MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WTVF) — Middle Tennessee Electric (MTE) has announced that members can expect higher than normal bills due to Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) Fuel Cost Adjustment charge remaining high from current natural gas prices.
“As compared to last summer’s bills, we calculate the impact of the higher TVA charges to mean an average monthly increase of about $12 for residential members,” said Chris Jones, MTE’s CEO. “If you consume more than an average amount of electricity, that amount will be higher; and if you consume less than average, it will be less.
“We wish that it were otherwise, but MTE has no control over the FCA," Jones added. "It is a direct pass-through, meaning that every penny we collect for this goes straight to TVA.”
“Increased natural gas prices is the biggest culprit,” Jones said. “TVA generates about 25% of its electricity by burning natural gas. Prices for natural gas are way up all over the world.”
MTE claims that it still ranks among the lowest rates in the nation and that its rates have not increased to benefit the cooperative's revenues in more than 15 years.
To save energy, MTE encourages members to download the mtMTEMC app to monitor their energy usage.
Energy-saving advice:
- Set your thermostat to the highest comfortable temperature. Cooling costs go down as the temperature differences shrink between indoors and outdoors.
- Keep blinds, shades and curtains closed during the hottest parts of the day. Sunlight will heat your home.
- Use outdoor grills or microwaves rather than stoves and ovens — this can reduce kitchen temperatures by as much as 10 degrees.
- Limit chores that produce heat and moisture to the cooler parts of the day (morning and evening). These chores include cooking, cleaning, ironing and laundry.
- Turn off unnecessary lights.
- Wear thin, loose-fitting clothing around the house to keep cool.
- Run ceiling fans counterclockwise. This will force air to move straight down and cool a room by three to four degrees.
