Published November 5, 2020 Winter came a bit earlier than normal this year, so sorry if this feels a little late. Usually, we don’t want to jinx it by posting winter tips before November! You are probably tired of thinking and talking about how unusual this year has been — I know I am. Well,…
Published November 3, 2020 Xcel Energy has filed a request with the state Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to increase electric rates in Minnesota. Xcel is requesting a 20 percent increase in total revenues over three years. Residential customers would see a 14 percent increase in the first year, 1.5 percent in the second year, and…
Published October 28, 2020; Updated October 4, 2021 This heating season can bring more challenges to families who are already struggling to keep up with utility bills. Contrary to common belief, utilities can be shut off during the winter months. Fortunately, Minnesota law contains consumer protections, and some extra protections are in place during the…
Published October 28, 2020 In May of this year, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (“PUC”) opened a new docket (the “Economic Recovery” docket) with the goal of better understanding how regulated utilities can “assist in Minnesota’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.” To that end, the PUC required all of Minnesota’s regulated gas and electric…
Published October 7, 2020 In 2015, the Minnesota Legislature passed a law designed to allow certain energy-intensive, trade-exposed (EITE) industrial entities to lower their energy costs. The law permits Minnesota Power and Otter Tail Power – electric companies serving parts of northern, central, and western Minnesota – to propose rate discounts to EITE customers operating within…
Published October 6, 2020 Happy fall everyone! As we head into October and Energy Awareness Month, we thought it was good timing to share what our outreach team has been doing in the last several months. Like many organizations, the nature of CUB’s work has been impacted by COVID-19. Since mid-March, our whole organization has…
Published October 5, 2020 A moratorium on utility disconnections remains in place for Minnesota’s regulated utilities, but some unregulated cooperative and municipal utilities have again begun shutting off customers who have past-due bills. CUB has received anecdotal reports of shutoffs by more than two dozen cooperative and municipal utilities located across Minnesota. It is difficult…
Published October 1, 2020 CUB is pleased to announce that Governor Walz has declared October Energy Awareness Month in Minnesota. Celebrating Energy Awareness this time of year has become a CUB tradition. Last year we encouraged people to think about how electricity we use is generated. This year we want to focus on issues of…
Published September 29, 2020 Minnesota law requires public utilities to periodically file an Integrated Resource Plan (“IRP”) with the Public Utilities Commission (the “Commission”). An IRP is a roadmap that public utilities use to analyze and model various strategies for meeting electricity demand over the next 15 year time horizon. The Commission last approved an…
Published September 8, 2020 Eva joined the Citizens Utility Board of Minnesota in September 2020 as the Communications and Outreach Intern. Prior to coming to CUB, she has worked as a researcher for the Hennepin-University Partnership, where she analyzed the effectiveness of collaborations between county government and nearby universities on surrounding communities and constituents. She…
