Rocky Mountain Power customers will pay more in 2016

A settlement approved Wednesday by the Idaho Public Utilities Commission will raise rates for Rocky Mountain Power customers in 2016.

The decision allows the company to transfer some of its variable power supply expense into permanent rate base rates. It also prevents another base rate increase until January 1, 2018 at the earliest.

The settlement increases base rates about 3.9 percent in 2016. Residential customer rates would increase 2.8 percent. However, customers would notice a reduction of near the same size when the company files its annual Energy Cost Adjustment Mechanism (ECAM) for 2017.

A residential customer who uses the average 801 kilowatt-hours per month would pay about $2.35 more each month.

The settlement shifts $10.2 million of expense currently collected through the ECAM into the utility’s base rates.

The IPUC said the settlement represents a “reasonable compromise” to meet the concerns of industrial customers like Monsanto.

Rocky Mountain Power serves 75,000 customers in eastern Idaho.