Yesterday you had me with a credit balance of $25.00+ Saturday January 8th-Today, Sunday January 9th I have a credit balance of $15.37 -That is saying I am using $10.00 a day for electricity and I know that is a LIE!!!! -Īs stated I am living in the cold-not turning on my heat and you people are charging me for electricity I am not using-This is IT!!!! I am not using this amount of electricity that you are charging me. I am contacting the Utility Commission and the Better Business Bureau and then the news. I work Monday thru Friday and am not at home and cuts off all electricity from 5:30 am until I return at 6:00 pm Monday thru Friday. I do not use my heat in the downstairs area-I live in one room and the attached bathroom within my household. I am making a formal complaint to you and am contacting the utility commission-I am constantly living in the cold in my house keep from my electric bill being going up -but I now see that it does not matter because your company is charging me for electricity that I am not using each day.-This is not rightĪs stated before-I live in this house by myself-I do not cook-I only use my microwave and I do not use that often. “We anticipate that we’ll have the results of that back in April so that we should know what we need to do permanently in about three or four months,” White said.There is no way that I am using the amount you are charging me worth of electricity each day, now-Nothing has changed within the past month for your company to now up my daily rate-I am living in the cold-I live by myself-I did not put up any Christmas Decoration and I was not at home from the 15th of December until January 31st-I was in New Jersey. The results from the study of the temporary rate increase will determine the permanent adjustment. The cooperative was able to project that a 6.5% was needed to maintain its financial position, White said.

“This also ensures we are able to have the revenues required to maintain the cooperative’s financial health during this interim,” Dietrich said in the statement. When a cost adjustment is needed, a temporary adjustment allows the cooperative and its rate analyst time to evaluate and determine the correct amount of permanent rate increase needed, according to Dietrich.

Lumbee River EMC is required by lending institutions and the USDA’s Rural Utility Services to maintain certain financial ratios, which are the performance indicators used by those institutions to measure the companies’ financial strength. “We’re going to have to do something to have more revenue to maintain the financial ratio that we have to have,” he said. White said the corporation no longer has the means to “belt tighten.” “Of course that adds to the overall cost to continue to provide services.” “Since 2014 to now, we’ve continued to add assets to the corporation,” White said. The construction of two new offices, in Pembroke and in Hoke County, and several substations also plays a role in the adjustment while giving the company key assets. Since then, there has been an 8% inflation increase in rates and the company has picked up a $23 million bill as part of Duke Energy’s coal ash cleanup bill, White said. The last rate adjustment the Lumber River EMC implemented was in 2014. So a household with a $150 bill for kilowatt usage currently would pay $159.75 under the new rate. “There’s a facilities charge of $27.65 for our residential members and that $27.65 is not impacted by the 6.5%,” White said. The rate increase will be applied to the total monthly kilowatt per hour usage but not the total bill, said Walter White, vice president of LREMC Corporate Services. You can be confident that we strive to improve the quality of life for our members and our communities while keeping electric rates as low as possible.” “I maintain my promise that Lumbee River EMC will do our best to always to make decisions with the impact to our members in mind. Too low and we could jeopardize our financial strength. If our rates are too high, then we may collect more money than necessary from our members. The utility is expected to decide on a permanent rate adjustment in a few months.ĬEO Carmen Dietrich released a statement Friday which reads in part, “Our goal is to always set our rates so that the right balance of margins is maintained - not too high and not too low. There are 18,167 customers in Robeson County. The adjusted rate will affect all 54,450 of its customers in Robeson, Scotland, Hoke and Cumberland counties. PEMBROKE - The Lumbee River Electric Membership Corporation will implement a 6.5% temporary rate increase adjustment for its members effective Saturday.

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