TRINITY, Ala. — Joe Wheeler Electric Membership Corp. confirmed this week a new rate adjustment went into effect June 1. The new increase of 6.2 percent, what the cooperative said in a statement was a "modest rate increase," comes just 10 months after another hike of 4.3 percent.
In statements about both increases, the EMC cites inflation and "escalating costs of labor and materials." In the August 2023 notice, they stated that the average cost of a utility pole has risen from $167 to $285. They also quoted the cost of a 15 KVA transformer to have risen from $674 to $2,438 as of 2023. In neither case did the EMC cite where they found those quoted costs, which can range due to manufacturer brand as well as materials used.
In June's announcement, JWEMC said that "U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics confirmed that electricity inflation exceeds Consumer Price Index (CPI) benchmark by approximately 80% which puts significant amount of pressure on our financial operations."
FOX54 has not independently found the documentation reaching that calculation and has reached out to Joe Wheeler EMC and the BLS to verify the figure. Nevertheless, there has been a documented rise in costs related to energy production and distribution.
It is a cost that the cooperative says it hates to pass on, but after "thorough evaluation," believes it must.
"This adjustment is essential to sustain the financial stability of our cooperative," the EMC said.
