What it costs, and how that compares
Washington still has some of the cheapest electricity in America. PSE customers don’t. This page tracks PSE’s residential price since 2015, every rate case since 2020, the January 2026 jump, the request now in front of regulators, and how PSE stacks up against neighbouring utilities and all 50 states.
The typical PSE residential electric bill
Dollars per month as stated in UTC orders and PSE notices; dashed = PSE’s pending request
2020–2021 figures are at 900 kWh; from 2023 PSE and the UTC use 800 kWh, so the early points understate the jump slightly. The Jan 2026 figure is PSE’s Nov 2025 pre-order bill ($143.65) plus the UTC-approved net $16.84. The 2027–2029 points add PSE’s stated requests (~$28, ~$7, ~$16) and are not approved. The Attorney General’s Public Counsel calculates PSE’s ask would raise the typical bill $50.58 a month by 2029.
All-in price per kWh, 2015 → 2026
Schedule 7 residential incl. riders, ¢/kWh
PSE bills in two blocks: the first 600 kWh each month at a lower rate and everything above at a higher one. Both roughly doubled from 2015 to 2026, with most of the increase since March 2023. Compiled from PSE’s published schedule summaries. Basic charge $7.49/month unchanged since at least 2018.
Anatomy of the Jan 1, 2026 increase
Change in the 800-kWh bill by UTC order, $/month
Five orders took effect together. The power-cost and Climate Commitment Act tracker alone was +$28.04 (+20.27%); removing Colstrip and a credit for free carbon allowances offset about $13. Net: +$16.84 (+12.18%). Gas rose +$6.59 (+6.68%), mostly CCA costs.
Every general rate case since 2020
The UTC decides. Public Counsel (the Attorney General) argues for customers. PSE has filed for an increase in nearly every year since 2002.
| Case | PSE asked | UTC approved | Typical bill effect | Return on equity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 GRC UE-190529 · decided Jul 2020 | +$139.9M electric (6.9%), +$65.5M gas (7.9%) | ~$66M; ~$64M deferred for COVID | Electric +$0.04 → $90.14 (900 kWh); gas +$0.09 → $59.69 | 9.4% |
| 2022 GRC UE-220066 · decided Dec 2022 | +$405M electric, +$215M gas over 3 years (~$16 and ~$12/mo) | +$223M electric (2023), +$38M (2024); gas +$70.6M, +$18.8M | Electric +$7.75 → $96.65, then +$1.67 → $98.32; gas +$4.87 → $80.56 | ~9.4% |
| 2024 GRC UE-240004 · decided Jan 15, 2025 | +6.74% then +9.30% electric; +18.96% then +2.07% gas; ROE 9.95% → 10.5% | +$326.6M electric (11.5%) 2025, +$203.3M (6.4%) 2026; gas +$109.8M (10.6%), +$21.1M (1.8%) | Electric +$13.08 → $122.16, then +$7.67 → $129.83; gas +$7.56 → $88.21 | 9.8% (2025), 9.9% (2026) |
| Reconsideration · Mar 2025 | +$215M more over two years | Denied as “unjust and unreasonable” | — | — |
| Jan 2026 package · 5 dockets · Dec 23, 2025 | Power-cost tracker +20.27% (+$28.04) | Net +12.18% electric, +6.68% gas | Electric +$16.84; gas +$6.59 | — |
| 2026 GRC UE-260005 / UG-260006 · filed Feb 27, 2026 · pending | $1.236B electric (+15.2%, +3.7%, +8.7%) and $298M gas over 2027–29; residential electric +16.75% / +3.76% / +8.81%; ROE 10.8%; $3.2B capex | Hearings Sept 29 & Oct 7, 2026; evidentiary Nov 4–5; order expected early 2027 | Electric ≈ +$28, +$7, +$16; gas ≈ +$14, +$4, +$5 | Public Counsel proposes 8.17% |
What “return on equity” means for your bill. The UTC lets PSE earn a profit on the money its owners have invested in poles, wires, plants and meters. Every 0.1% of ROE is worth millions a year; the 2025 order raised it from 9.4% to 9.8–9.9% and, for the first time, allowed PSE to earn a return on clean-energy contracts it doesn’t own. Public Counsel says about 12% of an electric bill and 11% of a gas bill goes to investors, and that an 8.17% ROE plus shifting executive pay, investor relations and insurance costs to shareholders would save customers up to $695 million in 2027.
PSE vs. the utility next door
Monthly bill for 800 kWh calculated from each utility’s published 2026 residential tariff (fixed charge + energy charges; city utility taxes excluded). Public utilities in blue/green, investor-owned in red. Chelan and Grant county PUDs own Columbia River dams and sell surplus power, which is why their rates are exceptional; Tacoma and Seattle own hydro too. Snohomish PUD buys most of its power from BPA at preference rates. PSE figure is the UTC-approved Jan 2026 bill.
Snohomish PUD’s own published comparison at 938 kWh/month, rates in effect April 2025, updated Feb 9, 2026. It puts PSE 64% above Snohomish and 31% above Seattle City Light.
Residential electricity prices, all 50 states
Statewide averages from EIA. Washington ranked 5th cheapest in 2024 at 11.90¢ (only North Dakota, Idaho, Nebraska and Louisiana were lower). By June 2026 Washington was 14.91¢, up 15% in a year, the largest one-year jump of any western state except Idaho and Hawaii. The statewide figure blends PSE’s ~19.9¢ with public utilities charging 3–13¢, so the map flatters PSE customers. Hover or tap a state.
Washington vs. the US average, 2005 → 2025
Residential ¢/kWh, EIA annual (WA 2025 = Dec 2025 monthly)
Washington’s price rose 104% over 20 years vs. 83% nationally, and the gap is closing fast. WA 2021–2023 values are from secondary compilations of EIA data (worth double-checking).
The typical PSE gas bill
64 therms/month, $ as stated in UTC/PSE notices; dashed = request
Gas bills swing with the twice-yearly purchased-gas adjustment (down 24% in Nov 2023, up 10.6% in Nov 2024). The Jan 2026 point is PSE’s proposed $105.34; the UTC approved +$6.59. Since June 6, 2026 the UTC requires a separate “CCA Customer Charge” line on gas bills.