NEWS RELEASE:
The Public Service Commission of West Virginia wants customers to be prepared when they receive their next round of utility bills.
Electric Bills
Under normal circumstances, residential customers receive an electric bill that reflects their actual usage one month and an estimated bill based on last year's usage for the same time period.
In their efforts to restore service as quickly as possible following the June 29 storm, Appalachian Power, Monongahela Power, Potomac Edison, and Wheeling Power have all reported employees were taken off their regular duties, such as reading meters, to assist restoration crews in the field. As a result, more customers than normal will receive "estimated" rather than "actual bills" in the next billing cycle. Unfortunately, the estimated bills will not take into account that a customer may not have had utility service for a portion of the month for which the bill is estimated.
The PSC wants to assure customers that the bills will be accurate or "trued up" as of their next electric bill based on an actual reading. In other words, after paying an estimated bill and the next bill based on actual usage, a customer will have paid no more than what was used.
Water Bills
West Virginia American Water reports it was not necessary to take meter readers off their regular duties to assist with restoration activities, therefore they do not anticipate an increase in the number of customers receiving estimated bills this month. Those customers who experienced service disruptions and were without water should, all other things being equal, expect to see slightly lower bills due to decreased usage.
Telephone Bills
Commission Rules require telephone companies to pro-rate bills when service is interrupted for specified periods of time (according to the company's tariff) due to any cause other than the negligence or willful act of the customer. Telephone customers who were without service should contact their phone company to request a bill adjustment.
Gas Bills
Both Dominion Hope and Mountaineer Gas Company report there will be minimal changes with upcoming bills as a result of recent storm events. There is a possibility of up to three consecutive estimated bills in a row could be received by some customers in situations where meters were inaccessible or there were safety concerns for employees.
