A PSC spokeswoman stated commissioners couldn’t reply to town’s feedback, citing guidelines that prohibit commissioners from talking about regulatory choices for 10 days after the vote.
On vivid days, properties with photo voltaic panels typically do not use all of the electrical energy they generate and find yourself sending extra electrons again to the grid. Internet metering clients are credited at a better charge for extra electrical energy in comparison with non-participants, which may result in decrease electrical energy payments. However the pilot program carried out by the PSC in 2019 was restricted to five,000 contributors and has been full for the reason that summer time of 2021.
Though Georgia Energy has been increasing its personal photo voltaic capability, it has been strongly against providing web metering billing plans to many shoppers. The corporate says web metering clients profit from its grid, with out paying sufficient to keep up it.
On Tuesday, the PSC determined to not broaden the pilot, as a substitute selecting to extend the cost rooftop photo voltaic clients obtain from Georgia Energy for every kilowatt hour of extra power by 4 cents.
This 12 months, for the primary time, town of Atlanta formally participated in hearings about Georgia Energy’s electrical energy plans and charges. They joined a coalition of different cities — together with Savannah, Decatur and Athens-Clarke County — to supply remark and skilled testimony in assist of their power priorities, which differed in some key areas from of Georgia Energy.
Earlier than the vote, Mayor Andre Dickens wrote to the 5 elected members of the PSC, calling on the fee to undertake a number of of the coalition’s inexperienced power suggestions, together with eradicating the online metering cap.
Trying on the authorized charge plan as an entire, clients pays lower than they’d have underneath Georgia Energy’s preliminary request, which proposed elevating charges by $2.9 billion over three years. The authorized plan would additionally cut back the first-year charge affect on ratepayers by about $11, in comparison with the corporate’s request.
For approving the smaller charge enhance, Farley praised the fee.
“As power costs rise, we’d like to ensure they’re pretty inexpensive to our residents,” Farley stated. “We’re happy that the Public Service Fee has agreed to cut back the initially requested charge enhance, and to extend the senior citizen low cost.”
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