Bitter Cold In January Will Mean Higher Power Bills In March

A turbine at TVA’s Wilbur Dam in East Tennessee, covered with icicles on Tuesday, January 7. On that day, TVA set a new single day record for power usage. Image: Tennessee Valley Authority

The Tennessee Valley Authority says March electricity bills will increase, due to record demand at the beginning of the year. The agency sold more power, but it also had to pay a premium for coal, natural gas, and uranium.

At a board meeting in Chattanooga Thursday, TVA CEO Bill Johnson acknowledged that many of their 9 million customers are already paying more, due a to a bitterly cold start to the New Year.

“One thing about this kind of weather, it puts extreme pressure on the power system. But also on customers and employees, and on the power bill at the end of the month,” Johnson said. Bills will go up a little bit more in March, because TVA is raising its monthly fuel cost adjustment. It will vary by power company, but the agency says an average residential customer will see an additional charges of roughly $6.50.