Duke Energy wants a rate hike. You can have your say Tuesday

State regulators will host a public hearing next week at Cincinnati City Hall where residents can comment on Duke Energy's plans to raise electric service rates by nearly 8% over three years.

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio will host the hearing at 6 p.m. Tuesday in City Council chambers at 801 Plum St.

Duke disclosed the proposed rate hikes in an application filed in April with the utilities commission laying out plans to increase electric rates and charges in Ohio from June 1, 2025, through May 31, 2028. The rate increase would not include Northern Kentucky, where Duke also provides electric service.

How much would Duke electric rates rise?

The utility's proposal would raise electric service rates by about 1.7% in the first year, 6.2% in the second year and 7.9% by the end of 2028, according to the Ohio Consumers' Counsel, a watchdog group that opposes the planned rate increases.

Duke disputed those numbers, saying rates would go up 6.5%, cumulatively, over three years. Duke said the rate increase is needed to cover its cost of procurement and delivery.

"We really just charge what we pay for supply and distribution," spokesman John Juech said.

The rate hikes would affect about 800,000 southwest Ohio utility customers and result in an increase of $11.27 per month in the third year, or about $135 annually, for the typical residential consumer using about 1,000 kilowatts of power per month, according to the counsel.

Why is Duke seeking to raise rates?

Typical residential electric users in Ohio were paying $173.40 a month when Duke filed its application, according to figures provided by the commission.

"Duke’s latest ask for three years of increased rates is too much on top of its recent increases to consumers,'' Maureen Willis, consumer counsel director, said in a statement.

Duke, in a statement, said the higher rates would "enable constructive, customer-focused benefits."

Additional funds will allow Duke to recover infrastructure investments at its West End Substation, create future battery storage projects, support clean energy initiatives, assist senior citizens in avoiding service disconnections and provide other benefits.

Duke's most recent request for a rate increase came less than a year after the utility raised electric rates in Ohio in June 2023 .

Customers can shop for alternatives to Duke-provided electricity on the Energy Choice Ohio site.

To comment on Duke's proposal outside the city hall hearing, visit the PUCO site.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Duke Energy wants a rate hike. You can have your say Tuesday