Price for electricity in Berlin set to decrease

Electricity rates in Berlin remain the lowest in the region, with numbers set to go down in coming years, according to a release from the Town of Berlin.

As a member of American Municipal Power, a wholesale energy provider based in Columbus, Ohio, which pulls from multiple sources on the grid, rates in Berlin came in at around 5.95 cents per kilowatt hour through December 2017, a drop from 6.39 cents on average in 2015. Comparably, Delmarva Power offered rates of 8.37 cents from October 2015 through May 2016. Choptank Energy Cooperative offered rates of about 6.26 cents per kilowatt hour.

Based on those rates, the cost for Berlin residents using 1,000 kilowatt hours per month was $128.74; compared to $151.79 for Delmarva Power customers and $138.33 for Choptank customers.

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"We work to keep our rates competitive. Our membership in American Municipal Power enables the Town of Berlin to take advantage of the bulk purchasing power of multiple municipal systems, as well as drops in energy prices that occur from time to time,” Mayor Gee Williams said, in the release.

The town's rate is expected to continue to drop through a power cost adjustment in 2018. The town claims that following this, residents can expect to see a 5-7 percent rate drop.

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“Our rates are competitive now and will stay that way through 2020,” Town Administrator Laura Allen said. “Since we joined AMP, we’re able to take an even more timely approach and faster response to how we purchase power based on changes in the power supply market. AMP has employees watching the market every day, so we’re able to take advantage of price decreases even more quickly than before."