The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio has proposed a $1.45 million fine against Duke Energy Corp. for repeatedly violating state administrative code while making more than 100,000 billing mistakes since 2022.
The fine is part of a revised settlement proposal, filed by PUCO staff on Aug. 12, to address ongoing problems with Duke’s “Customer Connect” software system. The revised settlement would triple an earlier penalty sought against Duke in March. But critics of both the utility and its regulator say the proposed settlement falls far short of what’s needed.
“This is unfortunately a sad tradition in Ohio, of the Public Utilities Commission standing up for utilities at the expense of consumers,” said Marc Dann, former Ohio attorney general who is trying to bypass the PUCO with a new Hamilton County lawsuit alleging Duke’s billing practices violate the Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act. “A nickel, a quarter at a time, consumers are being beaten out of their hard-earned money at a time when it’s not going as far as it used to.”