Keeping Cool Will Cost More

A price hike is arriving in the mail for customers of Public Service Company of Oklahoma.  The June bills will have an increase on them that is three times the increase last year.  The News On 6's Emory Bryan reports PSO says the hike is the result of an unprecedented increase in their cost of doing business.

Celester Thompson has found a cool spot on her porch.  That's good because it saves on her air conditioning and she already can't afford her electric bills.

"It's going up more and more, so that's going to make a lot of people do without a lot of things.  They're already doing without medical," said Celester Thompson.

And now her cost, and everyone else's, is going up.  PSO is passing along their increasing cost of making electricity.

"The cost of natural gas to fuel our power plants has increased by 40% in the last year, that's almost historic.  So, we've asked the corporation commission to allow us to adjust customer bills to reflect those higher costs," said PSO's Andrea Chancellor.

PSO says a customer with a modest home using only about 1,000 kilowatt hours a month, will see an increase of about $18 dollars a month.  PSO says the price increase is a direct result of the rising cost of natural gas.

"So the bill that our customers get for June will show that higher cost," said PSO's Andrea Chancellor.

Mrs. Thompson relies on a higher power more than electrical power, so she's not too worried about the electric bill.

"You just have to go along with it.  What can you do? It don't do any good to complain because complaining won't help," said Celester Thompson.

Last year at this time bills increased by about $6 dollars a month.

PSO's rates are reviewed by the state, but typically approved because the power company is passing along their cost of buying gas, not increasing the other rates they charge.