Investor-owned electric and gas utilities asked state regulators for $4.5 billion in rate increases from July through September, the highest third quarter on record in a tally by the group PowerLines. That pushed requests for the first nine months of 2026 to $23.1 billion.
The utilities behind the third-quarter requests serve about 45.5 million customers.
Separately, in October, the Energy Information Administration expected residential electricity prices this winter, November through March, to average 3% higher than last winter for homes that heat mainly with electricity.
A request is not a done deal. Regulators can approve only part of an increase, the process takes months, and customers can weigh in along the way.
1. Find out what your utility has asked for
Commissions typically require public notice when a utility files for higher rates. Look for a bill insert or legal notice, or search your state utility commission’s online docket by the utility’s name.
In New York, for example, every public filing in a case is posted to the Department of Public Service’s document system.
Look for the estimated effect on a typical residential bill. Jersey Central Power & Light, which filed the largest request of the third quarter, estimated its New Jersey increase at $14.23 a month, or about $170 a year, for a typical residential customer.
2. Speak at a public hearing
Many commissions hold hearings meant for everyday customers.
In New York, a public statement hearing “is designed to obtain input from the general public,” and speakers are not cross-examined.
In Pennsylvania, comments made at a public input hearing are transcribed and become part of the record.
Concrete details, such as what the increase would do to a fixed-income budget or how often your power has gone out, give regulators something specific to weigh.
3. Put your comments in writing
Commissions commonly accept written comments by mail, email or online form.
In Pennsylvania, for example, those comments go into a public comment folder and are not placed on the formal docket record, according to the state’s Public Utility Commission. Spoken comments at a hearing and formal complaints are part of the record.
If you write a comment, send it early in the case and include the docket number so it reaches the right file.
4. File a formal complaint
Pennsylvania lets customers file a formal rate complaint through a free eFiling account or by mail. The commission warns that doing so makes you an active party in the litigation of the rate case, a bigger commitment than a comment.
Rules differ by state, so read your commission’s procedures before you file.
5. Call your state’s consumer advocate
Most states have an office whose job is to represent utility customers. The National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates counts 63 consumer advocate members across 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Jamaica and Barbados.
In Tennessee, for example, the consumer advocate can intervene in a rate case, recommend whether an increase should be granted and take part in settlement talks.
If you have a billing or service problem that bears on the case, the advocate’s office is a natural place to report it.
6. Trim what you can while the case plays out
Rate cases move slowly. Pennsylvania’s process takes about nine months, Tennessee’s commission has up to nine months to decide, and New York’s litigated cases are generally completed within 11 months.
That leaves time to work on the parts of the bill you control. Electronics that draw power while switched off can cost up to $200 a year, and a water heater can run up to $600 a year on its own.
Read the bill line by line, too. Charges outside the base rate add up. Jersey Central, for example, wants to collect $476 million in past storm costs through a separate charge starting in January 2028.
The decision lands long before the bill does
Jersey Central’s request, if approved, would not affect bills until 2028. By the time an increase shows up on a statement, the window to comment on it has usually closed.
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