RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Appalachian Power Company customers in Virginia are getting a break on their monthly bills. The State Corporation Commission said Wednesday that it approved a two-phase decrease in the fuel rate requested by the utility. The fuel rate is the portion of the bill that pays for the cost of fuel used to generate electricity. The first reduction applies to all service on or after last Oct. 1. It results in a $3.67 savings for a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity. Another reduction takes effect Feb. 1, slashing an additional $2.85 from the bill.
