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.
Related News
Calgary's electricity use soars in frigid February, Enmax says
CALGARY - February was so cold in Calgary that the city used enough extra energy to power 3,400 homes for a whole year.
Enmax Power Corporation, the primary electricity utility in the city, says the city 's energy consumption was up 22,000 megawatt hours last month compared with Februray 2018.
"We've seen through this cold period our system has held up very well. It's been very reliable," Enmax vice-president Andre van Dijk told the Calgary Eyeopener on Friday. "You know, in the absence of a windstorm combined with cold temperatures and that sort of thing, the system has actually held up pretty…
