BOISE, Idaho — Idaho residents should expect to see their power bill increase this month.
The bump comes as the Idaho Public Utilities Commission approved two rate changes. One will decrease costs but the other raises them more making the jump expected around 10%.
Local utility assistance programs like El-Ada Community Action Partnership (EACAP) have seen increases in need over the past few years and are expecting more to come.
“Last year I think we helped over 2,000 people with just crisis payments and then this most recent year we are a little over a thousand and expecting more,” said Kayla Hall, deputy director for EACAP. “We help over 6,000 residents per season with energy with those energy bills for gas and power two.”
RELATED: Idaho Power rate increases coming in June
Some Boise residents feel the uptick comes at a hard time for Idahoans as there are across the board spikes in prices.
“With the price of groceries, gas, pretty much everything. You know, we’re not going out to eat right now really. You know, going to the grocery store we are trying to figure out exactly what's going to get us through the week,” said Andrew Ellison, Boise resident.
The Idaho Public Utilities Commission says the increase is needed to cover expenses and that they're not actually making a profit off of it. Ellison still feels the jump comes at a hard time.
"I've been a realtor for two years. Before that, I was in food delivery and sales and so I saw a lot of small businesses go out of business. A lot of big businesses were hurting through that trying to pinch pennies and figure out how to survive," said Ellison. "Give us a year, maybe two. See if something changes that's what I'm hoping and asking for."
For more information on utility assistance and EACAP, click here.
