Elizabeth Carlson: Why are Merced’s top-tier electricity rates highest in Valley?

My son is a student at UC Merced and is renting a house with several other students near campus. I was appalled when I saw the electric bill, it was $715.19 for the month of August. Yes, they did use a lot of electricity – 2,606 kWh for the month. It’s a two-story house with six people. But, I did some research and in Modesto their bill would have been $501.46, in Turlock it would have only been $391.61. TID’s highest residential tier is .1436 per kWh, Modesto ‘s highest residential tier is .1808 per kWh while Merced’s is .35 per kWh.

MID is a public power provider, which means there are no profits. Power is provided to all at the cost of service with no markups. They are mandated to provide the lowest possible rates. Why then does Merced Irrigation District have the highest electric rates in the Valley?

This story was originally published October 4, 2017 at 12:09 PM with the headline "Elizabeth Carlson: Why are Merced’s top-tier electricity rates highest in Valley?."