Northeast Ohio’s Electric Bills Set to Rise Amid Infrastructure Issues

CLEVELAND, Ohio — FirstEnergy customers in Northeast Ohio can expect an increase in their electric bills, while customers in other regions may see a decrease. This disparity has prompted discussions among podcast hosts regarding FirstEnergy’s infrastructure investment failures.

The increasing rates are attributed to the high costs of maintaining the electricity grid, which Laura Johnston highlighted during a recent podcast episode, noting, “The cost of maintaining the electricity grid in Northeast Ohio is more expensive than elsewhere… Maybe because they didn’t use their grid modernization fee to actually modernize the grid.” This criticism underscores FirstEnergy’s historical collection of modernization fees allegedly not used for infrastructure improvements, leaving Northeast Ohio customers facing ongoing reliability issues and higher bills.

Moreover, it was revealed that FirstEnergy had been profiting from basic maintenance services. Johnston remarked, “The PUCO also blocked First Energy from continuing to earn profits on their tree trimming and line clearing work… And that to me is just galling.” Between 2007 and 2021, FirstEnergy outsourced nearly $270 million for vegetation management while charging customers extra fees for these services.

Podcast host Chris Quinn expressed disdain, stating, “They just are thieves. Any way they can nickel and dime us, they do.” He added that despite claims of being a reformed utility after the House Bill 6 bribery scandal, FirstEnergy continues to prioritize profits over customer service and grid reliability.

While the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio reduced FirstEnergy’s requested profit margin from 10.8% to 9.63%, the underlying issues regarding maintenance and investment linger, leaving many customers frustrated.