Campbell proposes summer bill reduction from SWEPCO

SHREVEPORT, La. -- SWEPCO customers could get approximately $63 in bill credits this summer to offset an accounting error by the company. The credit will be split into credits of about $21 each month in July, August and September. The actual amount will depend on the customer's usage. The Louisiana Public Service Commission still must approve the refund amount. The next meeting is Wednesday in Baton Rouge. "Summertime bills tend to be the highest of the year, so these credits will reduce the cost of staying cool for SWEPCO customers," Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell said in a news conference Monday afternoon. SWEPCO overcharged its 240,000 customers in 12 northwest Louisiana parishes by more than $23 million, Campbell said. The company acknowledged the error during PSC's review of its billing in 2022-23. "It's important that monopoly companies like SWEPCO have someone looking over their shoulder," Campbell said. "That's what we do at the PSC."