Thousands of Wyoming businesses see higher bills
Forest Wakefield, who runs the Log Cabin Motel in Pinedale with his wife, said the change has resulted in their motel's power bill going up two to three times what it was last year.
The Wakefields said they're worried this winter's electric bills will force them to close the motel until spring.
The billing change assesses additional fees on certain customers with higher power demands.
About 6,500 of Rocky Mountain Power's nearly 130,000 customers in Wyoming were affected by the new formula, according to Chris Petrie, secretary and chief counsel for the Wyoming Public Service Commission.
Rocky Mountain Power spokesman David Eskelsen said the change was needed to help pay for millions of dollars in new power generators and infrastructure.
Eskelsen acknowledged that some Wyoming power customers have seen "dramatic" changes in their power bills, but he said Rocky Mountain Power is working to help them find ways to lower their electricity usage.
In the Wakefields' case, conducting an energy audit might help the couple find ways to lower their energy usage, Petrie said.
But Wakefield said that's not practical for a motel.
"If you're running a hotel, you should tell your clients to not take a shower or use the water heater?" Wakefield said.
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Hydro One received permission to increase its delivery charge, retroactive to last year.
It says it needs the money to maintain and upgrade its infrastructure, much of which was installed in the 1950s.
The utility is notifying customers that new statements reflect higher delivery rates which were not charged in 2018 and the first half of this year, due to delay in receiving the OEB's permission.
The amount that customers' bills will increase by depends…
