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<p>Customers who chose PPL Electric Utilities to supply them with power will pay more next month when the electricity provider raises rates by 14 percent.</p><p>Under the increase set to take effect on June 1, the new price to compare for residential customers will be 8.493 cents per kilowatt-hour. The existing price is 7.490 per kWh.</p><p>PPL Electric Utilities&#8217; spokesman Kurt Blumenau said the hike is the result of a number of factors, including higher wholesale energy prices the provider paid in the most recent auction and an increase in transmission costs. The price to compare rate is updated every six months on June 1 and Dec. 1 and also factors in adjustments based on customer use in the prior period.</p><p>As a result the average monthly bill will increase by $8.75 for residential customers, Blumenau said.</p><p>&#8220;For the average residential customer who doesn&#8217;t shop and uses 100 kWh a month, the average bill will increase from $136.12 to $144.87,&#8221; Blumenau said Tuesday.</p><p>Small business customers also will pay more. The rate will increase to 7.490 kWh from 7.197 cents kWh.</p><p>Blumenau was unable to say specifically how PPL Electric&#8217;s rates compare to those of other suppliers. There has usually been a fair number of competitive rates, he said.</p><p>Blumenau encouraged consumers shopping for electricity to visit the company&#8217;s web site, www.pplelectric.com/shopping, or the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission&#8217;s web site, www.PAPowerSwitch.com.</p><p>PPL Electric is a subsidiary of PPL Corp. and provides power to more than 1.4 million homes and businesses in Pennsylvania, including 101,000 customers in Luzerne County.</p><p><ins>For other business stories, <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/category/business" target="_blank">click here</a>.</ins></p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jerry Lynott</p><p>jlynott@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

PPL Electric to hike residential rate 14 percent next month