MADISON — We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) customers can make their voices heard in rate cases that will set utility prices for 2025 and 2026.
Public hearings take place in Racine Tuesday, October 1st and in Milwaukee Thursday, October 3rd. The Public Service Commission (PSC) will accept written comments for a short time after those hearings. A hearing on the Wisconsin Public Service Corp. rate hike is planned for Thursday, October 10th in Ashwaubenon.
“Now is the time for customers paying the bills to speak out and tell the regulators what they think of utility price increases,” said Tom Content, Citizen’s Utility Board (CUB) Executive Director. “There’s power in numbers — and the more people participate, the better.”
We Energies seeks total increases of $605 million over the next two years (2025-26) for its electric and natural gas utilities. This case comes after We Energies customers already endured a double-digit hike during 2023 and 2024.
That amounts to a 19% increase for a typical customer, whose monthly electric bill would swell to $152 by 2026 from $128 today, under the utility’s proposal. When you add in the increase that took effect over the last two years, customers are facing a 36% jump from 2022 to 2026.
WPS is seeking total increases of $220 million over the next two years (2025-26) for its electric and natural gas utilities. This case comes after WPS customers already endured a double-digit hike from 2023 and 2024.
That amounts to an 20% increase for a typical customer, whose monthly electric bill would rise to $127 by 2026 from $105 today, under the utility’s proposal. Adding in the increase from the last two years, customers are facing a 28% jump from 2022 to 2026.
CUB is highlighting affordability and energy burden for low-income and moderate-income households plus the impact of these increases on people already struggling to make ends meet.
CUB has asked the PSC to bring down profits on rates and deny profits for closed power plants that aren’t needed to keep the lights on. CUB’s proposal would save customers hundreds of millions of dollars. CUB is also calling for shareholders, not utility customers, to pay for bonuses for utility management.
In its testimony, CUB highlighted how the utility’s shareholders have seen outsized gains as the company has posted record earnings growth supported by high profits allowed by the Public Service Commission. Over that same period, customers’ bills have doubled, and risen faster than the cost of living.
“The affordability challenge cries out for more balance between shareholders and customers,” Content told the PSC.
— The Citizens Utility Board is a member-supported, independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that advocates for efficient and reliable utility service at the lowest rates possible consistent with sound business principles. CUB represents the interests of Wisconsin’s residential, farm, and small business customers of electric and natural gas utilities before the Legislature, state and federal regulatory agencies, and the courts.
