Westar Energy to increase home and school rates, cut business rates

Westar Energy logo

? The Kansas Corporation Commission has granted an electric utility’s request for an increase in residential and school transmission rates, while cutting rates for most business consumers.

The Wichita Eagle reports that the new Westar Energy rates passed with minimal discussion at the commission meeting Thursday.

The rates will be temporary in the wake of a federal regulatory ruling that the company has been overearning on the transmission piece of its business. There will be bill refunds, but probably not for several months.

The new rates include a 31 percent increase in residential rates, about $4 per month for the average consumer. Schools would see a rate increase of 29 percent.

Small businesses will receive a 21 percent cut in their transmission charge, which is about a $31 decrease per month for the average user. The largest industrial and commercial customers will get about a 4 percent decrease, and midsize businesses will pay about 1 percent more.

A state law passed by the Legislature in 2007 gave the commission no choice but to approve the rate increase. The law requires the commission to automatically approve the company’s requests for transmission costs and profits every year as long as Westar calculates them correctly.

“This approval is subject to refund should an investigation by KCC staff determine the increase is excessive,” the commission said in a statement after Thursday’s vote.

The statement also said that commission staff would audit the company to ensure that the request is based on actual costs and applicable laws.