In another whack to the old wallet, Montgomery County residents can (likely) expect higher electric bills this fall and winter as a higher per kilowatt hour (kWh) price rate goes live October 1st for Pepco’s “electricity supply rate, class R and class R-AE” (this is for properties / customers deemed residential and residential-all electric).
An intelligent and amiable poster on NextDoor.com did the work the “mainstream” local media refuses to do in explaining the coming rate hikes in plain English:
This 26% rate hike for electricity supply is on top of the WSSC rate hike request the Montgomery County Council “voted” to approve back in May, 2023.
Also, keep in mind that the County government is assessing an annual energy tax on everyone and every business. This tax money, in part, is then used to prop up the MoCo “Green Bank” – an entity that simply would not exist if it weren’t for your tax dollars being driven fund it. Much of this money is then sent to preferred corporations and “green” vendors and projects. See how the scheme works? You work and slave away and then pay — others prosper off your labor and the politicians take the credit. Look! A few apartments with solar! We are saving the planet!
This scheme also enables the County to apply its “energy tax” on the many Federal Government owned and leased buildings and installations in MoCo.
Back to the coming Pepco rate hike… a 26% jump in electricity supply rates are going to be a severe shock to many in the County, particularly retirees and those on fixed incomes. But, I suppose it could be even worse. Here is what the Maryland Office of People’s Counsel, Director of Consumer Services was warning consumers about back in August, 2023 (and seeking public comment on):
BGE is “Baltimore Gas and Electric”, so not Pepco and not servicing the Montgomery County populace but wow. A doubling of rates from 2010 levels for our Baltimore area brethren? This essentially means $100 in 2025-26 buys what $48-49 would have in 2010. You are essentially averaging 5% “energy distribution rate” inflation year after year after year. Not many people, middle or upper income or not, can keep up with that kind of punishing hyper-inflation.
Of course, you can simply just “get solar” like Marc Elrich has. He once claimed that “nobody remembers civilizations for their tax rates”. But then he proudly boasts in a recent video that “the federal and state tax credits for solar are really good.” Which is it? Tax rates don’t matter but tax credits do? Incoherent. And the price of solar installation is no simple outlay. You’ll pay for or finance thousands… and guess what is on the rise as well electricity rates? Yep. Consumer interest rates.
Per energysage.com:
As of September 2023, the average solar panel cost in Montgomery County, MD is $2.99/W. Given a solar panel system size of 5 kilowatts (kW), an average solar installation in Montgomery County, MD ranges in cost from $12,708 to $17,192, with the average gross price for solar in Montgomery County, MD coming in at $14,950.
All of this is a policy choice. “Under my plan … electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket.” That was Obama (and by extension Vice President Joe Biden) in 2008.
Cheers and positive “energy” to a warm, very mild and boring winter that allows all of us show a nice finger to the local politicians and state energy regulators that make life more and more unaffordable for regular citizens.
