Starting Jan. 1, 2024, customer bills reflect price changes that have been approved by the Oregon Public Utility Commission. These price adjustments take into account inflation, power costs and the necessary investments PGE has made to provide reliable and resilient power to customers in the region.
The impact of these price changes to specific customers will differ depending on the amount of power you use each month and your customer category. These new prices reflect careful analysis and review by our regulators to ensure any change we make is necessary and prudent.
Why do prices change?
In the past year, we made a number of upgrades to our system to deliver safe, reliable, resilient energy to our customers. This includes greater safety and resiliency during extreme weather, including heat waves and harsh winters like we’ve seen recently in Oregon.
As a company we continue to focus on keeping the cost of electricity as low as possible and finding ways to reduce customer bill impacts through smart investments, partnerships, grants and federal incentives, while providing customers with reliable and increasingly clean energy.
We’re here to help you manage your energy and costs
We have free tools that help you track your energy use and find rebates and incentives for energy efficiency. We also have programs that help you earn rewards and manage your bill, such as Time of Day Pricing, Equal Pay, Peak Time Rebates, Smart Thermostat, and EV Smart Charging. To learn more about these programs visit our Save Money & Save Energy page.
The exact amount customer bills will increase differs based on customer class and energy usage. Below shows the average increase in rates for each customer type, which were approved by the OPUC on Dec. 28, 2023:
Residential: 18%
Commercial: 14.4%
Industrial: 11.6%
For more detailed information, visit our tariff schedules  or visit the OPUC website.Â
What’s in it for me?
Safe, reliable power. These upgrades are to provide:
Fewer power interruptions and better reliability.
Refurbished and upgraded facilities that result in lower long-term power costs given the high price of fossil fuel.
Continued commitment to safety through physical and cybersecurity programs and our field work such as vegetation management and tree trimming.
How does PGE support customers who have trouble paying their bills?
PGE has bill assistance resources for customers in need, including our Income Qualified Bill Discount program, Preferred Due Date and payment plans, and help with energy efficiency, plus Energy Assistance funds and a Medical Certificate program for our medically fragile customers. For more information on how we can assist you, please contact customer service at 800-542-8818. Representatives are available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. Our customer service advisors can assist you in 200+ languages.
What is driving the price increase?
The OPUC approved an average general rate increase of 15% across all customer types.
This general rate case covers the cost of power purchased from others, investments and upfront costs PGE has incurred including inflation, upgrades and improvements to generation facilities, modernizing our grid to support renewable energy and withstand extreme weather, as well as ongoing operating costs such as vegetation management.
How much will my prices change?
The OPUC has approved that residential prices will increase 18%.
What have you done to make the system better and safer?
We have replaced aging infrastructure, made upgrades to our facilities, enhanced our poles and wires, trimmed vegetation. Over the past year we have also made additional investments in technology to protect against physical and cybersecurity threats.
Capital investments and associated costs include upgrades and repowering of the 115-year-old Faraday powerhouse and modernizing our grid to support increased renewable energy growth and withstand extreme weather.
All of the improvements lead to a safer, cleaner, more reliable system.
What has been done in the past year to warrant such a large increase?
This rate case takes into account rising power costs, capital investments to upgrade the grid and investments focused on grid security and reliability, as well as high inflation rates that have impacted our cost of doing business.
Power Costs: Power costs have risen driven by high fuel costs, inflation, extreme weather events and market volatility.
Capital Investments for Grid Reliability and Resiliency: We are focused on investing in infrastructure and technology upgrades and replacing aging assets to create a grid that is more resilient in the face of extreme weather. Capital investments and associated costs include modernizing our grid to support growing customer demand, system hardening for improved reliability and wildfire prevention to protect the safety of our communities.
Investments Focused on Grid Security and Reliability. The investments we make result in better service for our customers including fewer power interruptions, safer communities and increased reliability. These investments also allow for a continued commitment to safety and maintenance through physical and cybersecurity measures, technology enhancements and field work such as vegetation management and tree trimming.
Are you allowed to keep raising prices? Who decides what’s fair?
We are a regulated business, which means the Oregon Public Utility Commission must approve any price changes resulting from a General Rate Case.
You can learn more about the process and how to get involved at the OPUC website.
What if I’m having trouble paying my bill?
We work closely with customers who are struggling to pay their bills. That includes setting up a payment plan based on individual circumstances, extending payment due dates, enrolling customers in our Income-Qualified Bill Discount program, or connecting customers with community resources, such as the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, Oregon Energy Assistance Program or Oregon Energy Fund.Â
For more information visit our High Bill Help page.
You originally said the increase was 17.2%, what changed?
The number PGE shared in October 2023, was what had been approved by the OPUC at the time and we wanted to make sure customers and stakeholders had the most updated information as it was made available. Now that all power cost updates have been completed, we are able to share the updated final amount as all customers can prepare.
What is included in the 18% increase?
10.4% for PGE’s ongoing investments to deliver safe and reliable power year round. This includes making sure our system is prepared for extreme weather, communities are safe from fire risk and our system can meet the growing need of our customers.
8% for power costs.
-0.4% credits flowing back to customers, this includes transmission refunds and cost true-up of the Oregon Corporate Activities Tax.
How is the Income-Qualified Bill Discount program being expanded, and when will that expansion take effect?
Beginning January 1, we are expanding our Income-Qualified Bill Discount program and offering a monthly discount of up to 60%. For those already enrolled in the discount, they will automatically get moved to the appropriate tier once the changes go into effect Jan. 1. To find out if you qualify or enroll, visit the Income-Qualified Bill Discount Program page.
Is this the final amount customers can expect in 2024?
No. We have postponed having our Wildfire Mitigation Plan filing be included in customer prices until after cold weather season when many customers see higher than usual bills due to increased usage. This amount is about 2% for residents and will be amortized over the course of the year.