State utility regulators voted Thursdsay to postpone and investigate Pennsylvania American Water Co.’s fourth request for higher rates since 2020.
The Public Utility Commission voted 5-0 to suspend the utility’s Nov. 14 request for higher water and sewage disposal rates.
Pennsylvania-American wants higher rates that would raise the typical bills of:
- Residential customers to $95.27 a month from $81.55, or 16.8%.
- Commercial customers to $445.61 a month from $379.78, or 17.3%.
- Industrial customers to $9,759.49 a month from $8,639.78, or 13%.
Rates for sewage disposal, which the utility refers to by the more generic term wastewater, would go up for:
- Residential customers to $119.50 a month from $109.50, or 9.1%.
- Commercial customers to $532.62 a month from $498.78, or 6.8%.
- Industrial customers to $15,213.96 a month from $14,415.29, or 5.5%.
Three hikes, bigger bills
Previous rate hikes that took effect in 2021, 2023 and 2024 almost doubled the water bills of typical residential customers, according to the water company’s PUC filings.
Pennsylvania-American wants higher rates to spend up to $1.2 billion upgrading its distribution system by June 30, 2027. Without higher rates, the company won’t make enough profit to attract more money for upgrades, the utility’s request says.
The utility wanted the higher rates to go into effect on Jan. 13. With the suspension, the PUC has until Aug. 13 to decide.
In July 2024, the PUC approved $99.3 million in higher revenues - $88.1 million for water, or 10.74%, and $11.2 million for sewage disposal, or 6.47% more. The company asked for about $202.4 million more so the final hike was about half the original request. In most places, that rate hike went into effect in August 2024.
In the latest request, the utility asks for rates that would raise $168.7 million more in revenue, about 14.6% more overall — $152.4 million for water, about 16.1% more, and $16.3 million for sewage disposal, about 7.8%.
Lots of customers affected
The PUC says Pennsylvania-American serves about 682,000 water customers and 97,000 sewage disposal customers in 37 counties. The company says the customers represent 2.3 million people.
The utility is the state's largest.
