Utility Rate Hike Requests Double in 2025, PowerLines Finds
A nationwide non-profit organization says utility rate increases continued to accelerate in 2025, placing growing pressure on consumers across the country — including Oklahoma ratepayers who are already paying higher monthly bills tied to past storm-related fuel costs.
In a year-end analysis titled “Utility Bills Are Rising: 2025 Review,” the nonprofit PowerLines reported that electric and natural gas utilities requested nearly $31 billion in rate increases in 2025, more than double the $15 billion in increases sought in 2024. Oklahoma utilities were among those included in the total amount requested nationwide.
For many Oklahomans, the findings confirm what they are already experiencing. Customers across the state continue to pay higher utility bills due in part to the securitization of bonds used by major utilities to cover fuel costs during Winter Storm Uri in 2021 — charges that will remain on monthly bills for the next quarter-century.
Millions of Americans Impacted by Rising Utility Costs
According to PowerLines, 81 million Americans will feel the impact of the rate increase requests, contributing to what the organization described as “rising financial anxiety” for households at a time when cost-of-living pressures remain intense.
“In 2025, rising utility bills became a defining national issue — first an energy story, then an economic one, and now a political one. Electricity is the new eggs,” said Charles Hua, founder and executive director of PowerLines.
Hua said the continued rise in electricity prices and natural gas bills is forcing policymakers across the political spectrum to confront the issue as a growing source of voter frustration.
Utility Rates Become a Political Issue in Oklahoma and Beyond
PowerLines noted that utility costs are already becoming a campaign issue, including in Oklahoma, where voters will elect a new member of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission this year. The commission is responsible for approving or denying utility rate increase requests.
Midterm elections will also be held for public service commission seats in eight other states: Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
In several competitive congressional and gubernatorial races, rising utility bills are expected to feature prominently, particularly in states where rates have climbed sharply, including Arizona, Georgia, Maine, Michigan, and Ohio, according to PowerLines.
Key Findings From the “Utility Bills Are Rising” Report
The PowerLines report outlined several major trends driving higher utility costs nationwide:
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In 2025, electric and gas utilities requested nearly $31 billion in rate increases, more than double the $15 billion requested in 2024
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These requests will impact 81 million Americans, increasing financial stress on households
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Since 2021, electricity prices have risen nearly 40 percent
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In 2025 alone, residential electricity prices increased 7 percent, while piped natural gas prices rose 11 percent
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Utility costs are now among the fastest drivers of inflation, surpassing groceries, gasoline, vehicles, and medicine
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Four in five Americans report feeling powerless over rising utility bills
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Three in four Americans say they are concerned about continued increases
Energy and Consumer Experts Sound Alarm
Energy experts and consumer advocates cited in the report warned that current regulatory frameworks may be contributing to the problem.
Kent Chandler, senior resident fellow at the R Street Institute and former chairman of the Kentucky Public Service Commission, said the experience of 2025 should serve as a warning to state regulators.
“Without the authority, personnel and technical capability to test and, if necessary, deny utility spending requests, the march of ever-increasing utility bills will continue,” Chandler said.
Karen Onaran, president and CEO of the Electricity Consumers Resource Council (ELCON), said the acceleration of utility rate increase requests poses a significant risk to U.S. industry.
“The soaring cost of electric power poses a significant risk for the future well-being of the U.S. commercial and industrial sector,” Onaran said, adding that the existing regulatory model is in need of reform.
Sarah Moskowitz, executive director of the Citizens Utility Board of Illinois, said utilities often earn more by spending more under traditional regulation.
“Escalating utility costs create more hardship for people already struggling with high prices across the board,” Moskowitz said. “Consumers can be empowered to rein in reckless spending and hold utilities more accountable.”