Customers of APS who are forced to pay higher costs than Arizona’s other electricity companies are not supposed to be alone in their fight for fairness.The Residential Utility Consumer Office (RUCO) is a state-funded team of accountants and attorneys tasked with advocating for Arizona’s utility ratepayers.
Audit Report: APS Earned $77 Million More than Expected in 2018, 80% From Customers
An unaltered independent “rate review” of APS further details the prosperous position the monopoly utility finds itself in and a belief among most customers that their electricity bills are not reasonable.The 3rd party report is considered a snapshot audit of APS. It was produced by Overland Consulting at the request of the Arizona Corporation Commission for $250,000.
How Hot Is Too Hot? AZ Regulators Ignore Science in Weighing Shutoff Protections
Arizona regulators who are developing rules to prohibit utilities from disconnecting customers during extreme heat are ignoring scientific and public health expertise, critics say. The working threshold in the Corporation Commission's draft rules is 105 degrees Fahrenheit, meaning that utilities would not be allowed to cut power to customers when temperatures are higher than that, even if the customer has a delinquent account.
Questions Raised About AZCC Transparency in APS Audit
An Arizona Corporation Commission ordered third-party audit suggesting that the Arizona Public Service (APS) was making more money than authorized was withheld from the public for several months after its completion. Ratepayer consultant Abhay Padgaonkar has a problem with that.
As Summer Ends, Utilities Prepare to Resume Disconnections for Unpaid Bills
Utilities can resume cutting power this week to customers with unpaid bills as an emergency moratorium on shutoffs during Arizona's intense summer heat expires today. During a sparsely attended meeting on October 10, representatives from several Arizona power companies, like Trico Electric Cooperative in southern Arizona, indicated that they wanted to start disconnections immediately on October 16.
APS Files Notice of Intent to File New Rate Case
Arizona Public Service has filed notice of its intent to file a rate case with the Arizona Corporation Commission. The new filing comes after consumer advocate Stacey Champion challenged the impact of the company's last rate hike in 2017. Champion argued that many APS customers experienced a higher increase than the company cited during the rate case hearings.
Arizona Corporation Commission Considering How Hot is Too Hot to Shut Off Electricity to Delinquent Customers
In Nine of the Last 10 years, More People Have Died from the Arizona Heat than from Hurricanes. "Did your office reach out to public health experts and universities to join your stakeholder group." Consumer Advocate Stacey Champion asked at an Arizona Corporation Commission work-study meeting Monday.
Arizona Utility Regulators Discuss New Policy on Power Disconnects
That's what one critic is saying about a power disconnect proposal. The Arizona Corporation Commission will debate next week when utility companies should turn off power for non-payment.This comes after the deaths of several APS customers. On Monday, the Five-Member Corporation Will Discuss Restricting Power Companies From Turning Off the Power When the Temperature Hits 105 Degrees.
How hot is too hot to shut off your power? AZ Corporation Commission will consider
On Monday the Arizona Corporation Commission begins work to determine how hot the temperature gets before power companies must suspend shutting off power to delinquent customers. Since the middle of June, APS has not terminated service to any customer for failure to pay.
APS CEO Appearing Before Arizona Corporation Commission Today
Wednesday’s the day APS CEO Don Brandt will appear before the Arizona Corporation Commission. Brandt announced his retirement late last month, but before he steps away, he’ll be asked to answer for the electric utility’s procedures and practices and the company’s spending for or against elected utility regulators.
APS CEO Don Brandt Set to Explain Disconnections and Dark Money
The man in charge of Arizona's largest utility is set to testify in front of state regulators on Wednesday. Arizona Public Service (APS) CEO Don Brandt is expected to explain how the company handles cutting power to its customers during a public meeting.
Regulators Want Answers on APS Summer Disconnections
Arizona Public Service CEO Don Brandt will be on the hot seat September 4 when utility regulators are expected to probe further into the company’s disconnection practices and the death of a Sun City West woman whose power was cut off.
Despite Changes in Leadership, APS’s Influence Remains Strong at the Corporation Commission
When the Corporation Commission executive director was forced to resign last year amid concerns of a conflict of interest with APS, many believed such problems would be finally put to rest. But the unelected staffers at the commission have brazenly continued to advocate anti-consumer positions favorable to APS on issue after issue.
Can We Survive Extreme Heat?
On a scorching day in downtown Phoenix, when the temperature soars to 115°F or higher, heat becomes a lethal force. Sunshine assaults you, forcing you to seek cover. The air feels solid, a hazy, ozone-soaked curtain of heat. You feel it radiating up from the parking lot through your shoes.
APS CEO Don Brandt Will Retire in November
Don Brandt is stepping down. Brandt, the CEO of Arizona Public Service and its parent company Pinnacle West, will retire November 15, 2019, the company announced Wednesday. APS President Jeff Guldner, who was promoted to that position last year, will replace him, the company said in a news release.
Cool Weather Cuts into APS' Profits in 2nd Quarter of 2019, Erasing 1st-Quarter Gains
Nice weather and less need for air conditioners this year have cut into profits at the parent company of Arizona Public Service Co., Pinnacle West Capital Corp., which also said it will delay big battery projects following an April fire. Pinnacle West said Thursday that profits for the April-June quarter fell 14% to $144.1 million, or $1.28 per share.
Fights, Fears Surround Push to Overhaul Ariz. Electricity
Heat-related deaths. Efforts to boost renewables. Spiking power bills. Those are some of the factors playing into a raging debate in Arizona that has brought in everyone from Cindy McCain to the Sierra Club.
Hearing for APS Leader in Wake of Customers' Deaths Delayed until September
Don Brandt, the CEO of Arizona Public Service, will not appear before the Arizona Corporation Commission next week as expected. Brandt was scheduled to stand before the utility regulators on Wednesday and answer tough questions about three customers who died in the heat after their power was cut off.
APS Allies Attack Company Critic on Twitter
Arizona Public Service and its allies unleashed a Twitter attack on one of its harshest critics over the weekend following a published commentary from Cindy McCain about the company’s CEO Don Brandt.
Stacey Champion: What does APS Head Honcho Don Brandt Have to Hide?
More than a century ago, Teddy Roosevelt said, “Knowing what’s right doesn’t mean much unless you do what’s right.” It is for this reason that I have been advocating, without pay or financial benefit, on behalf of the thousands of Arizona Public Service (APS) captive ratepayers, many of whom are our most vulnerable citizens, for the past 19 months.