CAMDEN, S.C. — Camden is postponing its electricity rate hike until January. This comes after hearing from residents who were shocked by how much their bills had increased.
"We had looked at, over the course of the last year, what it would cost to fund the electric system," City Manager Jon Rorie said. "So, the council originally authorized a 10% increase in our base rate and the 5-cent-per-kilowatt hour fuel surcharge."
Rorie said it was an increase that the city needs to make, but recent changes in energy prices made it more than originally planned.
"So, we as an electric city provide power - electricity, but we don't produce it," Rorie said. "Therefore, we have to purchase it as a producer, but that wholesale rate has gone up drastically."
The new rates have only been in effect since the start of July, but residents said they've already seen a major impact. Resident Andy Spitzer said his bill went from $230 the previous month to $420 this month, leaving his family to make changes.
"We have turned our thermostat up to cut down on cooling," he said. "We're also looking along with many others looking at other options such as solar."
Rorie added that the city has found a way to get rid of the 10% fee and will meet early next year to re-evaluate.
"We identified roughly $700,000 worth of projects we can defer over the course of the next six months; therefore, we can basically suspend the 10% base rate increase at least until January," Rorie said. "We will evaluate where we are with our fuel surcharge, as well as what we're doing with our system improvements."
Residents can see the changes on their bills in August.