Published December 1, 2023 Heating our homes is a major energy expense in Minnesota. The amount we pay can vary significantly based on the type of heating system and type fuel used. Around 20 percent of Minnesota households heat their homes using electricity, especially in greater Minnesota. If these homes use electric resistance heat (think…
Published November 7, 2023 As days get colder and nights get longer, Minnesotans are reminded of another never-ending cycle: utilities across the state have yet again requested to increase rates. On November 1, 2023, CenterPoint and Xcel Energy filed petitions with the Public Utilities Commission seeking to raise rates for natural gas service and Minnesota…
Published October 27, 2023 On October 26, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) accepted a settlement agreement that limited rate increases for customers of Minnesota Energy Resources Corporation (MERC). Under the settlement, the company lowered its request to raise rates from approximately $32.7 million to $21.2 million, a more than $11.5 million reduction. As a result, the residential rate…
Published July 27, 2023 Any Minnesotan opening their natural gas bill already knows this: the cost of gas delivered to our homes and businesses continues to rise year over year, and many ratepayers are feeling the pain. After many years of gas price declines, much of the noticeable increase in the last few years has…
Published June 29, 2023 On June 1, 2023 the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved a 9.6% rate increase over three years for customers of Xcel Energy’s electric utility. This final rate increase is much lower than the 21.2% rate increase Xcel had initially proposed. It is also lower than the 8.92% interim (temporary) rate increase…
Published April 6, 2023 On March 23, 2023, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission accepted a settlement that increased rates for Xcel Energy’s natural gas customers. The agreement was negotiated by the company, the Department of Commerce, the Office of the Attorney General, the Suburban Rate Authority, and a group of clean energy organizations (Fresh Energy…
Published February 27, 2023 On November 1, 2022, Minnesota Energy Resources Corporation (“MERC”) filed an application with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (the “PUC”) requesting an increase in natural gas rates of $40,322,302 (a 9.91 percent increase). How much MERC will ultimately be allowed to raise rates will be determined by the PUC following an…
Published February 10, 2023 In November 2021, Minnesota Power filed a request with state regulators to charge its Minnesota electric customers an additional $108 million each year. If approved, this rate increase would have caused a rate hike of about 18% — or about $15 more per month for a typical residential customer. After a…
Published December 14, 2022 Last year, Xcel Energy filed a request with the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to increase rates for its Minnesota electric customers. Because the process for evaluating whether these new rates should be allowed (i.e. a “rate case”) takes time, Minnesota law allows Xcel to increase electricity rates on a temporary basis…
December 7, 2022 MPR News Kirsti Marohn Xcel Energy has dropped a controversial request for a $122 million electric rate increase next year. Minnesota’s largest electric utility, which serves 1.3 million customers in Minnesota, requested to raise rates about 21 percent over three years. Last year, the state Public Utilities Commission granted Xcel an interim…
