Working on a PPL Electric bill review here in Pennsylvania and I'm seeing a new line item called "Distribution System Improvement Charge" on several GP-Small accounts. It's showing as $0.0043/kWh but I can't find this charge in the current tariff filing. The accounts are all under 100kW demand so they should be on standard GP-Small rates. Has anyone else seen this charge appear recently?
PPL Rate Schedule GP-Small - Unauthorized Distribution System Improvement Charge?
Sylvia, Idaho Power tried something similar last year with an unauthorized "System Reliability Surcharge." Turned out they were testing it on small commercial customers to see if anyone would notice before filing for formal approval. We challenged it and got full refunds plus interest. Check if PPL filed a petition with the PUC - if not, that charge is completely bogus and recoverable.
I've seen this pattern before with Ameren Missouri. They'll start billing unauthorized charges 3-4 months before filing for approval, hoping customers won't notice until it's "grandfathered" in. The key is to document when the charges first appeared versus the official tariff effective date. Usually creates a refund window of several months. File complaints immediately - don't wait for the formal approval process.
Checked with our Cincinnati contacts who deal with PPL's Ohio operations. They confirmed this is an unauthorized charge - PPL hasn't filed for approval of any Distribution System Improvement rider in Pennsylvania yet. They're apparently doing "pilot testing" on customers below 500kW thinking small accounts won't have professional bill review. Definitely challengeable for full refunds.