PHOENIX — APS customers spoke out against a proposed rate hike at a meeting for public comment on Tuesday.
A request was filed by APS in October of 2022 with the Arizona Corporation Commission. The company says the process typically takes a year.
“Many families are already struggling to make ends meet, and an added financial strain would only worsen the hardships we face daily,” said a member of Chispa Arizona, DJ Portugal.
Some customers called in to give public comments, while others spoke in person.
Many said they are already worried about how they are going to pay their current bills.
“Lower the rate or what do we do,” said a member of Chispa Arizona Blanca Abarca. “Either we pay for the lights, or we pay for the bills, or we pay for food.”
ABC15 sat down with an APS representative ahead of Tuesday’s meeting.
“This rate case is primarily designed to align costs of what it takes to run and maintain our grid and reflect that in customers' rates,” said Ashley Kelly with APS.
APS says on average customers would see a 13.6% increase on their monthly bill, but really it depends on how much energy you use.
“The 13.6%, or roughly $18 a month, is for a customer that uses just over 1000 kilowatt hours a month,” said Kelly. “If you use less than that, you would have a smaller increase if you are a higher energy user you could see a higher increase.”
Tuesday members of the group Chispa Arizona came to the third of six planned public comment sessions.
The group is pushing against the proposed rate hike, many wanting to see more of an investment in renewable energy that will lower energy costs.
APS said this rate hike proposal is focused on delivering reliable and resilient energy.
ABC15 asked how this money would be used specifically to meet those goals.
“So a majority of the cost we are seeking to collect are for investments APS has already made, including investment in new solar facilities and battery storage, as well as day-in and day-out maintenance in poles and wire that we've replaced during storms or just typical maintenance,” said Kelly.
While leaders with Chispa AZ said some of those are good first steps, they believe it's far from enough.
They would like to see APS take a specific action, like retiring the coal-fired Four Corners Power Plant before its end date in 2031.
The group told APS "People need solutions that are affordable and clean".
Some even said they want APS to simply budget better.
“I mean public service utility company and we the customers the communities don't feel like they are being prioritized,” said Advocacy Deputy Director for Chispa AZ Vania Guevara.
As for a timeline, APS said next there will be a hearing in front of an Administrative Law Judge. That judge would then issue a recommended order and opinion. The request would then head to the ACC, and APS hopes the commission will vote on the proposed hike this December.
