To Our Customers:
(company) is filing a request with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) to increase your (type of service) rates as of (date). This notice describes the company's rate request, the PUC's role, and what actions you can take.
(company) has requested an overall rate increase of $
___
per year. If the company's entire request is approved, the total bill for a residential customer using (state typical usage level) would increase from $
___
to $
____
per month or by.
__
%.
The total bill for a commercial customer using (state typical usage level) would increase from $
____
to $
__
per month or by.
__
%.
Rates for an industrial customer using (state typical usage level) would increase from $
__
to $
__
per month or by.
__
%.
To find out your customer class or how the requested increase may affect your (type of service) bill, contact (company) at (toll free phone number). The rates requested by the company may be found in (tariff number). You may examine the material filed with the PUC which explains the requested increase and the reasons for it. A copy of this material is kept at (company's) office. (For companies with annual revenues of more than $10 Million, ADD: "Upon request, the company will send you the Statement of Reasons for (tariff number), explaining why the rate increase has been requested.")
The state agency which approves rates for public utilities is the PUC. The PUC will examine the requested rate increase and can prevent existing rates from changing until it investigates and/or holds hearings on the request. The company must prove that the requested rates are reasonable. After examining the evidence, the PUC may grant all, some, or none of the request or may reduce existing rates.
The PUC may change the amount of the rate increase or decrease requested by the utility for each customer class. As a result, the rate charged to you may be different than the rate requested by the company and shown above.
There are three ways to challenge a company's request to change its rates:
Send your letter or request for a formal complaint form to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, Post Office Box 3265, Harrisburg, PA 17105-3265.
(When PUC Voice Processing System becomes available, ADD:)
For more information, call the PUC at 1-800-XXX-XXXX. You may leave your name and address so you can be notified of any public input hearings that may be scheduled in this case.
_________________________________________________________
Company
52 Pa. Code § 53.45
The provisions of this § 53.45 amended under the Public Utility Code, 66 Pa.C.S. § § 501, 504, 1307 and 1308.
This section cited in 52 Pa. Code § 53.54 (relating to small water utilities); 52 Pa. Code § 53.68 (relating to notice requirements); 52 Pa. Code § 53.94 (relating to posting of tariffs); and 52 Pa. Code § 54.98 (relating to customer notice requirements).INFORMATION FURNISHED WITH THE FILING