By MAX GARLAND
Charleston Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Before a bill allowing manufacturers to receive a special discount on their electric costs died in the state Senate, its supporters argued that West Virginia needed to counter rising utility costs for businesses and keep job creators in the state.
But residential consumer rates have also risen, according to the state Consumer Advocate Division’s 2018 annual study of utility rates. And most West Virginians should expect their utility bills to rise again this year, continuing a trend that has been building for the past five years, the study says.
The study, released earlier this year, shows residential utility customers in 17 West Virginia cities — Charleston, Huntington and Morgantown among them — spent an average of $307 total for electric, gas, telephone and water service in January, a 4.1 percent increase from January of 2017’s average of $295.
Read the entire article: https://www.wvgazettemail.com/business/wv-utility-bills-continue-to-rise-still-lower-than-surrounding/article_e31a37e8-b1e7-5f5f-86e1-65e17001809c.html
See more from the Charleston Gazette-Mail