This is for all AEP Kentucky Power Customers 

The facts are just from the county I live in. 

We, the undersigned residents of Pike County and the surrounding region, strongly oppose AEP Kentucky Power’s proposed 14.9% increase in residential electricity rates.

This rate hike would disproportionately and unfairly harm low- and moderate-income households in our community. According to the 2021 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates:

14.6% of Pike County households earn less than $10,000 annually

37.9% earn less than $25,000

52.7% earn less than $40,000

These figures reveal that nearly 4 in 10 households live on less than $25,000 per year. For these families, electricity is not a luxury—it is a lifeline.

The proposed increase of approximately $268 per year would push many households well beyond the 6% affordability benchmark for energy costs:

Households earning under $10,000 would see their energy burden rise from 18% to 20% of annual income

Those earning between $10,000 and $15,000 would see a jump from 12% to nearly 14%

Even households earning up to $40,000 would face burdens approaching 9%

Such increases would force families to make impossible choices between basic needs like food, medicine, and electricity. The ripple effects would include:

Greater reliance on public assistance programs

Higher rates of utility shutoffs

Increased financial hardship across our region

Pike County already faces serious economic challenges. This rate hike would deepen the divide between affordability and survival.

We call on the Kentucky Public Service Commission to reject AEP Kentucky Power’s proposed rate increase and to prioritize solutions that ensure energy equity, community resilience, and economic justice.