Speaker Paul Ryan is still trying to make a silk purse from the porcine ear of his tax scam. His newest claim is that the miracle of the Republican tax bill lowered your utility bills.
The primary force behind your lower utility costs is not the tax cuts. It's good old regulations, the thing Ryan has railed against his whole "let's destroy big government" career. Energy policy expert Matt Chester, @ChesterEnergy, explains in a series of tweets starting here.
When taxes are paid by regulated utilities-- your @PepcoConnect’s, @DomEnergyVA’s, & @idahopower's (since you're in ID, @joanmccarter) of the world-- these taxes are classified as a part of operating costs. Because regulated utilities have monopolies regulators allow them to just charge rates that are high enough to recoup their operating costs (plus provide return to their shareholders, if relevant).
So that means when taxes go down, operating costs go down— & legally so too must the amount charged to customers, This type of rate-setting is closely monitored & scrutinized, & several states even proactively sent a letter to @FERC to request the commission watch to ensure the federal tax cuts to #utilities were legally and justly passed on to customers.
Important to also note that reductions in taxes on utilities passed on to customers have not all been felt by customers—see this @wamu885 article on how @PepcoConnect requested rate increases in DC will likely offset the savings from the tax cuts.
Here's how Sandra Mattavous-Frye, D.C.'s People’s Counsel says, it's "not a question of whether they are required to do it, it is how much and when. Utility companies are required to return any refund that they receive. Taxes are paid by utility consumers, and it is a part of the cost of service. If there is a reduction, that reduction must be passed on to consumers." But not everyone will see lower utility bills, not if their utility had increased operating costs and was going to raise rates. In that case, the tax cuts will just offset the rate increase.
So, yeah, your utility bill is going to be a bit lower (maybe $7/month less for me in Idaho—hey, I can pay for a Costco membership!) but the new tax law is the secondary reason. The primary reason is because of good old-fashioned regulatory policy. Which Paul Ryan definitely cannot claim credit for.