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PUC reports surge in rate-case filings and consumer contacts; cites Universal Service Working Group steps to improve affordability
Summary
Chairman Steve DeFrank told lawmakers the PUC handled a record workload in 2024—about 32,000 filings including 31 rate cases and more than 77,000 consumer complaints—and described steps to streamline assistance through a Universal Service Working Group and education programs.
Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission Chairman Steve DeFrank told the House Consumer Protection, Technology and Utilities Committee that PUC staff handled a record volume of work in 2024, including roughly 32,000 filings, 31 individual rate cases, and more than 77,000 consumer complaints.
DeFrank outlined additional 2024 outputs: nearly 12,000 documents served by the secretary’s bureau; roughly 675 evidentiary hearings; 75 public-input hearings; 282 mediation resolutions; 862 orders and final orders; and more than 112,000 consumer-service calls answered by the Bureau of Consumer Services. He said the Bureau of Consumer Services resolved more than 74,000 customer inquiries and reduced open winter-moratorium cases to their lowest level in a decade.
On affordability, DeFrank described the PUC-established Universal Service Working Group (August 2023), which brought utilities, consumer advocates and stakeholders together to improve program coordination and reduce enrollment barriers. Among the working group’s measures: a common application form to simplify enrollment, a centralized online resource for assistance programs, and LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) data sharing to enable automatic enrollment of eligible households. DeFrank also described ‘‘Utility Wise’’ consumer-education events and in-person outreach planned for Pittsburgh, Johnstown, Reading and Harrisburg.
Several representatives asked whether public-input hearings influence PUC decisions. DeFrank said they do, noting public input hearings in Scranton prompted an investigation into a utility’s service quality, and that the PUC incorporates public comments into rate-case adjudications and settlement discussions.
Ending: The PUC urged continued coordination with legislators on affordability fixes; the working group and PUC outreach efforts were presented as ongoing steps to improve enrollment, transparency and consumer assistance.
