KWWL.com - News & Weather for Waterloo, Dubuque, Cedar Rapids & Iowa City, Iowa | Electricity rates going up in Waverly

Electricity rates going up in Waverly

WAVERLY (KWWL) -- Residents of Waverly are going to see their electric bills go up starting February 1, 2010.

The Waverly Light and Power Board approved a 4.5% rate increase today. 

Waverly Light and Power the entire increase is due to rising generating and transmission costs.

They say generation and transmission costs make up 41% of their 2010 operating expenses.

WLP has been buying energy under an agreement priced in 1997.

Gene Drape, Waverly Light and Power Board Chair says, "We have been preparing for these generation and transmission cost increases and have tried to lessen the impact on customers by implementing small incremental rate increases for the last few years."

Diane Johnson, General Manager at Waverly Light and Power says a skipped rate increase due to the floods of 2008 is part of the reason for the larger increase this time around.

Letters will be mailed to each customer laying out how this rate increase will impact them.

They say customer bills will continue to include an energy cost adjustment which covers generation and transmission costs that cannot be anticipated.  The adjustment varies each month and can be a charge or a credit to customers.

Customers can influence this cost by lowering their overall energy usage and say one of the most effective ways to do that is by participating in energy efficiency programs which include rebates, educational tools, energy audits, energy efficient building techniques, and more.

To see the energy efficiency offerings and the detailed rate schedules, visit their website at www.waverlyia.com or call them at 319-352-6251.

Online Content Manager: Eric Page