Rate changes coming for Liberty customers

Liberty Utilities customers will definitely see rates go down starting May 1, but they may also go back up.

The 4.5 percent reduction starting in a month is a result of fuel costs going down.

However, the company that services the California side of the basin, Truckee and Alpine County in March asked the California Public Utilities Commission for a 5.27 percent increase to make up for “undercollected revenues due to the bad weather in January-February 2017 when energy use was down.”

The CPUC will determine the final rate increase assuming it is approved.

Residential customers will receive a $29.46 climate credit on their bills in April and October.

Per state regulations, investor-owned utilities like Liberty Utilities must file a general rate case every three years with the CPUC. Liberty last filed one in 2015, with the increase taking effect Jan. 1, 2017. This amounted to a 1 percent for residential and small commercial customers, with larger commercial entities getting about a 16 percent hike in rates.

Liberty officials are still working out the numbers to determine what amount of increase to ask for this year.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report