WARWICK, R.I.—Rhode Islanders will soon be seeing significantly lower electric bills.
The state Public Utilities Commission on Thursday unanimously approved National Grid's proposal to lower electric rates across the board.
Under the rates that take effect Friday, the typical residential customer who uses 500 kilowatt hours a month will see their bill will drop from $83.09 to $69.36, a 16.5 percent decrease.
National Grid is able to lower rates because the power purchased by the company is cheaper this year, driven by the lower costs of natural gas.
A utility spokesman tells The Providence Journal that rates haven't been this low since 2004.
Business and commercial customers will also see rate cuts, albeit smaller than residential customers.
------
Information from: The Providence Journal, http://www.projo.com/
