After the release of a damning survey that revealed it is one of the least reliable utility companies out there, Pepco has announced a six-point plan to address its biggest problems -- a plan which will cost customers a little bit extra every month. more ›

More than a few of us at DCist have been chatting over the past week about how this month's double-whammy snow storms provided at least one hidden benefit: to our wallets. Not being able to really go out and spend money for almost a full week has left us with slightly heftier bank balances than normal. Great for us, not so great for local businesses, but hopefully that'll all balance out soon enough. more ›

Nothing screams "relaxing summer holiday weekend" like news about increases in electricity rates for the winter of 2010, right? The AP is reporting that Pepco requested an increase in delivery rates from the D.C. Public Service Commission on Friday. The increase would likely mean a six percent increase in monthly electric bills for every electricity user living inside the District. Enjoy! Hey, at least if your electric bill suddenly shoots up by a few bucks every month come January, you'll know why -- unlike this past winter. more ›

No one likes to pay the bills. Personally, I've always had a sore spot in said monthly chore for the electric bill. It's just not a tangible thing. Sure, I understand the mechanism: the more power I use in my home, the more it will cost me at the end of the month. But what is often perplexing to my poor brain is the quantity of the usage. Will falling asleep with the lights for one night cost me an extra dollar -- or ten? Every month I have the same inner monologue, lasting for a solid three or four minutes -- but inevitably, there's just the electronic transfer of funds from my checking account into Pepco's coffers. more ›