Duke’s “Share the Light” can ease the rate pinch

Duke Energy customers Dale Wilde and Sharon DeRidder worry for those trying to make financial ends meet in a time of high inflation and the prospects that their home energy bills will jump as early as August 1.  Wilde and DeRidder were among nine customers who brought issues to the attention of the state Public Service Commission during the hearing in Seneca.  DeRidder helps offset her bill by relying on solar energy, for which she gets a “pennies on the dollar” return from Duke.  She’d be willing to forego her rebate, if Duke would donate the return to hard-pressed customers.  A Duke attorney at the hearing pointed out that the company helps customers who have trouble paying through its “Share the Light” program.  Dale Wilde of Pickens County’s Sunset Community fears that some badly impacted customers will have to choose between themselves and their pets, and she called for the rate increase to be spread over a period of three years to soften the blow on the pocketbook.  Retiree Richard Curtis says the cost of living just goes up, yet he has to make do on a fixed income.