Utility customers across Wisconsin are seeing sticker shock when opening their monthly bills, and recent rate hikes approved by the Public Service Commission is largely to blame.
Wisconsin households are grappling with surging electricity bills this winter, driven largely by recent utility rate increases.
Customers of Wisconsin Public Service and We Energies have reported bills up by $200-$300 compared to last year, with average residential costs reaching $118.62 monthly, or 18.39 cents per kilowatt-hour—well above the national average.
The Public Service Commission (PSC) under Governor Tony Evers has approved over $2.2 billion in rate hikes since his appointees gained a majority on the commission in 2019, including more than $300 million for 2026-2027 across utilities such as Alliant and Xcel. By contrast, former Governor Scott Walker’s PSC appointees approved $300 million in rate increases during the entire time they comprised a majority of the commission.
Evers’ appointees $2.2 billion in total rate hikes represents a seven-fold increase over increases approved by Walker’s appointees. Moreover, Evers’ PSC has requested a full 71% of the more than $3 billion in rate hikes requested by energy companies, while Walker’s PSC approved just 21% of requests.
We Energies blames a colder-than-normal start to winter for this year’s skyrocketing energy bills, but this tells only half the story. Winters were rather obviously cold during Walker’s term as governor as well, but customers did not see such massive year-over-year rate increases.
According to the Wisconsin Industrial Energy Group, the state now has the second-highest residential and third-highest industrial electricity rates among 12 Midwest states after boasting the lowest rates in the region 25 years ago.
