Questions about WREA bills welcome

MEEKER I Did your January electric bill catch you by surprise? Several factors contributed to the increase in consumers’ January electric bills. On average White River Electric noticed about a 300 kwh increase in January’s residential electric consumption. This type of dramatic increase is typically a result of cold weather. Most homes simply use more electricity in cold weather months regardless of its heat source. Space heaters, electric tape and plugged-in vehicles contribute to significant increases in electric consumption.
White River Electric encourages all of its members to call the office at 970-878-5041 or stop by to review your individual electric bill. You may also go to the White River Electric website at wrea.org and log into Pay Online — ebill to access your account records. Your online individual account provides more information than just billing and may help each consumer better understand their electric use. Please do not hesitate to call White River Electric with any questions about how to access your online account.
White River Electric also encourages everyone to do a quick review of how they can best conserve their electric use. WREA’s website provides usage, comparisons and conservation information through the Save Energy and Money link. Every little bit of conservation can help reduce your monthly costs. In addition to a very cold January a rate increase went into effect on Jan. 1, 2013. The 2013 rate results in a $7 increase per 500 kwh of residential use. The 2013 rate increase is primarily a direct pass-through of wholesale power costs. Residential rates were increased by approximately 13.7 percent due to an increase in wholesale power costs from White River Electric’s power supplier, Tri-State Generation and Transmission, Inc., and an increase in White River Electric’s internal costs. While the cost of wholesale power seems to rise almost annually, this is only the second internal WREA rate increase in 20 years. White River Electric realizes that increasing costs, whether through consumption or rate increases, has a direct impact on each consumer’s monthly budget. White River Electric continues to work diligently to provide its member-consumers with safe and reliable electricity at the most reasonable cost possible. WREA welcomes every opportunity to help its members conserve and better understand their usage.