LACKAWANNA COUNTY, Pa. — Mike McAndrew has his finger on the pulse. As the owner of Three Saints Barber Shop in Jessup, he talks with customers all day long about current events, politics, and even high electric bills.
That's a topic he can certainly relate to.
"It's a great way to check yourself: Is it just me? Am I overreacting to 7 cents more a kilowatt hour?"
His customers would tell you - no.
After two rate hikes, PPL's default rate went up more than 90 percent between the end of 2021 and the end of 2022.
McAndrew, and the people who sit in his barber chair, are starting to feel it.
"They're killing people, they're killing people. And the thing is, electric isn't something like a luxury. You need electric. It's a necessity. So people's hands are tied," McAndrew said, adding that he's particularly worried about people on fixed incomes.
He's stayed the course throughout the inflation roller coaster; he hasn't raised his prices for a couple of years.
But now he's thinking it might be time to bite the bullet.
"I'll probably have to bump up 10%, 10-15%, nowhere near what the utility company is doing."
It's a similar state of affairs at the Holiday Inn in Dunmore.
The general manager, Corey Pregmon, says, "The increase has drastically impacted our business to the point where we can't pass on savings to customers. Unfortunately, we may have to consider room rate increases, food and beverage increases, just to offset some of the cost PPL is impacting the community with."
He says the owner is also considering installing solar panels.
PPL has previously told us, "Supply constraints, inflation, geopolitical issues, and other market forces have caused the price of electricity supply to rise sharply over the past two years," and that is the cause for the rate hikes.
See more news stories on WNEP's Youtube page.