Arizona Corporation Commission approves APS rate hike

The Arizona Corporation Commission voted to approve a rate hike for APS customers. It was approved 4-1 with Commissioner Anna Tovar as the sole “no” vote.

The increase took effect on March 8 and will increase rates by about $10 to 12 per monthly bill. The commissioners also voted to approve a controversial amendment adding a monthly charge of $2.50 to $3.00 for residential customers with rooftop solar systems. The extra fee will allow users to plug into the grid. Russ Wiles, a reporter at azcentral.com, joined Arizona Horizon to discuss it.

According to Wiles, APS is experiencing debt.

“The math is, they’re building the electrical grid around Arizona, a lot of growth, population, and business, and they borrow money for a lot of that.”

The rate increase is said to provide reassurance to APS investors that “they can borrow money on good terms,” said Wiles.

Although the additional fee imposed on solar system users might seem discriminatory, the commissioner contends that refraining from charging them could be perceived as discriminatory towards non-solar system users, meaning that solar system users weren’t paying for the full service that they were provided with.