MISSOURI, USA — Pricey electricity bills plagued residents in St. Louis and across Missouri this summer. New data shows Ameren cut off many of the people who couldn’t pay the high costs in August.
The regulated monopoly utility cut off over 14,000 customers throughout Missouri in August, according to Missouri Public Service Commission records. The total is nearly triple the number of people the utility cut off in July.
Ameren hiked its electricity rates by nearly 12% for the average customer this year, which the utility said was necessary to fund upgrades to its electric system and to invest in cleaner energy. A study commissioned by the Consumers Council of Missouri found that electricity and gas rates in Missouri are rising faster than both national inflation and the state’s job wage growth…