Customers Critical Of OG&E Not Using Discounted Rate For SmartHours Program On Juneteenth

Several OG&E customers complained to the utility provider Monday after learning their rate would reflect peak usage despite of Juneteenth.  

Monday, June 20th 2022, 9:10 pm



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Several OG&E customers complained to the utility provider Monday after learning their rate would reflect peak usage despite of Juneteenth.  

In 2021, Juneteenth became a federally recognized holiday, which is normally a day of discounted power usage for OG&E customers enrolled in the SmartHours program.  

Last year, the company discounted the rate of kilowatts per hour for customers enrolled in the program.  

“As a SmartHours customer, you pay the low rate of 5¢ for electricity on nationally recognized holidays, which now includes Juneteenth,” OG&E said in an email to customers on June 17, 2021.  

The utility company did not continue the discount into 2022, as SmartHours customers paid a higher rate on Monday despite the federal holiday. It said only two holidays are eligible for discounted rate according to OG&E's agreement with the state.  

“OG&E’s rates are regulated by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and it must adhere to the specific pricing contained in its approved program terms,” a company spokesperson said in an email. “OG&E’s program terms related to its SmartHours program only specify off-peak pricing for two holidays: Independence Day and Labor Day. We appreciate our SmartHours customers and apologize for any misunderstanding or confusion.”  

On Monday, several customers complained about the company reverting to normal peak rates on social media and in messages to News 9.  

“They recognized it in 2021 but for whatever reason, they don't want to recognize it in 2022. That kind of seems a little bit backward to me,” said Andrew Gabel, an OG&E customer in Yukon.  

“The optics are incredibly bad for one of the largest power utility providers in the state to not recognized Juneteenth as a federal holiday for their SmartHours program,” said Bob Compton of Norman. “They are picking and choosing which holidays they want to honor.”  

A spokesperson for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, Matt Skinner, confirmed that the only holidays included in OG&E’s agreement with the state are Independence Day and Labor Day.  

Skinner said the terms were approved in 2018 before Juneteenth was a federal holiday. The OCC would not block OG&E from recognizing Juneteenth as a low-fare day for its SmartHours program, he said.  


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