Evergy has submitted paperwork to the Kansas Corporation Commission that could lead to the utility’s first increase in its base rates in five years.
Evergy wants to “recover investments…to improve service to customers with a more reliable and resilient power grid and updated customer service systems.”
It’s the first base rate increase requested by the company since Westar and Great Plains Energy merged to become Evergy. The company says it has kept all its commitments as part of that merger agreement, including reductions in operating costs with savings moved to customers, millions of dollars invested into local community groups and charities and no requests to increase base rates for five years.
Residents served by Evergy Kansas Central, including all area counties, could see a nearly 10-percent overall rate increase — translating to a monthly bill increase of over $14. Meanwhile, Evergy Kansas Metro, or the Kansas City metro area, would see an increase of nearly $3.50 a month. Evergy says the rate increase as requested is actually almost 40 percent lower than first planned, due to “ongoing savings achieved since 2018.”
The Kansas Corporation Commission has not said when it plans to address Evergy’s request, but new rates could well become effective by December.
