DC PEPCO bills to see spike starting in July: Here's how much

WASHINGTON - D.C. residents and energy officials met in an hours-long public hearing on Wednesday to figure out why electric bills have gotten so high, with rates set to increase even more starting next month.

DC electric bills going up

What we know:

The District's Public Service Commission held a public hearing on Wednesday with residents and leaders from Pepco and grid operator PJM Interconnection to hone in on the recent price hikes.

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Starting July 1, utility rates, supply rates, which Pepco says it doesn't control, will raise your bill by about $7 per month. 

What they're saying:

Pepco officials said they recognize that residents are feeling the pain with regard to rising costs.

"We know that is a challenge for customers to see that on their bill," said Rob Leming, Pepco's vice president of regulatory policy and strategy. "And today's conversation was a big, important first step in what can we do to address that — what solutions do we have in our control?

Why are electricity bills going up so much?

Dig deeper:

PJM says the rising rates are mostly due to a massive increase in electricity demand that "rivals that of the industrial revolution." The demand is coming from things like AI data center development and the electrification of transportation homes and businesses. 

Now, PJM officials say they're fighting to keep up with demand while customers bear the brunt, with bills that have largely doubled in the last five years. 

"Nobody expected [this] 24 months ago," said Jason Stanek, PJM's executive director of governmental services. "Large loads came as a surprise to all of us in the industry."

D.C. resident Mark Rodeffer, speaking at Wednesday's meeting, pleaded with Pepco to "recognize this five-alarm fire and put it out with the tools that you have."

"That doesn't mean saying the problem is PJM," Rodeffer said. "I'm not denying that PJM is a problem, but that doesn't explain why D.C. rates are up so much more than everyone else. And I think you all need to figure out ways — do whatever you can to reduce the parts of the electric bill that you regulate."

Will prices go down?

What's next:

PJM says they're working with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and President Donald Trump's administration to come up with solutions to rising demand and costs. Pepco, meanwhile, says it's looking to options like solar energy and battery power in the District, as a way to use less energy from PJM.

Wednesday's meeting was the first step in hearings to try and get utility bills under control.

Washington, D.C.Economy