Tennesseans brace for higher electric bills atop other rising prices

By NAOMI SNYDER • Staff Writer Tennessean • February 16, 2008 Electric customers can expect to see their bills go up by $4 to $7 per month on average starting April 1 as electric suppliers throughout the region pass on the Tennessee Valley Authority's rate hike. The TVA approved a 7 percent increase at a board meeting Friday, citing rising demand for electricity and the need for more power generation. Some customers thought the rate increases would hit them harder in the midst of other high prices for food and gas and a slower economy overall. "The timing is off,'' said Nashville Electric Service customer Arzaa Bryant, who has seen his work slack off as a mortgage broker. "With the economy in a bad situation already, it's going to make things so much worse right now." Bryant, who has three children, said he pays about $300 per month for electricity at his 3,500-square-foot home, not counting what it costs him to heat the place. He has started his own marketing event company to help make up for a slower housing market. Area distributors of TVA electricity, including Nashville Electric Service, said they would pass along TVA's rate increase to their customers. Posted by MS