Rate Increase Approved
COMPANY NEWS
Elmhurst Mutual Power and Light (EMP&L) announces a rate increase (4/2025) —
EFFECTIVE April 1, 2025
As the Owners of Elmhurst Mutual are our customers, we should all be proud that our power rates have remained as among the lowest in the United States. In January of 2024, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported the average residential rate per kwh in the United States as 12.7 cents. The average residential rate per kwh in Washington State is 13 cents. The average residential rate in California is 50 cents. Our customer owned Elmhurst Mutual was approximately 6.6 cents, far below the National, State average, and below ALL the nearby utilities.
The decision to adjust rates for 2025 wasn’t taken lightly. The EMP&L Board voted on the rate adjustment during the monthly meeting on February, 2025. “In 2024 the organization continued to work diligently to keep our costs low for our community, however inflation in the costs from our suppliers, coupled with scarcity of equipment and parts has increased the cost of doing business. Our Energy supplier, BPA, has reduced pending large increases in our wholesale market costs. As an organization we are NOT for profit, but we must collect the funds to pay for the increases in these costs,” Bryan Bertacchi, General Manager, said Monday. He added, “This moderate increase in our rates will help us keep up with the inflation that we continue to see in our community”.
After careful consideration, our Board has approved a modest increase of 4.5% percent in our energy rates and a capital charge of $5/month on each meter, compared to much larger increases by our suppliers and other 3rd party costs. By April 1, 2025, the typical average monthly bill will increase from $93 to $100, a seven dollar a month increase. The Elmhurst website will be updated by to provide details of the increased rates.
Additionally, the mandatory Washington State Utility Tax remains on your bill as of July 1st 2023. This is a tax of 3.87%. Information on this tax can be found at the Washington State Website (Washington State Mandatory Utility Tax)
