Why Delmarva Power bills have spiked in December for Delaware residents

The cold weather has lead to some serious sticker shock when some families in Delaware have opened their power bills recently.

Many customers who use Delmarva Power said that they are upset at the number on their bill and that the company is now looking into another rate hike.

“I track my bills year to year and month to month and just from last year this time it went up 135 dollars,” North Wilmington resident Danny Marsilii said.

Many residents on social media are pointing to the delivery charge that is so much higher than the actual cost of the electricity and gas.

A spokesperson for Delmarva Power said that the company has programs to help low and moderate income families with their power costs but he says they need to raise rates to keep up with aging infrastructure and expand service as needed.

“We recognize lots of people are frustrated with their power bills right now,” a Delmarva spokesperson said. “We are very prudent with our costs and make sure those projects are really needed at the time we do them.”

Meanwhile, Delaware’s public advocate, Jameson Tweedie, says that Delmarva’s reliability record is solid but he says he disagrees with the hike request as it also builds in a significant profit boost for the company.

“In this rate case, Delmarva is seeking a 10.5% return on equity. In my view that is way too high,” Tweedie said. “These are businesses that have a monopoly. They have captive customers. You can’t choose a different utility with tiny exceptions.”

In our region, we get our power from companies that want to make a profit and they answer to shareholders.

Plus, in Delaware the vast majority of the power is imported.

The state doesn’t make a significant amount of power which could then help handle demand.

Also, wind and solar has been very politicized so basically we are all left with very few choices when it comes to getting power.

For Arden resident Jeanette Honis, she said she is not sure how she can keep up with her small home’s bills because she is on a fixed income.

“I usually pay anywhere between $180 to $187. This bill was $300 and something,” she explained.