Entergy: "Lower Fuel Costs Mean Lower Bills"

Lower costs for the fuel Entergy Texas, Inc. uses to make electricity will translate into lower bills for customers this spring and summer.

Customers will see about a 7 percent lower residential bill than they paid last month. The average 1000 kilowatt-hour residential bill is expected to be $107.52 compared to the average February bill of $115.49. The savings to customers is tied to a fixed charge for fuel that changes twice a year.

“Cheaper fuel isn’t just good news at the gas pump,” said Sallie Rainer, president and CEO for Entergy Texas, Inc. “When the fixed fuel factor appearing on customer bills was reset for March, it reflected the decline in what we pay for the fuel we use to make electricity. That means we can pass that savings on to our customers for the next six months.”

Electric utilities in Texas, including Entergy Texas are regulated by the Public Utility Commission (PUCT). Monthly bills are largely made up of base charges plus fuel charges and the fuel portion is strictly passed through to customers.

The PUCT rules require the fixed fuel charge on customer’s bills to be changed bi-annually each September and March. Beginning this month the average fuel charge will be $28.23 down from $36.20. This amount will remain the same until September 2015.

Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 426,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.