Stephanie Laughlin
1818 deer park ave 
Louisville, KY 40205
Phone:5023226838
E-Mail:Sairabanu226@hotmail.com


Dear Commissioners:

As a residential customer of LG&E. I'm writing to oppose LG&E's flat monthly rate increases on electric and gas service charges. While it is understandable that rates may have to increase with time, it is the job of the PSC to make sure that approved rate changes are fair and equitable for the community. Allowing LG&E's monthly service charge to increase as proposed will significantly and disproportionately burden low income families, marginalize energy efficiency measures, discourage the use of renewables, and unreasonably reward wasteful users of energy. Therefore, if any increase is due, volumetric pricing increases are the only method that will meet these standards and justly serve the community. 

LG&E wants to raise the monthly electric service charge by 53% (from $8.50 to $13.00) and the kWh rate by only 3.7% (from 7.242 cents to 7.513 cents). It seeks to raise the monthly gas service charge by 24% (from $12.50 to $15.50) and to lower the CCF price by 6.4% (from $.62023 to $.58025). I encourage LG&E and the PSC to forgo this plan and instead make the necessary rate increases to gas and electric unit costs only while maintaining or lowering the base monthly rate for customers. 

I oppose allocating the increase to monthly service charges as proposed. This rate system violates fundamental rules of free market economics. Any rate increase should be allocated to the unit of energy (volumetric pricing), not to the monthly service charge. LG&E already enjoys a monopoly with guaranteed profits and does not need a higher monthly service charge. In short, LG&E's proposed structure is terrible public policy. A public utility whitch is responsible to the community and its customers should not employ such a pricing structure that is weighted so heavily in the base monthly rate. I ask that the Commission not allow it, either after hearing or in any proposed settlement.

Regards, 
Stephanie Laughlin
1818 Deer Park Ave
Louisville, KY 40205