North Dakota MDU Bills Could Rise $19 a Month Soon

If you're an MDU customer in North Dakota your electric bill might soon increase. According to a report from KFYR, Montana-Dakota Utilities filed a request with the North Dakota Public Service Commission, seeking out a 14.5 % increase. This would amount to $19 more per month for customers.

How The Increase Will Effect North Dakotans

The application was filed on June 30th, but the commission has not yet taken up the case. If it does get approved, North Dakotans could see this increase as soon as this fall, in September and could effect as many as 95,000 customers in northwestern and north-central North Dakota

While $19 more a month might not sound like a lot to you, a lot of us are already paying $150-200 per month, and this isn't the first increase this year. According to the source, MDU customers already saw close to a $10 price increase after a rate change tied to the company's investment in wind energy infrastructure was approved by the commission back in January. Passing off some of that cost to customers, then doing it again just months later, could be a hard sell to many North Dakotans.

While this increase is completely unrelated to the earlier one this year, it's still more money we have to pay each month. MDU says the reason for this increase is to help with rising day-to-day costs, and upgrading infrastructure.

This increase isn't final just yet, the PSC still has to rule on it, and that could take months. In the meantime, you can always weigh in with the North Dakota Public Service Commission - they accept public input on these matters.

How To Speak Against The Increase

The PSC has not yet ruled on the request and the process could take months. In the meantime, if you want to weigh in, the North Dakota Public Service Commission accepts public input on rate cases — and with 95,000 customers potentially affected, this is one worth paying attention to. We'll have updates as the commission moves forward.