93-3-3-WMR Audio on Demand presents the Preston and Steve show podcast.

And now, Preston and Steve's news update with Kathy Romano.

Today is Wednesday, June 1st.

Good morning, Kathy.

Good morning in the news this morning.

Today, electricity rates in Pennsylvania will increase by up to 46%.

Yes. Yeah, good. Charges are rising now largely because of higher energy costs are driving up the cost of

energy. Energy charges which make up about half of a typical residential electric bill are set to climb

as much as 46% in some parts of the state, according to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.

Now, the smallest increase in the state will actually be in Philadelphia, where the average PICO customer will see an 8.1% increase.

Customers of PPL Electric, which serves Lehigh Valley, parts of Chester, Montgomery, and Bucks County can expect to pay 38% more. For a customer using a thousand

kilowatt hours a month, that's an increase of $34.30 on a bill. You know, Kathy, I've been

able to reduce my cost by running an extension cord to my neighbor's outdoor outlet.

Okay. And I'm saving big. Wow. The quarterly price changes go into effect today, June 1st, which means customers will face

bigger bills during the summer cooling season when annual electricity consumption peaks.

Now, in New Jersey, it's a whole different story.

Most residential customers in the Garden State will experience reductions ranging from 1.1%

to 2.8% when annual price changes go into effect today.

That's because they can't pump their own gas.

Is that what it is? That's where they're saving.

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities conducts energy auctions annually in February for the state's four electric utilities.

A large amount of New Jersey's utility purchases were locked in under a three-year contract signed in 2020 and 2021 when prices were lower, cushioning customers from current soaring costs.

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