There’s no coal-fired power plants or wind turbines in Ticaboo. Instead, it’s a series of diesel generators keeping the lights on.
“It’s basically… What?… 1930s, 1940s technology,” said John Motley, who maintains the electrical grid for Ticaboo.
“A typical power bill can range anywhere from $300 to $700 a month,” he added.
Those bills pay for the diesel and the cost of maintaining the generators.
Ticaboo sits in southern Utah away from any other electricity grids. The population hits about 300 in the summer when tourists come to play at Lake Powell. The electric bills in Ticaboo are a lot more than what other Utahns pay, or will pay even if a proposed rate increase takes effect.
John Motley The U.S. Energy Information Administration shows Utah’s average homeowner paid $87 a month in 20-23, the lowest in the country.
Rocky Mountain Power provides electricity to about three-fourths of Utah’s geography and the majority of its residents. The company says the average residential customer pays $121 a month in Utah. The utility is now asking for an 18.1% rate increase to take effect in February. The Utah Public Service Commission is weighing the request.