Many Mainers will see their electric bills go up beginning next month.
For Central Maine Power customers, bills will rise by 12.5% beginning July 1, which equates to about $15.50 per month for the average residential customer.
Maine Public Utilities Commission Chairman Phil Bartlett said about a third of that increase will be used to recover so-called "stranded costs" tied to lost revenues from certain state policies, including net energy billing.
"And these are the community solar farms that you may be hearing about and seeing going up, all across the state. Those are effectively subsidized through your electricity rates. So as those projects are coming online, we're seeing stranded costs increase to cover the subsidy for those projects," Bartlett said.
Bartlett said that he expects to see another increase connected to stranded costs next year, but that prices should begin to level off after that. Bartlett said that the legislature has taken a number of steps to address the issue in recent years, including capping the size of the net energy billing program.
The hikes will also help to cover the cost of restoring power following several major storms.
Customers in Versant Power's Maine Public service district will see their rates climb about 6% next month, while customers in the utility's Bangor Hydro district will actually see their bill shrink very slightly.
Maine Public Advocate Bill Harwood said customers who are struggling to pay their bills should see if they're eligible for the state's Low Income Assistance Program, and make sure they're not spending more than the state's "standard offer" for electricity supply.
"There's no reason that any ratepayer should be paying more than 10.5 cents for retail supply," Harwood said. "If you see that on your bill, call the utility and switch back to standard offer."
