering that thermostat by a few degrees or not running it as much as you can at the back system is typically the biggest energy drain in any household," Mitchell said. "So, the more you can regulate that in other ways as opposed to the thermostat, going very hot or very cold is going to make the biggest impact on your bill."
Mitchell added that customers should check to make sure their home is insulated to ensure that cold air isn't entering their home when they need it most.
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