Cheaper monthly bills ahead for Ameren customers
Ameren surcharge reduced — The Missouri Public Service Commission on Wednesday unanimously approved an order lowering the fuel surcharge on electric bills for Ameren Missouri customers. The change, effective Sept. 23, means the fuel surcharge for a residential customer who uses an average of 1,100 kilowatt-hours a month will fall by $2.54 a month (from $4.61 to $2.07). The charge appears on bills as the Fuel Adjustment Charge. St. Louis-based Ameren is allowed to adjust bills three times a year to account for changes in costs for power plant fuel, such as coal and natural gas and purchased power. Those costs are offset by profit from electricity the utility sells to customers outside its service area, known as off-system sales. The reduced surcharge approved by the PSC includes a $17.1 million refund ordered by the commission in April.
-Jeffrey Tomich
