Vermont regulators have allowed Hardwick Electric Department to impose a 14.11% surcharge while they investigate its rate increase, with an online public hearing scheduled for Nov. 17.
The Public Utility Commission's Sept. 25 order requires the same percentage surcharge for each customer class. The utility must refund any money collected above the amount regulators ultimately find reasonable.
Hardwick Electric filed the increase Aug. 14 for service beginning Oct. 1. Its filing seeks about $1.22 million in additional annual revenue, mainly for power supply, operating reserves, and operation and maintenance costs, according to its cover letter.
For a residential customer using 500 kilowatt-hours a month, the previous base and energy charges listed in the filing total about $103.11. Applying the 14.11% surcharge brings those charges to about $117.66, an increase of $14.55 before taxes or other charges. A kilowatt-hour measures how much electricity is used.
The commission opened its investigation after the Department of Public Service recommended further review. State law allows municipal and cooperative utilities to implement increases during an investigation, subject to refunds.
A 6:30 p.m. presentation on Nov. 17, hosted by the Department of Public Service, will let the utility explain the increase and answer questions. The public hearing follows at 7 p.m. on Microsoft Teams. The hearing notice provides the meeting link; callers can dial 802-828-7667 and enter conference ID 585801669#.
An Oct. 22 scheduling order sets Nov. 24 as the deadline to ask to participate as a formal party, a step called intervention. An evidentiary hearing is scheduled for June 29, 2027. Customers can follow case 26-1677-TF in ePUC, the state's public utility-records system.