Yes, there are many factors going into this but one major one: "smart" meters. Besides being known fire and explosion hazards and causing devastating health problems, their implementation cost is footed by customers and the every 5-7 year replacement cost will raise rates in perpetuity. The workhorse analogs last 30, 40, 50, 60 years or more. We are supposed to be able to keep them in Rochester, NY, but unless you have a padlock on your meter box (which I recommend), RGE will stealth switch your meter and when you request reinstalling the analog (which the president/ceo guaranteed publicly), they will not. These utility companies have the same morals as all corporations. Sad.