Rate Increase Approved
COMPANY NEWS
Elmhurst Mutual Power and Light (EMP&L) announces a rate increase (5/2023) —
EFFECTIVE June 1, 2023
As the Owners of Elmhurst Mutual are our customers, we should all be proud that our power rates have remained as among the lowest in the United States. In January of 2023, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported the average residential rate per kwh in the United States as 14.26 cents. The average residential rate per kwh in Washington State is 9.76 cents, a 5.5% increase over last year. Our customer owned Elmhurst Mutual was approximately 6.1 cents, far below the National, State average, and below ALL the nearby utilities.
The decision to adjust rates for 2023 wasn’t taken lightly. The EMP&L Board voted on the rate adjustment during the monthly meeting on May 8th, 2023. “In 2022 the organization worked diligently to keep our costs low for our community, however inflation in the costs from our suppliers, coupled with scarcity of equipment and parts has increased the cost of doing business. As an organization we are NOT for profit, but we must collect the funds to pay for the increases in these costs,” Bryan Bertacchi, General Manager, said Tuesday. He added, “This moderate increase in our rates will help us keep up with the inflation that we continue to see in our community”.
After careful consideration, our Board has approved a modest increase of 5% overall in the rates, compared to much larger increases by our suppliers and other 3rd party costs. By June 1, 2023, the typical average monthly bill will increase from $83 to $88. The Elmhurst website will be updated by 5/27 to provide details of the increased rates.
Additionally, the mandatory Washington State Utility Tax will be added to your bill as of July 1st. This is a tax of 3.87%. Information on this tax can be found at the Washington State Website (Washington State Mandatory Utility Tax)
