Utility Bills Are Rising
A majority of consumers in the United States are concerned about increasing utility bills, as residential electricity costs have risen by almost 40% since 2021 and residential gas costs have increased by 40% since 2019, significantly outpacing inflation. Today, nearly 80 million Americans are struggling to pay their utility bills, forgoing basic expenses like food, education, and health care to keep their lights on.
Utility Bills Are Rising
An Analysis of How Utility Bills are Impacting American Energy Consumers and Who Determines Them
Unlike other economic forces putting upward pressure on consumer costs, rising utility bills can and must be addressed by existing regulatory structures, namely state PUCs. While the factors driving rising utility bills vary by region, the end result is the same: American energy consumers are stressed out about rising utility bills and concerned about what these trends mean for the broader economy.
Previous Reports
Q1 Report
Q2 Report
Q3 Report
Utilities Requested Record $31 Billion in Rate Increases in 2025, Double That of 2024
PowerLines’ year-end analysis finds that electric and gas utilities requested nearly $31 billion in rate increases in 2025, more than double the $15 billion in rate increases requested in 2024. These rate increase requests will affect the utility bills of 81 million Americans, contributing to rising financial anxiety for American consumers at a time when cost-of-living concerns are top of mind.
Poll: Most Americans report higher electricity, gas bills compared to a year ago
A 2025 PowerLines poll, conducted by Ipsos, finds that nearly 2 in 3 Americans whose household pays a monthly electric and gas utility bill say those bills have increased compared to a year ago. Most Americans also say they feel powerless to control how much they are charged for electricity and gas services and admit they do not fully understand what drives the costs from their local utilities.