COLUMBUS, Ohio — AEP Ohio warned customers that they should prepare for a rate increase – as high as 28 percent – on their utility bills beginning in June.

The average customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours of energy each month can expect their bill to increase 28% from about $155 a month to $198 a month.

On a post to its website, AEP said the increase is “largely due to the results of recent auctions for the generation supply portion of your electric bill.”

The company’s website went on to explain what prompted the increase:

“…Energy supply companies submit bids in the auction for the ability to supply energy to AEP Ohio customers for a specified period of time at the lowest price possible. This generation supply component is called the Standard Service Offer (SSO) and these procurement costs are external to AEP Ohio and beyond its control. Customers may also choose to receive their generation supply from a Competitive Retail Electric Service (CRES) provider.

During the most recent auctions, held in November 2022 and March 2023, the cost of procuring generation supply increased significantly and AEP Ohio is required to pass these costs along to customers. Global demand, global supply chain issues, economic uncertainty, and the continued war in Ukraine have had an impact on the cost to produce electricity. The results of these two auctions are blended to create the new rate. 

Due to these rising costs, a typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours of energy each month can expect their total bill to increase about 28% from today’s typical bill of about $155 to about $198. These rates will be in effect until May 2024.”

When asked for an interview regarding this increase, an AEP spokesperson referred 10 Investigates to a press release which blamed the increase in part on higher energy use and higher generation supply prices.

The state’s Public Utility Commission approved this increase.

The increase comes at a time when AEP has faced criticism for customer relations following a controlled blackout last summer.

During the June incident, AEP cut power to thousands of customers in order to shed some of the load on the grid.

At the time, AEP said that storm damage to its infrastructure – combined with high temperatures – forced the utility company to act in order to avoid a longer, more prolonged blackouts.

The net result left customers upset and without power for days, in some areas, including parts of Clintonville.

10 Investigates returned to that area Friday to ask customers for their reaction about the increase. Most said they were unaware but weren’t happy to learn the news.

“I think it’s ridiculous that profitability of these organizations is built on the back of the consumer,” said Douglas Frank.

A PUCO spokesman said the increase will affect those with default rates. However, other “customers enrolled directly with a retail supplier or enrolled through their local government’s aggregation program will be unimpacted by this change.”

The spokesman also pointed out that “customers can explore energy choice options and enroll with a competitive supplier if they wish. The PUCO maintains its Energy Choice Ohio website at www.energychoice.ohio.gov to assist consumers in comparing offers, and tips to ensure they are asking the right questions before signing up with a competitive supplier.

The spokesman also provided a link to a presentation from PUCO’s technical staff last May “discussing the impacts on the energy markets and how they are impacting prices https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOhdpNfpKR0&t=1215s.”

10 Investigates found that this rate hike increase is happening at a time when AEP has increased its quarterly dividends for shareholders up to 83 cents per share. With 514 million shares, that provides returns to shareholders of $1.7 billion.

AEP has not responded to follow-up questions as of news time.

To learn more about the increase and find ways to save on your bill, click here.

Local News: Recent Coverage ⬇️

CLEVELAND — The Norfolk Southern Railway is backing away from its push to reduce its train crews down to one person, the company said Thursday in a joint announcement with the nation’s largest rail union.

The two sides said they will instead focus on quality of life issues for employees, such as scheduling and days off, during their ongoing contract talks.

Railroad safety, including staffing levels, has come under scrutiny since a fiery freight train derailment involving cars carrying toxic chemicals in early February led to evacuations in East Palestine, Ohio.

No one was immediately injured in the Feb. 3 derailment, but state and local officials decided to release and burn toxic vinyl chloride from five tanker cars, prompting the evacuation of half of the roughly 5,000 residents. Billowing smoke above the village and reports from residents that they still suffer from illnesses, turned high-level attention to railroad safety and how dangerous materials are transported.

Bipartisan legislation introduced in Congress following the derailment would require train crews to continue to have two people, although the train that derailed in East Palestine had a three-person crew.

Railroad worker unions argue that operational changes and widespread job cuts across the industry in the past six years have made railroads riskier. They say employees are spread thin after nearly one-third of all rail jobs were eliminated and train crews, in particular, deal with fatigue because they are on call 24/7

The Federal Railroad Administration also is considering a rule that would require two-person crews in most instances.

Earlier this week, Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw offered support for some parts of the railroad safety bill while testifying before the Senate Commerce Committee, but he declined when pressed to support a two-person requirement for crews.

Instead, he said, “We are a data-driven organization and I’m not aware of any data that links crew size with safety.”

The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers union has long opposed attempts by the nation’s railroads to cut down crew sizes, citing safety concerns.

CLEVELAND — It was March 24, 2013.

Aliza Sherman, a 53-year-old fertility nurse with the Cleveland Clinic, was stabbed 11 times outside of 75 Erieview Plaza in downtown Cleveland during the middle of the afternoon.

Now, 10 years later, questions remain as authorities continue searching for the person responsible.

Her family will hold a vigil downtown with a moment of silence at 5 p.m. to “bring attention to what happened there 10 years ago, and how nobody has been held accountable for my mom’s murder,” Sherman’s daughter, Jennifer, told Cleveland Jewish News.

An “Inspiring Change” event was held in honor of Sherman on Thursday night to raise money for Cleveland Clinic patients and caregivers who have experienced violence.

In 2021, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations cold case unit stepped in to review the case.

“We’re just really grateful for this chance of a fresh set of eyes on the case,” Jennifer told 3News at the time.

Editor’s note: Video in the player above was originally published in a previous story on Aug. 5, 2021.

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AKRON, Ohio — The Akron Police Department has arrested three teenagers and recovered a stolen car and firearms from a carjacking that happened on Tuesday afternoon.

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The incident happened at around 4:30 p.m. in the parking lot of Lucky Corner on West Waterloo Road when two 30-year-old victims were approached by the male suspects wearing masks after pulling into the parking lot.

The victims told Akron police that one of the suspects allegedly pointed a handgun at them and asked them to get out of their vehicle. The suspects then got into the victim’s 2007 Mercedes-Benz ML350 and drove off. 

Akron police officials say that on Friday at around 12:15 a.m., officers spotted the stolen vehicle near Baird Street and Talbot Avenue.

After the driver failed to pull over, officers initiated a short pursuit, which ended when the stolen vehicle rolled into a parked car in the 2200 block of 7th Street southwest in Kenmore. 

The teenagers got out of the stolen vehicle and fled on foot, before officers chased them and arrested two 17-year-old boys.

During the arrest, one of the teens “briefly resisted arrest and had to be wrestled to the ground, causing him to drop a handgun he possessed.” according to Akron Police officials. 

Soon after, a 15-year-old boy was also taken into custody after hiding across the street. Police recovered another handgun nearby. 

All of the suspects were taken to the Summit County Juvenile Detention Center and are being charged with weapons charges and obstructing official business.

Additionally, one of the 17-year-old boys was charged with resisting arrest. 

During the arrest, an officer sustained a minor injury and was taken to the hospital. He since has been treated and released. 

At this time, the investigation remains ongoing and additional criminal charges are possible. 

EDITOR’S NOTE: The video above previously aired on 3News on March 22, 2023.