CR urges Washington regulators to reject excessive costs and put household affordability ahead of higher shareholder returns
Olympia, Washington — Consumer Reports launched a campaign today calling on the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC) to reject Puget Sound Energy’s (PSE) proposed rate plan. If approved, the proposed rate plan could increase customer costs by over $600 a year for electricity by 2029.
PSE’s proposal would raise residential electric rates by more than 29 percent over three years. Across its combined electric and natural gas requests, the utility is seeking to collect approximately $3.4 billion in additional revenue from customers during that period.
“A rate increase is more than numbers in a regulatory filing. For consumers, it’s $50 missing from the household budget every month,” said Sara Enright, senior director on the Consumer Impact team at Consumer Reports. “That is money Washington families need for groceries, housing, medicine and other essentials. Regulators should reject costs that PSE has not shown are necessary, reasonable or in the public interest.”
PSE is also seeking to raise its authorized return on equity—the shareholder return regulators allow a utility the opportunity to earn on certain investments—from 9.9 percent to 10.8 percent. That decision has direct implications for customer bills. Consumer Reports urges the Commission to approve only a return supported by evidence of PSE’s actual financing needs and sufficient to attract capital for prudent investments—not a return that unnecessarily increases costs for Washington households.
The request comes as PSE reports substantial profits. Its regulated utility business recorded nearly $458 million in net income in 2025, and the company paid its CEO more than $9.2 million that year.
“PSE customers cannot shop around for another electric company, and that monopoly status comes with an obligation to keep service affordable,” Enright said. “It should not be a license to collect billions more from households while increasing shareholder profits. The commission should put consumers first and demand the most cost-effective path to meeting Washington’s energy needs.”
Consumer Reports is calling on the WUTC to protect households from increases that outpace inflation and carefully examine PSE’s proposed spending, rejecting unnecessary or overly expensive investments. Regulators should also require large new electricity users, including data centers, to cover the costs they add to the system instead of shifting those costs onto households. Energy efficiency and other proven, lower-cost tools should be prioritized to reduce waste, manage growing demand and limit future increases.
Washington consumers can weigh in before regulators decide the case. Residents can sign Consumer Reports’ petition and share their experience of how rising electricity costs are affecting their household.
The WUTC will hold a virtual public comment hearing on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at 6 p.m. Pacific time. Those planning to speak are encouraged to call 888-333-9882 at least one day before the hearing to be added to the sign-in list.
PSE customers can also submit comments through the WUTC’s online public comment form, by email at comments@utc.wa.gov, by mail at P.O. Box 47250, Olympia, WA 98504, or by calling 888-333-9882. Comments should identify Puget Sound Energy and electric Docket UE-260005. More information is available on the WUTC docket page.
CR’s work in Washington state is part of a broader energy affordability initiative, which is mobilizing consumers nationwide to advocate for fair utility policies as electricity costs continue to rise. Through petitions, consumer storytelling, research, and policy advocacy, CR is working to ensure that households—not just utilities and the technology industry—have a meaningful voice in decisions that determine who pays for America’s rapidly expanding electric grid.
As utilities across the country seek approval for billions of dollars in new infrastructure investments, CR is expanding its work with consumers, policymakers, and advocates in multiple states to promote affordable electricity, fair cost allocation, and greater accountability in utility and data center regulation.
Contact: cyrus.rassool@consumer.org