SHREVEPORT, La. – As temperatures climb across the ArkLaTex, many residents are already turning on their air conditioners and wondering how summer electric bills could impact household budgets already strained by inflation and high gas prices.
But officials with Southwestern Electric Power Company, commonly known as SWEPCO, say the price drivers behind electricity are different from what consumers see at the gas pump.
“The price that people are paying at the pump for their automobiles is completely different than the fuel source we use at a power plant,” said SWEPCO President and CEO Brett Mattison. “Because that fuel that you’re putting in your car is a petrochemical made from oil, so those two are not tied together. So what’s happening at the gas pump is not influencing what’s happening with your electric bill.”…