PHOENIX - During a February open meeting, the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) approved a rate adjustment for Arizona Public Service (APS). This will allow APS to continue to meet customers’ needs, recover costs spent to maintain and upgrade the electric system, and invest in infrastructure that delivers reliable and resilient power. 

Starting on or after March 8, 2024, the average residential customer using 1,050 kilowatt hours (kWh) per month will see an expected bill increase of roughly 8% or about $10.50 a month. Many factors affect a customer’s bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period. For those on a time-of-use-plan, what hours they use energy also makes an impact.

Providing customers with safe, reliable power is essential – today and into the future. This adjustment allows APS to continue making critical investments in its system.

Some of the ways APS is strengthening its energy infrastructure include:

• Maintaining reliability and increasing resiliency: APS crews replace aging power poles, conductors, and underground cables. Additionally, APS prepares year-round for Arizona’s extreme weather – from clearing vegetation around equipment to hardening infrastructure against severe storms and wildfires.
• Improving service: APS installs and upgrades advanced grid technologies to reduce the occurrence and duration of power outages.
• Cost-competitive renewable energy: APS is expanding its clean, cost-competitive energy sources like solar, wind and battery energy storage. With storage, APS can capture solar energy and store it for times when customer energy use is high, but the sun is not shining.

Additional Changes for APS Customers:

• Expanded Energy Support program: Limited-income customers below 76% of the federal poverty level (FPL) may qualify for a 60% discount each month on their utility bill; those between 76%-200% of the FPL may still qualify for the 25% discount. Visit aps.com/assist for details.
• More off-peak holidays: Time-of-Use 4pm-7pm Weekdays, Time-of-Use 4pm-7pm Weekdays with Demand Charge, and Saver Choice Plus plans have two more off-peak holidays, Juneteenth in June, and Indigenous Peoples Day in October. They were added to align with the federal calendar when many customers are at home.
  • More than half of APS customers utilize a time-of-use rate plan, where they can maximize savings by shifting energy use to lower-cost off-peak hours and using less energy during on-peak hours. These plans have lower rates 21 hours each weekday and all weekend long. 
• Residential customers with rooftop solar: Residential customers with rooftop solar will see an additional estimated $2-3 a month for an average 10 kilowatt solar system, to better align rates with the cost of service. 
• Businesses will see a change in rates based on their customer class.

The total rate increase is made up of various components of the bill. The base rate will increase, the Power Supply Adjustment (which recovers costs for fuel and purchased power) is decreasing, and the Federal Environmental Improvement Surcharge (which recovers a portion of the costs to comply with federally mandated upgrades) is being eliminated as a line item, with those costs rolled into the base rate.

For additional details about this decision, visit aps.com/ratecase.

APS is here to help 24/7

APS wants to help customers keep their bills as low as possible. Reducing energy use and shifting when energy is used can save money. Tools and programs include:

• A Monthly Plan Comparison shows which plan would have saved the most money based on energy use (available for most residential customers). More information is available on monthly bills and visit aps.com/compareplans.
• Alerts can help track energy usage and bill amounts. Sign up on aps.com/alerts.
• Budget Billing is a program that balances out monthly payments and can help take out monthly swings due to weather and varying usage.
• Bill payment assistance and discount programs for low-income customers are available for those who qualify. Visit aps.com/assist.
• Flexible payment arrangements are also an option for those who need more time to pay their balance.
• Energy efficiency tips and programs help make customers’ homes and electricity usage as efficient as possible.

APS encourages customers who don’t already have an online account to visit aps.com/register. It’s easy to do and provides access to helpful tools and communications.

Electricity is essential and we’re committed to helping our customers. We encourage those who are unable to pay their bill to call APS at (602) 371-7171. The APS Customer Care Team is available anytime, day or night, and will work with customers to find solutions.

APS serves approximately 1.4 million homes and businesses in 11 of Arizona’s 15 counties, and is a leader in delivering affordable, clean and reliable energy in the Southwest. The company is committed to serving customers with 100% clean power by 2050. As owner and operator of Palo Verde Generating Station, the nation’s largest producer of carbon-free electricity, and with one of the country’s most substantial renewable energy portfolios, APS’s current energy mix is 51% clean. With headquarters in Phoenix, APS is the principal subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corp. (NYSE: PNW).

Media Contact: Katie Conner Katie.Conner@aps.com