Alliant Energy increases electric, natural gas rates

FAIRFIELD – Customers of Alliant Energy may have noticed that their bills are higher than last year, after a rate increase went into effect this past fall.

Morgan Hawk, a spokesperson with Alliant Energy, said the new rates that Alliant sought and which were approved by the Iowa Utilities Board in September mean that customers can expect to see their electric bills increase by about 6 percent compared to last year. Alliant’s natural gas customers should expect to see their bills rise by about 3.5 percent.

In the Union coverage area, Alliant Energy delivers electricity and natural gas to Fairfield and Washington, and natural gas only to Mt. Pleasant.

Hawk said these new rates reflect “Alliant Energy’s commitment to deliver secure and resilient energy to customers we serve here in Iowa.” Specifically, the revenue raised from the rates will go into modernizing the energy grid and upgrading infrastructure, he said.

“At Alliant, we’re diversifying our energy mix by adding renewables like solar in Iowa,” Hawk said.

Some local residents told The Union they were shocked by how much their bill increased in the last month or two. Fairfield resident Dawn Ridgeway Bechtel said her most recent energy bill was $467, compared to $165 the month before. Bechtel said she spoke with an Alliant representative over the phone, who told her that her energy usage had increased by 1,500 units over the previous month, and 1,000 compared to last December. The representative added that Alliant had just implemented a rate increase, plus it has done away with tiered discounts.

Bechtel said that all those factors put together will spell changes in her household.

“I went around my house unplugging everything,” she said. “That is the end of the outside Christmas lights at our house … going to try to find some more solar powered ones.”

Fairfield resident Aurelien Windenberger works for Ideal Energy, and has experience explaining to customers why their utility bill may be different from what they expected. He looked into how his own utility bill has changed in the past year.

“In my case, the entire increase was due to higher usage of electricity and gas this year,” he said, adding that the massive increase in utility bills that others are reporting is likely due to a longer billing period and colder weather so far this winter compared to last year.

Regarding the tiered rates, Hawk explained that Alliant used to offer a rate discount at high usage rates, but not anymore. Alliant now only charges a single fixed rate, and the only change in rates is winter to summer. Alliant’s winter electric rate is $0.09992 per kilowatt hour, and its summer rate is about 34 percent higher at 0.13398 per kilowatt hour. The summer rate will be in effect from the beginning of June through the end of August, which is one month shorter than it was last year and part of the changes Alliant implemented in the fall.

“Our rates during the summer period are higher due to the demands on the energy grid being greater,” Hawk said.

Hawk said that customers who have questions about their bill are encouraged to call Alliant Energy at 1-800-ALLIANT. The company’s website, alliantenergy.com, has tips on how to lower energy bills in winter and summer. Some of the winter tips are: open the shades during the day to let in sunshine and close them at night to keep heat in; seal windows and doors through weather stripping and caulking; and get a furnace tune-up.

“Doing things like unplugging unused electronics and appliances helps because they’re still using power,” Hawk said.

  Buy Photo

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com