Some Bloomington residents are outraged about an electric price hike Duke Energy is proposing.
The Citizens Action Coalition hosted a town hall at the downtown Monroe County library to prepare for next week’s public hearing on the proposed rate increase.
A breakdown from the coalition shows rates increasing 33 percent or about $42 a month for a customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity.
If approved, Duke says a bill increase of 16 percent would be added to bills in two steps – 12 percent in 2025 and 4 percent in 2026.
Coalition Executive Director Kerwin Olson said the town hall is for residents to get information and to drive participation in the upcoming public hearing.
“Duke Energy Indiana by itself earned about $500 million in net income last year; corporate earning close to $3 billion. Meanwhile, hardworking working-class Hoosiers are struggling to make ends meet on a daily basis,” he said.
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Duke Energy said the last rate increase was in 2020 and another hike is needed for a stronger electric grid, environmental obligations, and more customer convenience.
Four public hearings are scheduled throughout the state. Bloomington’s hearing with utility regulators is Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Monroe Convention Center.
