The cost of things: Why energy bills in Iowa keep growing

Click here to read the full story here from the Cedar Rapids Gazette.

It’s safe to say few consumers enjoy seeing their energy rates go up. But when Alliant Energy officials in February announced plans for electric and natural gas rate increases that would add $20 per month to the average residential bill, more than a few customers were concerned.

Alliant — which delivers power to close to a half-million electric customers and another 225,000 natural gas customers — just one year earlier got approval for a nearly 8 percent increase in electric rates.