Provided by Burbank Water and Power
The Burbank City Council has unanimously approved increases to Burbank Water and Power (BWP) water and electric rates, effective July 1, 2023, and July 1, 2024. As a not-for-profit community-owned utility, BWP complies with state regulations requiring its rates equal the cost of providing water and electric service.
The average systemwide increase in electric rates amounts to 8.5%, which is approximately $12.77 per month for an average residential customer, along with a 9% average systemwide increase in water rates, which is about $6.44 per month for the median single-family residential customer.
Increases to water and electric rates are being driven by six key factors:
- Under-collection from several years of minimal or no rate increases prior to and throughout the COVID 19 pandemic resulting in inadequate revenue to cover the cost of providing electric and water service.
- Inflation is causing increased costs of materials and goods, such as power poles, renewable energy components, chlorine, power lines, transformers, water pipes and fire hydrants by as much as 200%.
- Volatility in energy prices, with some energy inputs such as natural gas tripling in cost over the past three years.
- Aging infrastructure that needs repair to avoid power outages and water service interruptions.
- Regulatory requirements that come with increased costs, but that must be completed to avoid fines from the state.
- Climate change, which all utilities in California are addressing by procuring renewables to create an economically viable and sustainable future.
Despite these challenges, BWP continues to provide industry-leading reliability with some of the lowest rates in the region.
BWP focuses on continuous improvement efforts to reduce costs and increase our efficiency to minimize rate impacts. In just the past year, BWP has achieved significant cost savings, totaling over $27 million.
“BWP is committed to maintaining its hallmark of fiscal responsibility and providing the Burbank community the best possible value,” says Dawn Roth Lindell, General Manager at BWP. “We want to continue delivering reliable, affordable, and sustainable service today and for future generations. We are thankful for the community’s support and confidence in us.”
BWP recognizes the strain these increases may have on the community and offers a wide variety of programs designed to help Burbank’s residents and businesses save money and conserve resources. From financial assistance programs for all income levels, to programs and rebates that make homes and businesses more efficient, we stand ready to help our customers. We encourage all customers to visit BurbankWaterandPower.com/financial-help and BurbankWaterAndPower.com/rebates-and-incentives or call Customer Service at (818) 238-3700 to discover ways you can save money on your bill.
