Denton Municipal Electric customers see first rate increase in seven years

For the first time in seven years, Denton Municipal Electric customers will experience an uptick in their electric bills.

On Tuesday, the Denton City Council approved a mid-year rate hike for DME clients, slated to commence on April 1.

This adjustment is expected to result in an average increase of $24 for residential bills. However, the impact on businesses will be more substantial, with small businesses facing an average monthly increase of $26 and medium-sized businesses expecting an average rise of $330 per month. Larger enterprises could potentially witness increases of up to $8,000 per month.

Here’s the breakdown of the estimated increases for different customer segments:

– Residential Customers: Anticipated to raise the average electric bill (for 1000 kWh usage) from $106 to $130 per month.
– Small Business Customers: Expected to increase the average electric bill (for 1,101 kWh usage) from $148 to $174 per month.
– Medium Business Customers: Estimated to raise the average electric bill (for 13,7171 kWh usage and 48 kW demand) from $1,361 to $1,691 per month.
– Large Business Customers: Projected to increase the average electric bill (for 342,406 kWh usage and 867 kVA demand) from $28,002 to $36,258 per month.

DME justified the increase as necessary to counter rising transmission and energy costs. They clarified that all Texans are experiencing higher energy expenses due to statewide regulatory alterations beyond DME’s jurisdiction. Despite this, DME customers continue to enjoy comparatively lower average monthly bills when compared to other municipally-owned utilities in Texas.

Denton residents can utilize the Residential Bill Calculator to estimate their new monthly bill based on their average usage patterns.