Running central air conditioning or pool pumps could lead to a bigger Xcel Energy bills under new tiered rates that will charge big residential electricity consumers more during the summer.
The Public Utilities Commission Wednesday approved the two-tiered rate as part of Xcel’s $128.3 million rate increase.
“For years, consumers have advocated ‘the more you use, the more you pay’ for electricity,” PUC Chairman Ron Binz said in a statement. “Today, we’re making that slogan a reality.”
Under the plan between June and September, Xcel’s 1.1 million residential customers will be charged a lower rate for the first 500 kilowatt-hours and higher rate all electricity above that amount.
The commission’s written order, with the details of the rates, will not be issued for a few weeks.
It appears that the difference between the blocks will be about 3 cents a kilowatt-hour, according to Bill Levis, director of Colorado Office of Consumer Counsel.
The typical residential customer uses about 687 kilowatt-hours a month during the four-month summer period, according to the utilities commission.
![[prison 19] Caption: This is Cellhouse 1, Pod A, from ground level inside the Sterling Correctional Facility which is located outside of Sterling, Colorado Thursday afternoon. Photographer: LEW SHERMAN Title: FREELANCE Credit: SPECIAL TO THE POST City: Sterling State: CO Country: USA Date: 19990617 ObjectName: prison 19 Keyword: PUBDATE____1999_06_22](/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/20151207__denverpostp1.jpg?w=538 "20151207__denverpost~p1.jpg")
