- In August of 2024, BWL announced they would be increasing their rates by 7.8% in 2024 and 6.8% in 2025.
- Since then, many neighbors have been questioning their BWL bills and have taken those concerns to BWL customer service representative.
- In response to this, BWL held an open house for customers with questions related to their utility usage and understanding their bills.
- In the attached story, I spoke with The Lansing Board of Water and Light's General Manager, Dick Peffley, and neighbors about keeping costs down in the winter.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
A Mid-Michigan winter calls for a lot of heat which ultimately can lead to higher bills, and with the Board of Water and Light's rate increase we covered back in August, my Lansing neighbors have some questions about their bills.
I'm your Lansing neighborhood reporter Asya Lawrence here with the answers straight from BWL leaders.
"In this winter weather, what are you keeping your thermostat on?" I asked one neighbor.
"We keep it at 70 degrees," he replied.
I took to the streets of Downtown Lansing to ask neighbors about how they balance turning the heat up, with keeping their electric bills down.
"Living in an apartment making sure the windows are sealed is a big thing." Another neighbor said.
Nearly every neighbor I spoke to said they were trying anything they could to keep warm but still pay less on their electric bill.
The Lansing Board of Water and Light's General Manager, Dick Pelffley, says he understands the challenge.
"After our recent rate hike, we heard from a lot of our customers that it's biting into their budget to be quite honest and we understand that," Peffley said,
Neighbors who get their power from the Lansing Board of Water and Light saw a nearly 8% increase in their electric rate in October of last year.
Come October of this year, they'll see another increase of almost 7%.
It's why BWL held an open house Tuesday where customers could ask BWL representatives questions related to their utility usage and understanding their bill.
"The biggest ones are How do I keep my costs down? Why are my bills so high?" said
Peffley says that recent rate increases have provided much-needed funding for BWL's energy goal.
"We have to have 50% renewable energy by 2030, that's a big hurdle but we have the funds in place to do that," Peffley said.
BWL says customers can focus on cutting costs in ways like replacing old appliances or winterizing your home and of course tracking your energy use closely.
BWL's next customer open house will be held on Wednesday, February 5th.
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