Liberty seeks small electric bill decrease as three-year rate hike continues

Liberty Utilities is asking Missouri regulators to approve a small decrease in one part of customers' electric bills, but that would only partially offset a much larger rate increase that began this summer.

The company is proposing to lower its fuel adjustment charge by an average of $3.22 per month beginning Dec. 1.

The fuel adjustment is used to recover changes in the cost of fuel and electricity the company purchases for customers.

Liberty customers are also paying a separate general rate increase approved by the Missouri Public Service Commission earlier this year.

That increase is about $7.83 a month for a typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours.

That's roughly a 4.9% increase, taking the example monthly bill from about $159.91 to about $167.74.

Liberty's approved $97 million rate increase is being phased in over three years:

• Year one: +$7.83/month

• Year two: another +$8.91/month

• Year three: another +$8.94/month

After all three phases, Liberty estimates that the same 1,000-kWh bill will be about $185.60 — roughly $25.69 more than before the increase, or 16.1%.

So the proposed $3.22 fuel-cost decrease would offset about 41% of the increase customers just received.

The fuel adjustment proposal still requires approval from state regulators.

If approved, it would remain in effect for six months.