Questions remain one year after customers began receiving inaccurate bills — and in some cases, no bills at all — from their electric utility company.
PPL, the electric utility company serving much of Central and Northeast Pennsylvania, says it has resolved issues that caused billing errors in late 2022 and early 2023. But a proposed settlement by Allentown-based PPL and the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) has not yet been accepted.
By February, the state utility commission, which has jurisdiction over utility companies, began an investigation into PPL’s billing inaccuracies. The PUC found that about 48,000 accounts saw increases of more than 50% reflected in their bills, with some 260,000 total bills showing estimated electricity usage 10% or higher than normal.
In late November, state utility investigators, along with PPL, proposed a settlement of $1 million in civil penalties and more than $16 million in other costs, including waived payments and late fees for PPL customers. A spokesperson for the PUC said Wednesday the decision to accept the penalty is “still pending.”
State Rep. Jim Haddock, representing parts of Lackawanna and Luzerne counties, sent a letter Dec. 15 to Pa. PUC Chair Steve DeFrank, urging the agency to allow the public to have a say in the proposed settlement.
“The proposed settlement… does not go far enough to remedy the financial hardship that was borne by so many Pennsylvanians,” Haddock wrote.
Starting on Jan. 16, 2023, “my district office was overwhelmed with calls from constituents regarding their unusually high PPL bills,” Haddock’s letter says, adding many people could not reach PPL representatives via customer help lines.
Haddock said his office has upcoming discussions planned with both PPL and the state utility commission.
In response to the PUC’s investigation and subsequent penalty recommendations, PPL issued a statement: “We understand how frustrating these billing issues have been for customers and appreciate their patience and understanding as we worked to resolve them. Customers impacted by the billing event are receiving timely and accurate bills.”
