PGE Customers to See Another Bill Increase January 1
Posted on December 20, 2024 by Charlotte Shuff
Tags, Energy, General Interest
After nearly a year of outcry from Portland General Electric (PGE) customers, regulators have approved a billing rate increase of 5.5%, bringing an average bill to over $160 each month. Winter bills will be higher as low temperatures drive up energy use. This increase will hit January 1, which is the highest usage month for PGE customers each year.
Customers Hope for Mild January Weather
Last January, PGE raising rates by 18% combined with an ice storm led to extremely high winter bills. Just three months later, PGE disconnected over 4,700 behind on bills, the highest in recorded history. The increase next January will raise bills by nearly 50% since 2019.
“Electricity is an essential service and there is no reason why we should be pricing it like it is a luxury. Raising bills last January is how we saw record numbers of disconnections in 2024. With another January increase this year, we’re left praying for mild weather yet again.” - Bob Jenks, CUB Executive Director
Regulators Cut Increase Without Permanent Solutions
CUB asked for a 10% cap on utility rate increases to slow Oregon’s rising energy affordability crisis. Regulators rejected this proposal, indicating that it would be too difficult to implement. Instead, new temporary rules will pause shut-offs for the most vulnerable customers this winter with permanent rules coming next spring.
The Oregon Public Utility Commission did work to decrease this rate increase as much as possible using traditional tools. One tool the Commission used was to decrease profit margins because of financial pressure on customers, saving Oregonians more than $10 million annually.
PGE customers have called for a change in how the state’s largest electric utility decides customers’ bills this year. Citizen petitions gathered hundreds of signatures. Customers submitted over 3,000 public comments to regulators opposing a rate increase. Lawmakers across the state also weighed in, including Portland Mayor Wheeler and Senator Wyden.
CUB is now calling on regulators and lawmakers to address the impact of large industrial customers, like data centers, on rising household energy bills. In November, PGE responded to a letter from Sen. Wyden showing that household bills are increasing to meet growing energy needs, despite industrial demand far outpacing that of residential.
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12/23/24 | 1 Comment | PGE Customers to See Another Bill Increase January 1