Attorney General Martha Coakley vowed yesterday to keep a sharp eye on a new National Grid rate plan that she said has the potential to “significantly” raise prices for electricity customers.

The state’s Department of Public Utilities yesterday ordered that National Grid’s request for a $111 million rate increase should be slashed by 60 percent.

Though overall the rate will still go up by more than $40 million, the DPU’s action could lead to small decreases in electric bills for residential customers, due to the way the utility is allowed to distribute rate charges. Prices for businesses will likely increase.

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SURGING electricity and gas prices have resulted in a record number of complaints about the billing practices of utilities companies at the same time as growing numbers of people face disconnection.

The Energy and Water Ombudsman, Clare Petrie, said that in addition to the big increase in the number of complaints because of price rises, more households were seeking help to pay their bills.

In the year to June there was a 35 per cent rise in the number of customers contacted by debt collection agencies about amounts due on their utility bills. This situation was expected to worsen as gas and electricity companies moved to speed up debt collection.

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“It just draws a lot, and you know throws the bill up. But I like to do, when I get home and relax,“ he says.

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Electricity Consumption. Total retail sales of electricity are projected to decline by 2.7 percent throughout the United States during 2009.  Sales in the industrial sector are projected to decrease by about 10 percent this year due to the weak economy.  The decline in the West South Central region is projected to be smaller than in other regions since hot summer weather has boosted residential electricity sales.  Total electricity consumption is expected to rise by 0.8 percent in 2010 (U.S. Total Electricity Consumption Chart).

Electricity Prices. Residential electricity prices rose by about 7.5 percent during the first 5 months of 2009 as high generation fuel costs from last year were passed through to retail consumers.  Lower generation fuel costs this year are expected to be passed through to retail consumers later this year, keeping the annual average growth in prices at around 4.2 percent in 2009 and 2.6 percent in 2010 (U.S. Residential Electricity Prices Chart).

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The average U.S. electricity customer would face a 20 percent price increase in 20 years under climate legislation passed by the House last month, according to a draft analysis by the Energy Information Administration….

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