Updated

Updated · Z94 · Aug 25

20,000 Oklahomans Petition Against PSO Rate Hikes as $11 Interim Increase Fuels Anger

Updated

Updated · Z94 · Aug 25

20,000 Oklahomans Petition Against PSO Rate Hikes as $11 Interim Increase Fuels Anger

Q: If the proposed utility settlement drops the rate hike to $2.45, what happens to the $11 interim fee customers are already paying?

If the Oklahoma Corporation Commission approves a final increase of about $2.45 a month, customers would not keep paying the full $11 interim amount. They would receive a refund for the difference between the interim charge and the lower final rate. PSO has said the $11 charge is temporary and stays in place only while the case is pending. Under Oklahoma’s rate-case rules, interim rates are subject to refund if regulators later decide the utility was entitled to less. In this case, that would mean roughly an $8.55 monthly difference for the average residential customer, credited back for the months customers paid the higher interim rate. The refund would be automatic on a future bill. Customers would not need to file paperwork or separately request it. Until the OCC issues a final order, however, customers will continue paying the interim rate. The proposed $2.45 figure is part of a settlement, not the final approved rate yet. If the commission approves something lower than $11, refunds apply; if it approves a higher amount than the interim charge, PSO has indicated customers would not be billed extra above what they already paid during the interim period.

3 articles · Updated · Z94 · Aug 25

More than 20,000 Oklahomans have signed an online petition demanding an audit of PSO and an explanation for recent electric-bill increases.
An interim increase of about $11 a month is already appearing on bills even though PSO's full rate case is still pending before the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.
PSO originally sought about $25 more per month for a typical residential customer using 1,100 kilowatt-hours, but the state attorney general negotiated a settlement cutting that to roughly $2.45.
The petition itself does not affect the case directly; comments submitted through the OCC's public process become part of the formal record that regulators will weigh.
The commission has trimmed PSO requests before, approving about $131.2 million of a $294.5 million increase sought in 2023.