Utility Dive, in a Dec 1 story, noted that while some utilities across the country are moving away from high fixed charges, others continue trying to increase them. Critics of high fixed charges say they hurt both efficiency efforts and the growth of distributed generation.

The story, which highlighted two recent cases in Indiana in which utilities were seeking large increases in fixed charges, noted that a recently-published report from the Regulatory Assistance Project, Smart Rate Design for a Smart Future, asserts that utilities looking for big hikes in monthly fixed charges are deviating from a key rate design principle—that only the costs that change with the number of customers served should be included in fixed month fees. The report says that fixed charges risk “putting the very viability of the industry in question,” Utility Dive noted.