Westar rate hike, solar power surcharge to be argued at rally and hearing Thursday
Wichita-area residents will get a chance Thursday evening to tell state decision-makers what they think of Westar Energy's plans to raise rates for all customers and levy an extra surcharge on those who get some of their power from rooftop solar panels.
Westar's original rate request sought a total of $52.6 million in rate hikes, an increase of about $6 a month for the average homeowner.
Since then, state officials approved merging Westar and Kansas City Power & Light.
Savings from that merger should shrink the rate-increase request and Westar is expected to present new numbers at the beginning of the hearing, said Linda Berry, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Corporation Commission.
Westar spokeswoman Gina Penzig said the revised rate request would cost an average customer about $2.80 a month.
The public hearing will begin at 6 p.m. at Wichita State University's Hughes Metropolitan Complex, at 5015 E. 29th St. North, about a mile north of the main WSU campus.
It will begin with brief presentations from Westar, commission staff and the Citizens' Utility Ratepayer Board, a small state agency representing residential and small-business customers.
The customers will then be able to come to the podium and testify directly to the commissioners, a three-member panel that will decide how much Westar can raise its rates.
It could be a spirited discussion.
Consumer advocates have rented a different room in the Hughes Complex for a "Save Kansas Solar" rally featuring pro-solar lawmakers and activists. That's set to begin at 4:30 p.m. and finish in time for participants to go to the official hearing.
Solar enthusiasts object to a peak-use surcharge Westar wants to levy on solar customers to compensate for the fact that they buy less power from the power company. That charge could raise rates for solar customers by about $28.35 or $37.80 a month depending on their usage.
Solar advocates say that would essentially kill future development of home solar in the state. Westar says it's necessary because home-solar customers aren't paying their fair share of the cost of Westar's power plants, transmission lines and other infrastructure they use.
A similar public hearing last month drew about 80 people to a Topeka university auditorium, where a parade of customers railed against Westar's proposals.
The Topeka hearing was scheduled to be the only opportunity for the customers to speak directly to the commissioners.
Among the speakers that night was House Minority Leader Jim Ward, D-Wichita, who implored the commissioners to schedule a second hearing in the Wichita area so southern Kansas residents could talk about how a rate increase would affect them.
Berry said the commission received additional requests from Wichita customers and decided there was sufficient interest here to add a second hearing.
"When people really do want to speak to the commission, we want to be available for that," Berry said.
How to be heard
Customers who want to be heard but can't attend the hearing can file written or oral testimony by July 18:
Online: Go to the commission’s website, www.kcc.ks.gov, and click on the “Your Opinion Matters” link to enter your comment.
By mail: Write to the Kansas Corporation Commission, Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, 1500 SW Arrowhead Road, Topeka, KS 66604-4027. In your comment, reference Docket No. 18-WSEE-328-RTS to ensure it gets attached to the right case.
By phone: Call the commission’s Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at 800-662-0027.
All comments become part of the case record and can be used and cited by the commissioners to justify their decisions.
This story was originally published June 27, 2018 at 1:52 PM.