Council members in Texas approve higher electricity rates

The Austin City Council recently gave a unanimous vote to raise electricity rates throughout the city, which will affect customers of Austin Energy as soon as October, the Austin American-Statesman reports.

According to the news source, the new rate structure will affect customers in various ways, with those who consume the most energy placed in a bracket that pays the highest percentage increase in prices.

For example, a home that uses 1,000 kilowatt-hours of energy every month will see a monthly rise of $8. However, a home that uses an abnormal amount of electricity could see its bill rise by as much as $59. The hikes will be in addition to annual increases, which are used to keep up with the cost of generating electricity.

“It seems like we must have come up with the perfect proposal, because no one likes it completely,” Mayor Lee Leffingwell quipped before the final vote.

After passing energy deregulation laws in 2002, residents in Texas have the option to choose which retail energy provider they receive their power from. While the price of distribution remains, Texas energy users have many options for electricity delivery prices.