The Lansdale Electric Services Building on Ninth Street is seen in summer 2021. Photo by Dan Sokil | The Reporter.
Increase caused by rising costs and is lowest in region, councilman says
The first hike to Lansdale’s electric rates in nearly a decade could be just days away.
Council heard an update earlier this month on a proposed increase that could be approved when council meets on Wednesday.
“Something we’ve already discussed at this table is our five percent rate increase. This is, as far as we can tell, the lowest in the region as far as a rate increase,” said councilman Andrew Carroll.
“We’re seeing double digits, and one scenario a 20 percent increase, by municipal-owned electric companies. This doesn’t count the investor-owned electric companies,” he said.
The electric hike is needed, town staff said, to cover increased electric capacity and transmission costs hitting customers nationwide, plus a need to repair and replace infrastructure and equipment amid supply chain and inflation problems, and to cover a $4.5 million transfer from electric to the general fund in the 2025 borough budget.
The increase would be the first time the town has raised its electric rate since late 2014 for 2015.
“We think the five percent was a nice way to introduce the idea of this, and get people to understand the cost of electricity is going up,” Carroll said.
“We want to keep the increases to an absolute minimum, but they will be as high as they need to be to continue doing business as we do, and with the expectation of the fund transfers and the things that come from our electric department,” he said.
The electric committee Carroll chairs voted ahead that increase April 2, and full council could do the same on April 16, he said.
Another electric-related item also voted ahead for approval: A resolution backed by the town’s environmental advisory commission urging the town to consider a shift to an all-electric vehicle fleet by 2035, and to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050.
Image from aerial drone video showing solar panel arrays installed atop Lansdale Borough Hall, as seen from above the adjacent parking lot facing east toward Broad Street. (Credit: Lansdale Borough)“This is some real stretch goals we’re going to put out to the borough as a whole, to move toward energy independence and clean energy,” Carroll said.
“We had some very realistic discussions. The (goals) will be aspirational, but we’re going to aspire to it nonetheless,” he said.
Other projects being discussed by the department and the electric committee include an effort to eliminate service deposits for electric connections, with any existing deposit balance returned to electric customers as credits on their bills until the deposit is exhausted. “We don’t have a timeline,” but details will be announced as that plan is finalized, according to the councilman.
Lansdale’s electric committee next meets at 7:30 p.m. on May 7 and full council meets at 7 p.m. on April 16, both at the borough municipal building, 1 Vine Street. For more information visit www.Lansdale.org.
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