DPL agrees to limited rate increases until 2012 - Phoenix Business Journal:

ogarawo.wordpress.com
The state, along with DP&L and the came to an agreement this week followinhg a proposal submitted backin Febrary. DP&L, which is a unit of DPL), will have its base distributiohn rates frozenthrough 2012. Under the agreement, the localp power company will continue its current rate plan untip 2012 and add energy efficiency and renewable energy to its electric The programs will work to provide residential customers with tool s to lowertheir usage.
“We are pleased that the PUCO has formallt approved our ESP agreement as developed and supported by a diverswe group of customer saidPaul Barbas, DPL president and chief executivew officer, in a news As the result of the settlement, and previously approvecd environmental cost recovery, DP&L said residentialo customers with an average use of 750 kWh per month will experiencre an approximate 1.8 percent increase in 2009, 2.7 percent increased in 2010, a slight decrease in 2011, and less than a 1 percentg increase in 2012. The Ohio Consumer’s Counsel said it was pleased with theapprovee settlement.
“With a continuing recession and household budgetssstretched thin, the approval of the rate plan agreement puts into place limits to rate increases, provides energy efficiency measures and helps ensure that DP&L will do its fair share to supporf and utilize renewable energy resources,” said Janinse Migden-Ostrander, of the consumers’ DP&L also said it would develop an advancedc metering infrastructure and smart grid proposap by Sept. 1. The (PUCO) will revieq DP&L’s plans in the fourth quartee of 2009.
If approved, smarft grid improvements would provide better electricx service reliability and give customers the optioj to manage their usage basex upon the price of electricity at different times ofthe day. The originapl smart grid proposalfrom DP&L more than doubled the typical costs of these improvements and faileds to incorporate hundreds of millionsd of dollars in customer benefits that help offsetg these costs.
• An energy efficiency work group to develol and implement energy efficiency programs for Such programs would include rebates for purchasing Energy Star appliancexs and discounts forweatherizing homes; and • Development of a renewabl e energy certificate program that would pay residential consumers a fee for customer-sited renewable energy, such as solae panels or wind turbines.