Newsletter: Utility double whammy may raise bills soon

The federal government’s Energy Information Administration tell us that average retail residential electricity prices nationally “generally mirrored” inflation between 2013 and 2023.

“Without adjusting for inflation, the average retail price of electricity for the residential sector increased from a little more than 12 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) in 2013 to 16 cents per kWh in 2023,” the EIA said in September.

In nominal terms (not adjusted for inflation), the average monthly electric bill for U.S. residential customers last year reached $138, up from $135 in 2022, the EIA reported in April.

Where does this leave you? Once electric prices rise, they rarely fall again.

After years of gradual increases, we may be looking yet again at higher bills. If utility regulators in Ohio are open to the idea, residential energy prices may be rising again in coming months.

Utility bill double whammy: Both AES and CenterPoint seek higher rates

AES Ohio smart meter.

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Both AES Ohio and CenterPoint Energy last week filed with the state body that governs Ohio utilities, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO), to launch the process to raise residential rates.

A spokesman for the PUCO said he expects the process for considering AES Ohio’s proposal to take about 275 days.

Timeline: “The process for a distribution rate case for electric and natural gas company is the same, so CenterPoint and AES’s application will follow a similar timeline,” said Matt Schilling, the PUCO spokesman.

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New 117-home subdivision coming to Beavercreek

Oberer has put a request before the city of Beavercreek to rezone 50 acres to build more than 100 homes, according to the site plan.

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Whenever I ask Realtors which local markets are hot, I get lots of words, and usually one of those words is “Beavercreek.”

From Greene County Reporter London Bishop, we learn that development firm Oberer has the go-ahead to build more than 100 homes on North Alpha Bellbrook Road in Beavercreek.

The plan: Build 117 single-family homes on 50 acres on the west side of North Alpha Bellbrook Road, just north of the intersection with Indian Ripple Road.

Read the story.

Sierra Nevada’s Dayton ‘Doomsday plane’ work ramps up

The second Boeing 747-8i that Sierra Nevada Corp. will modify at its Dayton Aviation Innovation and Technology Center. Contributed

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My unwritten rule of journalism, No. 17: No opportunity to use the word “doomsday” in a headline should be neglected.

Within a secure hangar near Dayton International Airport, skilled workers are modernizing a Boeing 747-8i to make it suitable as a haven for some of the nation’s most important leaders in the event of war.

The project: Is well underway. Sierra Nevada Corp., or “SNC,” a global aerospace and national security company, recently announced the arrival of the second Boeing 747-8i at its Aviation Innovation and Technology Center.

Why it matters: The aforementioned Air Force contract is one of the largest aircraft modernization contracts awarded to a company other than an original aircraft manufacturer, indicating “a new acquisition approach that truly prioritizes open systems and fosters innovation, speed and life cycle cost competitiveness,” SNC said.

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Dayton 2025 budget: Expenses may exceed revenue, requiring one-time solutions

Dayton City Manager Shelley Dickstein at a budget work session in October 2024. CORNELIUS FROLIK / STAFF

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In Dayton, leaders are coming to grips with possibility that general fund revenues will grow next year, but expenditures are expected to grow even more, requiring “one-time budget solutions,” city hall Reporter Cory Frolik tells us.

Shortfall ahead? To address a projected $10.8 million shortfall next year, the city plans to take multiple steps, including dipping into cash reserves and interest earnings.

Of note: If the city taps into its cash reserves, it would be the first time that’s happened in a long time.

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New owner to acquire Wilmington’s ATSG in $3.1 billion deal

Wilmington Air Park, from above. Contributed

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Big news Monday: A New York investment firm and Wilmington air cargo company ATSG Inc. agreed to a shares-for-cash deal.

Why it matters: ATSG has been growing, particularly since the pandemic, attracting Amazon as an investor and tapping into e-commerce.

Local impact? None, according to Chief Financial Officer Quint Turner, who told me he does not foresee any changes in local employment or to the local corporate headquarters. “I think it’s business as usual for us.”

Read the story.

Community Gems: Fifty-two people or organizations were named Dayton Daily News Community Gems this year: See who they are and what they are doing for their community. Read about them HERE.

Contact me: Thank you as always for reading this newsletter. You can reach me at tom.gnau@coxinc.com.

Quick hits

Coffee in Springboro: There will soon be a new place for that.

Natalie Jones tries “Picklewich:” Watch her try it for the first time.

UD basketball preview: ‘The expectation is that they could be really good.’ ALSO: The Flyers won Monday.

‘The dog is here:’ And Arch was there to write about it.

Dayton evictions: Sealing records gives tenants a new start.

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