KCP&L's New Efficiency Program Increases Rate

The KCP&L increase will affect about 300,000 customers living east and north of Kansas City.

About 300,000 Kansas City Power & Light customers will soon see an increase in their utility bills after the company approved a new efficiency program Thursday.

The program will include energy-efficient rebates that will help users save energy and money, but the program will cost customers about $40 million. Katie McDonald, KCP&L's communications director, assured that over the next three years, the program will save customers much more.

"We are projecting over $140 million in customer savings through those programs," explained McDonald.

The program impacts less than half of KCP&L's 820,000 customers. Most of those affected live in surrounding suburbs to the east and north of Kansas City, where an increase was inevitable.

"Instead of charging customers to build a new power plant, it's going to cost them far less for us to implement these programs," McDonald said.

KCP&L is in the process of requesting a 10.9 percent rate increase for Missouri customers that has not yet been approved by the Missouri Public Service Commission.

Source: Kansas City Star