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This, in turn, has meant increasing the prices for people without renewables, so it could afford "the fixed costs of maintaining and upgrading the electricity network", the company said.

The utilities have long complained that electric bills have been rising because owners of the rooftop solar panels are not paying their fair share of the fixed costs required to maintain the electric grid.

They also say the new monthly fee would allow them to more evenly allocate fixed costs among customers.

School officials have said that inflation and fixed costs like heating were taking a toll on their budgets and in some cases forcing program cuts or requiring increased class sizes.

The company, in the midst of a strategy shift to slash fixed costs and improve productivity, confirmed preliminary third-quarter results released on Friday that cut its profit margin guidance for this year, disappointing investors.