CPS ENERGY RATE INCREASE GOES INTO EFFECT MARCH 1
Resources offered to customers to estimate and save on their bills
March 1, 2022 (SAN ANTONIO) – Beginning today, CPS Energy customers can expect to see a 3.85% base rate increase on monthly bills. However, assistance and resources are available to offset the increase or help customers reduce their energy use and save on bills.
As part of the rate case, CPS Energy raised the discount provided to more than 51,000 existing customers in its Affordability Discount Program (ADP) from $12.30 to $16.14 to offset the rate increase for low-income customers. The energy company also committed to adding 14,000 more customers to the program. In less than one month after the San Antonio City Council approved the rate increase in January, approximately 5,000 new eligible customers have been added to ADP. Outreach continues to make customers aware of the program.
Other tips to save money on monthly bills include viewing energy usage in near real-time through the My Energy Portal feature in Manage My Account, the utility’s online free account service. Customers can see energy use down to 15-minute increments as recently as the day before. The portal provides customers the opportunity to track energy with behaviors and activities to make changes instead of waiting for the final bill. It also includes a library of 100-plus energy-saving tips that customers can customize by providing information about their home.
For the average residential customer, the rate increase could add $3.84 to the monthly bill. Recovery of $418 million in paid legitimate fuel costs incurred during Winter Storm Uri would add approximately $1.26 per month in the fuel adjustment portion of a customer’s bill, spreading the costs over 25 years. Combined, the total rate increase costs would be approximately $5.10 for the average electric and natural gas residential customer.
Customers can find these charges on their monthly bill in the Service Availability Charge and Energy Charge sections for both electric and natural gas. The winter storm fuel costs will be included in the Fuel Adjustment Charge, which fluctuates monthly with the cost of fuel. For information on how to read and understand the bill, visit the Understanding Your Energy Bill page on the CPS Energy website.
Customers can see the potential impact to their individual bill based on their normal energy usage by using a bill estimator available for residential and small commercial customers. Energy advisors are also available at (210) 353-2222 to assist customers with any questions they may have concerning their bills.
As a reminder, the four key drivers included in the 3.85% rate increase include investments in:
Infrastructure Resiliency – power generation and distribution projects to support operations during extreme weather
Technology – design future technology platform to replace 20-plus year-old system
Growth – keep up with the community’s continued strong growth
People – retain and hire qualified employees needed to serve customers.
For more information about the rate increase, visit the CPS Energy website.
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About CPS Energy
Established in 1860, CPS Energy is the nation’s largest public power, natural gas, and electric company, providing safe, reliable, and competitively-priced service to more than 884,811 electric and 366,709 natural gas customers in San Antonio and portions of seven adjoining counties. Our customers’ combined energy bills rank among the lowest of the nation’s 20 largest cities – while generating $8 billion in revenue for the City of San Antonio for more than seven decades. As a trusted and strong community partner, we continuously focus on job creation, economic development, and educational investment. We are powered by our skilled workforce, whose commitment to the community is demonstrated through our employees’ volunteerism in giving back to our city and programs aimed at bringing value to our customers. CPS Energy is among the top public power wind energy buyers in the nation and number one in Texas for solar generation.
