The frustration in Diana Vahabzadeh’s commentary “Legislators must help bring down skyrocketing utility bills” (March 18, TribLive) is rightfully shared by millions of Pennsylvanians. She deserves honest answers about her recent electric bill increases.
Duquesne Light Co.’s (DLC) base rates have not increased since 2024. Vahabzadeh’s June and December 2025 bill increases are real, but those dollars go to power plant owners, not DLC. Pennsylvania’s electric utilities don’t own power plants or control the cost of electricity. They also don’t profit from the high cost of power generation.
Vahabzadeh’s recent bill increases result from payments to power plant owners from auctions run by regional grid operator PJM Interconnection. Those costs have surged from $2.2 billion three years ago to over $16 billion today. While families pay more, no meaningful power generation has been added to the grid to meet ever-growing demand or lower customer bills.
Pennsylvania electric utilities like DLC only control costs to distribute power to their customers. Each year, they make significant investments in infrastructure improvements we see every day, with crews working in our neighborhoods to ensure the reliable service customers pay for and deserve.
Rising electric costs can be very stressful, and DLC has various customer assistance programs that can help. Anyone struggling with high energy bills should follow Vahabzadeh’s lead and find a program that works best for them.
Danielle Jouenne
Harrisburg
The writer is vice president and general counsel for the Energy Association of Pennsylvania.