We Energies requests rate hike, bills could increase by 14% by 2028
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- We Energies is requesting state approval to hike their rates for the next two years.
According to We Energies, a customer’s monthly bill would increase by $13 in 2027. In 2028, it could increase by an additional $8 or $9.
“I’m not excited to pay even more,” said Milwaukee resident Ethan Rosen.
Every year, Rosen has seen his We Energies bill go up, and that will continue for at least the next two years.
“We’ve been living in the same place, and every year, every month, we see our energy bill go up and up and up. It’s over $300 for just a three-bedroom apartment now,” said Rosen.
We Energies filed a rate hike request with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. The filings include plans to invest in renewable energy sources, including solar and wind.
“These new projects are necessary to continue to serve our customers,” said Brendan Conway, We Energies spokesperson.
If the project is approved, customers could be paying up to 14% more in energy bills by the end of 2028.
“Only after it’s built and serving does that cost go into rates. So over the last few years, we’ve built a lot of new power projects,” said Conway.
In a statement, the Public Service Commission says it will review the application, “including a detailed audit of the utility's financial records.”
“Every step of the way, the Public Service Commission has approved these projects to be built at a certain cost,” said Conway.
We Energies says the rate hike doesn’t mean residents will be paying for the costs of data centers in Wisconsin, but in some communities with data centers, customers' bills were expected to rise by about $17 a month.
The filings state that data centers will pay nearly $1.9 billion for all their costs. We Energies says $31.5 million would go back to customers' bills in the fall as "credit."
In a statement, the Citizens Utility Board says the proposal “doesn’t go far enough to make sure costs associated with data centers aren’t covered by other customers.”
“We work every day to keep bills low, and while also serving the needs of today and tomorrow,” said Conway.
Rosen says he just wants his energy bill to be cheaper.
“I would like to see my prices stop going up,” said Rosen.