Duke Energy Progress here in NC has been running 28-day billing cycles all winter instead of monthly. My client budgets for 12 bills per year but they're getting 13+ bills. The short cycles are also pushing them into higher tier rates more frequently. Anyone else seeing this pattern with Duke?
Duke Progress 28-day cycles causing budget issues
Steve, Consumers Energy does this in Michigan too. The 28-day cycles mean customers hit their tier thresholds faster each month. It's like a hidden rate increase. Have you calculated the annual impact?
Tina - rough math shows about 8% more in energy charges annually just from the shorter cycles. Plus the cash flow impact of 13 bills instead of 12. For a $50K/year electric bill, that's real money. Duke claims it's for "operational efficiency" but it feels like a revenue grab.
Steve, I've seen this with MLGW too. The short cycles are often driven by meter reading logistics, but utilities should be adjusting the tier thresholds proportionally. If Duke isn't doing that, it's definitely worth a complaint. The NC Utilities Commission has been pretty responsive on billing issues lately.