WEST BOISE, Idaho — Your power bill may go up in 2025 — Idaho Power asked the Idaho Public Utilities Commission to approve a rate increase for all customers. The Commission held a technical hearing to decide if Idaho Power can increase their rates and by how much.
- Idaho Power's current request is to raise residential customer rates by 5.73% — that would mean an average increase of $5.86 per month.
- The request would also increase commercial customer rates by 5.61%-6.08% and farmers would see a 7.87% increase.
- If approved, customers would see a rate change starting Jan. 1, 2025.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
"Residential customers under the company's revised proposal would receive a rate change of approximately 5.73% if approved as we've requested," says Connie Aschenbrenner, the Rate Design Senior Manager with Idaho Power.
She tells me they're requesting a rate increase for all Idaho Power customers.
"You know, we take affordability seriously. We know that right now customers are experiencing increases in lots of aspects of their life. We also understand that electricity is a critical public service," says Aschenbrenner.
The average residential customer would see an increase of about $5.86 per month if Idaho Power's current request is approved.
The rate increase would also impact commercial customers and farmers each with different percentage increases.
"The company has been experiencing growth on our system, as well as costs associated with reliability upgrades and other investments that are needed really to ensure that we are able to continue to provide safe and reliable electric service on our system," says Aschenbrenner.
She tells me that the more than $83 million of extra revenue they'd bring in from the rate increase would go to improving infrastructure and balancing pressure from inflation.
"The commission does have flexibility when we are considering a rate increase," says Adam Rush, with the Idaho Public Utilities Commission.
He tells me a technical hearing works in a similar way to a court trial where three commissioners hear witness testimony and interested parties can question witnesses and examine evidence on the record, before the commission comes to a decision.
"The commission can approve the application in full. It can deny the application or what we call modified application, essentially giving them some of an increase maybe not the full amount, but there is flexibility in there," says Rush. "The mandate or mission is ensuring utilities charge rates that are fair, just and reasonable in exchange for offering safe and reliable service."
