SCOTT CITY – Wheatland Electric Cooperative Inc. is preparing customers for an upcoming higher electricity bill due to the unprecedented, region-wide energy crisis the week of Feb. 13-18 caused by the cold weather.
A news release from the cooperative notes that February’s history-making temperatures led to history-making conditions across the electric grid. Due to a shortage of natural gas, high electricity demand, and transmission overload coupled with low wind energy production, for the first time in its 80-year history, the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) had to direct rolling short-term electricity interruptions across its 14-state area.
The combination of lower supply and higher demand resulted in record high electric and natural gas prices.
“While Wheatland Electric does not yet know all the costs associated with this extreme weather event, it recognizes its members are concerned about receiving an electric bill that is higher than usual,” the statement continues.
Wheatland Electric is looking at ways to mitigate the impact these increased gas prices will have on customers future electric bills. Cooperative officials apologize for the potential hardship this will cause, the release said. “Wheatland Electric will work diligently with their members during these unprecedented times to limit the financial impact.”
This is a continually evolving situation and more will be learned in the coming days and weeks, officials stated. Wheatland Electric will continue to keep customers updated.
Follow Wheatland on social media and continue to check its website, www.weci.net, for updates.
Energy conservation remains important to reducing your electric bill
SCOTT CITY – Wheatland Electric would like to urge their members to continue to conserve energy through the remainder of February. Wheatland Electric bills members for the electricity used from the first of the month until the end of each month. The current high wholesale energy prices expected will be averaged across the entire month, therefore, the more energy conserved over the next six days, the more you will be able to mitigate the effects on your upcoming bill.
There are several components to your electric bill:
• Service Availability Charge: This is a monthly minimum charge designed to pay a portion of the fixed costs of providing electric service regardless of energy used. These costs include transmission and distribution lines, substations, transformers and equipment, along with other administrative and general costs.
• Energy Charge: This is the amount you are charged for each kilowatt used. These costs reflect Wheatland’s tariffs. Tariff charges (which make up approximately 40% of this amount are for Wheatland’s delivery of electricity), and the wholesale price of electricity (the approximate 60% of the remaining amount) are included in this charge.
• Power Cost Adjustment (PCA): In the energy charge there is a base charge for wholesale power for each kWh consumed. When Wheatland receives the wholesale power bill from Sunflower each month, the entirety of all costs is averaged for the month to calculate the PCA. If the average cost is above the base charge, there is a PCA charge per each kWh on your electric bill. If the average costs are below the base charge, there is a PCA credit per each kWh on your electric bill.
Over the last several months the PCA on your electric bills have been a negative number due to the low price of natural gas. The winter weather event, Uri, that occurred the week of Feb. 13-18, required Sunflower Electric Power Corporation to purchase natural gas at record high costs. These prices will be reflected in the PCA on your February bill that you will receiving in March.
Wheatland urges their members to continue to conserve energy through the remainder of the month. The more energy conserved, the more you will be able to mitigate the effects on your upcoming bill, which is directly impacted by the Power Cost Adjustment. For a list of the various ways to conserve energy, visit www.weci.net.
Wheatland Electric will be working on ways to assist the membership with the expected high electric bills. More information will be provided in the coming days. Follow Wheatland on social media to stay informed or visit www.weci.net.
