EWEB, SUB utility rates set to rise in 2026

If you’re planning your 2026 budget, go ahead and pencil in a higher utility bill. Both the Eugene Water & Electric Board and the Springfield Utility Board plan to raise rates next year.

SUB rates 

The Springfield Utility Board approved rate increases at its Dec. 10 board meeting following a second public hearing on the proposed changes.

The rate increases are due to increased capital and operating costs, the utility stated in a press release. The utility applies rate increases at the same percentage across all classes: residential, commercial and industrial.

Customers will see an 8.5% water rate increase and a 3% electric rate increase. In 2025, water rates increased by 8% and electric rates increased by 6%. 

The water rate increase will be effective Jan. 1 for bills rendered on or after Feb. 1. The electric rate increase will be effective April 1 for bills rendered on or after May 1. 

For residential customers, SUB’s basic monthly charge for electricity is increasing $1.28 per month from $20.32 to $21.60. The utility purchases all its electricity from Bonneville Power Administration.

For residential water customers, the utility’s basic charge for a 3/4-inch meter inside city limits will increase $2.10 per month from $27.30 to $29.40.

SUB’s average residential electric usage is 1,017 kilowatt hours and average residential water usage is 8.2 units, according to data provided by Tracy Sutten, resource planning manager at Springfield Utility Board. The average rate increase impact for residential electric customers will be $2.70 per month and for residential water customers will be $3.22 per month, for a total of $5.93 per month.

Sutten said a recent SUB affordability analysis shows the energy burden on ratepayers remains low even with the rate increases.

SUB’s board also voted to approve a new optional community growth rate, which will function similarly to the utility’s green power product, Sutten said. Customers can voluntarily pay an additional charge to support board-approved programs and initiatives that foster economic development within SUB’s service area.

The optional rate is $1 per community growth block, and customers may purchase an unlimited number of blocks per month. The utility will publish an annual report summarizing the use of collected funds and the outcomes of supported projects. 

“This is our way to try to be innovative and address a way that we could hopefully see if the ratepayers have an interest in helping fund economic development,” Sutten said.

EWEB rates 

Starting in February, the electricity portion of most residential bills for EWEB customers will rise about $3 to $6 a month, depending on energy use. The average water bill will also increase about $2 a month, then drop midyear by about a dollar when a fee tied to Holiday Farm Fire recovery ends.

The rate increase for energy stems from new rates the board adopted to cover the cost of bringing power into homes.

EWEB also raised its fixed monthly charge, from $30 to $38.50, which customers pay regardless of usage. The utility says the change helps lower per-kilowatt-hour rates.

It’s an adjustment that better reflects the true cost of running electricity, retiring General Manager Frank Lawson said in a news release.

EWEB’s largest line item in its budget is the rates it pays to the Bonneville Power Administration, which operates 31 hydropower dams in the Columbia River Basin. 

Nearly 80% of EWEB’s power comes from BPA. 

A BPA pass-through resulted in a 2.7% rate increase for EWEB customers that took effect in October. EWEB also approved a 7.7% increase in February this year, unrelated to BPA.

Springfield and Eugene customers are relatively lucky compared to what ratepayers are seeing in other areas of the country, where utility bills have spiked. In New Jersey, for instance, electricity rates that had risen by 22% were a key issue during the recent election for governor, according to The New York Times.