SC agency says SCE&G should stop bill adjustments

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) âone space€one space” A state regulatory agency that represents the public says SCE&G should stop a bill-adjusting program that’s supposed to benefit customers but is so complicated, only the utility can determine if people are being correctly charged. The Office of Regulatory Staff recommended Friday that SCE&G terminate its Electric Weather Normalization Adjustment with December’s bills. The adjustment was touted in 2010 as protecting both customers and the utility during extreme weather, by lowering electricity rates during extremely hot or cold months and increasing them when temperatures are milder than normal. Regulatory Staff director Dukes Scott says it’s a good idea in theory, but bills are impossible to check. SCE&G uses multiple formulas for different groups of customers, and only the utility can make and verify the calculations.