SUMMER HAS ARRIVED; ELECTRIC BILLS GO UP WITH TEMPERATURES

Summer's heat is here, but Union Electric Co., which has nine power plants providing electricity to more than 1.2 million households in Missouri and Illinois, is confident it will have enough power for the summer.

Summer arrived Saturday and its temperatures two days later. The thermometer cleared the 90-degree mark Monday and Tuesday, and many more hot days are ahead following one of the coolest springs in recent history.

May temperatures ranged from lows of 35 at mid-month to a high of 87, hitting the 80-degree mark only six times.

Along with hotter temperatures come the soothing hum of air conditioners and an increase in utility bills.

Some area residents already have registered their unhappiness with larger bills, even without air conditioning during the cool spring.

Higher rates are common in the summer, explained Union Electric and Missouri Public Service Commission officials.

"It's nothing new," said John Quinn, office supervisor of Union Electric in Cape Girardeau. "We have a summer-winter differential."

In other words, rates are higher during the summer months.

"It's standard in the industry," said Quinn. "I've been here 25 years, and each summer the rates per kilowatt go up."

The increase can result in increases of up to 30 percent for some users.

B.J. Washburn, manager of policy and public affairs for the Public Service Commission, and Kevin T. Kelly, PSC public information officer, agreed.

All public utility companies under Missouri PSC jurisdiction have the summer-winter differentials, said Washburn.

Basically, he said, it costs more to produce the peak power needed during the heavy air-conditioning months of summer.

All utility power plants are usually busy during the summer while some may be shut down during a portion of the winter season.

The idea behind the differential is to assign the cost of providing the extra service to those customers who create the costs, said Quinn.

In order to meet customer demands, the utility company has investments in power plants, transmission lines and distribution costs.

Union Electric has two seasons -- an eight-month winter season and a four-month summer season. The summer season consists of June, July, August and September.

During these four months, a flat rate of 8.371 cents per kilowatt hour is charged to go along with a $5.75 customer charge.

"There is no break for more usage," said Quinn. "You pay the 8.371 cents per kilowatt hour whether you use 1,000 kilowatts or 5,000 kilowatts."

This is not the case during the winter season of October through May. "UE has some great winter rates," said Washburn.

Winter customers pay 5.998 cents per kilowatt hour up to 750 hours, along with the $5.75 customer charge, and 3.965 cents for all kilowatt hours over 750.