PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 29, 2024
Maine regulators on Monday expanded their study of time-of-use rates that would bill customers depending on when they use electricity. The Public Utilities Commission studied the issue at the direction of the Legislature and reported in November that “carefully designed” rate changes are “likely to shift load, reduce peaks and thus meaningfully reduce overall costs for ratepayers.” Time-of-use rates encourage electricity use at off-peak times to give ratepayers an incentive to wait, for example, to charge their cars overnight rather than immediately after work when many utility customers typically use electricity. Switching to times of day when most utility customers don’t use much power also helps ease electricity loads on the Maine and New England grids.