Jackson Purchase Energy Cooperative residential customers can expect an approximate $20 monthly increase in August. But that money won’t be going to JPEC.
The cooperative’s president and CEO Kelly Nuckols said the extra revenue is going straight to Big Rivers Electric. JPEC buys its electricity from Big Rivers, which is losing almost half its revenue in August with the closure of the Century Aluminum smelter. Nuckols said he wants to inform customers as early as possible of the rate increase.
“If I have to spend another 20 dollar bill then I can appropriately budget for in my expenditures," he said. "But we’re encouraging people to begin to think about that and to do things proactively – additional insulation on your house, caulk, replacement of your bulbs with the compact fluorescent bulbs.”
JPEC is one of three cooperatives that buys electricity from Big Rivers. Nuckols saidKenergy and Meade County Rural Electric are also raising their rates and have filed cases with the Public Service Commission disputing the increase
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