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⚡ Why your electric bill is going up | Business Weekly Newsletter

Energy costs are on the rise, and other stories.

The cooling towers of the Limerick nuclear power plant in Montgomery County.
The cooling towers of the Limerick nuclear power plant in Montgomery County.Read moreED HILLE / Staff Photographer

If you live in Pennsylvania, your electric bill is likely going up. Eight utilities across the state are set to raise their energy prices this week, and some customers could see costs increase by as much as 50%. My colleague Andrew Maykuth has explained why energy costs are rising and how you can save.

If your bill gets more expensive, let me know which utilities or companies are charging you more. I’m also looking for Comcast cable bills to see if the company is raising rates for TV and internet.

📧 Email me back here, and look out for your observations in next Tuesday’s Business Weekly newsletter.

You can sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox.

— Christian Hetrick (@_Hetrick, business@inquirer.com)

Utilities are passing along to consumers the higher costs of power generators, which are facing higher fuel prices driven mostly by natural gas. Peco Energy, for example, will boost its energy charge by 6.4% on Wednesday for customers in Philly and the suburbs. Residents served by PPL Energy Utilities will see a 26% increase.

There are ways to save besides turning down the thermostat. Utilities offer programs and grants to support low-income customers. Then there’s the often-overlooked “standard offer.” But the clock is ticking to secure the best deal.

Here’s how It works: Customers call their utility and get randomly assigned to a supplier offering a 12-month fixed-rate plan at 7% below the utility’s current price. Customers can cancel a standard offer any time over the year with no early cancellation fees. That means customers can lock in now at 7% below utilities’ current default rates — before the charges go up Wednesday.

Our reporter Andrew Maykuth has more on rising energy prices.

What else you need to know ...

Other stories ...

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Bogus blogs: A complex digital edifice of websites, blogs, and social media profiles has been concocted around businessman Thomas Salzano in an apparent bid to obscure his past.

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Surviving the pandemic: COVID-19 claimed scores of small-business casualties around the region. But for those who made it to the other side, the recipe was equal parts hard work and serendipity.