By Staff
Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
Two TVA rate increases totaling 11.19 percent will be passed on to Hartselle Utilities customers effective April 1, according to accounting manager Bob Sittason.
The adjustment includes a 7 percent increase in the base rate and a 4.19 percent increase in the cost of fuel adjustment (CFA) rate, which will be in effect during the second quarter of this year (April, May and June).
Sittason said on average the HU electric customer will pay $7.98 more per month in the second quarter than they paid during the same period a year ago. The average is based on the consumption of 1,101-kilowatt hours (kWh) of power in a month. Of the total, $4.65 comes from the base rate increase and $3.33 from the CFA rate hike.
TVA’s board of directors approved the 7 percent wholesale base rate adjustment on Feb. 15. This was done to help pay for new power generation and energy efficiency initiatives that it estimates will be necessary to meet the growing demand for power in the seven-state TVA region. The CFA adjustment was driven by extended drought conditions in the TVA region, which forced TVA to purchase large quantities of electricity in the open market to meet customer demand.
HU’s board of directors approved a pass-through of the rates to its customers at a meeting on Feb. 25.
To help customers conserve energy in the home, TVA is offering a free energy right home-E-Valuation audit. This survey can be completed online at www.energyright.com or customers can call HU at 773-3340 and a paper copy of the audit will be mailed to you. Residents who complete the surveys will receive a detailed report with suggestions on ways to save energy and money. Also, those who compete the audit before June 1 will receive a free energy efficiency kit, which includes compact fluorescent light bulbs, gasket seals fort outlets, water-saving faucet arrestors and a filter whistle that whistles when it is time to change the heating and air system filter.