Coming on the heels of two major Arizona Public Service-led bills signed into law this week that organizations, including the Arizona Public Interest Research Group, opposed, APS provided notice yesterday that it intends to apply for a rate increase on or about June 13, 2025.
“As APS continues to strongly advocate for policies that are likely to burst financial gains for shareholders, the household budgets of many APS ratepayers are being busted”, stated Diane E. Brown, Executive Director of the Arizona PIRG Education Fund.
Brown said that APS is entitled to recover prudent costs and acknowledges load growth, supply chain shortages, and other factors are legitimate components of a rate case; however, she noted that APS shareholders have yielded hundreds of millions of dollars in profits to the detriment of their customers and need to be reigned in with expenses to ensure rates are “just and reasonable.” To protect ratepayers, especially those already struggling, the Arizona PIRG Education Fund urges APS to “ask for what they need, not what they want.”
APS’s rate application includes their intent to propose a Formula Rate mechanism, a mechanism that the Arizona PIRG Education Fund, AARP Arizona, Residential Utility Consumer Office, and others have cautioned have worked well for shareholders, but not ratepayers, in other states. In the APS filing, they mention the potential benefits of an annual rate adjustment but fail to spell out the potential downfalls.
APS states that it will also propose modifications to high load customers, including data centers, to make sure they are “apportioned fairly and in a manner that does not place undue financial burden on residential and small business customers.” Brown said APS should follow the lead of Salt River Project, who worked with the Arizona PIRG Education Fund and other entities in their recent price process, to ensure large load customers are paying their own way.
Brown said the Arizona PIRG Education Fund is encouraged to see the utility continue to recognize the importance of limited-income programs and applauds the reception to input and related advancements APS has made when it comes to customer service, education, and outreach, noting there is always room for additional improvements to be made.
The Arizona PIRG Education Fund intends to analyze the rate filing upon APS’ submission to the Arizona Corporation Commission. APS requests that its application be approved for new rates to become effective no earlier than July 8, 2026.
ANOTHER increase? Well why the hell not?
Utilities like APS are government granted monopolies and are guaranteed a rate (not an amount) of return on their investment. Shareholders earning $millions means nothing, it’s the percentage of return that matters. If that percent is not sufficient to cover new regulations, maintenance and technology improvements, investors will leave and the company will collapse and liberals can have their dream – “Back to the Cave, White Man”.
Something seriously needs to be done to reign in these consistent rate increases! With no additional electricity usage, my APS bill has increased $70 per month since last year. Now they want another increase? Something smells very fishy in Denmark…..or should I say, Phoenix!
Read the post by RetiredAZLEO below. That person expects you to subsidize his solar panels. The utility will do whatever they are told to do, but it comes with a cost.
If it wasn’t for our worthless RINO’s on the Corp Commission they might actually be told No! APS doesn’t need any more of our money!!! It’s a total SCAM, I’m paying more with these solar panels than I was without them. I’m building a coalition of like minded people to make sure we elect a Corporation Commission that doesn’t give APS every penny they want. So they can bonus their CEO another 12 million.
“I’m paying more with these solar panels than I was without them”
Duh – the cost to convert energy from sunlight is one of the most expensive ways possible. Energy cost is really very simple. The cost to convert plus cost of distribution. If you’re trying go get electricity out of the sky- guess what – you’ll pay for it. Are you expecting others to subsidize your foolish decision to go solar?
I may have mis-interpreted your post. If you mean APS having the solar farms and subsidies to solar panels, I agree and apologize for my terse response. I though you meant your personal solar panels.
My friend has some panels and APS only gives her$.03 per KWH while my average cost with off peak etc. plan averages $.17 per KWH. Solar is a scam and the objective is to be able to close coal plants and avoid constructing new power plants. Meantime those with panels are paying for them as their personal property.
APS > the company Arizonans love to hate.
So glad I left their ‘service’ area! My bills were outrageous, for a low-use apartment.