Douglas PUD To Set Future Customer Electricity Rates In April

Douglas County PUD will be establishing its future electricity rates for customers in the next couple of months. 

The rates are already set through the end of 2025.  

PUD spokesperson Meaghan Vibbert says staff members are now preparing a proposal for rates in the next five-year period. 

"And so now we're looking at what our rates need to be 2026 forward, 2026 to 2030, to make it that we are providing reliable electric service to our customers," said Vibbert. 

Douglas PUD staff will present a proposal for rates to start in 2026 at a public hearing next Monday (Mar. 5). 

Three more hearings will be held before PUD commissioners finalize what those rates will be in April. Vibbert says commissioners will decide whether to approve the staff proposal or make changes. 

"After that has all been collected and put back into the proposal if we need to change it at all, then commissioners would consider adopting it after those April hearings," Vibbert said. 

The public hearings for the proposed electric rate adjustments are set for March 5 and 19, and April 2 and 16 at the PUD office, 1151 Valley Mall Parkway, East Wenatchee. All the hearings will take place at 1:30 pm. 

Current PUD customer charges have included basic monthly rate increases from $13.00 in 2020 to $15.07 in 2025. However, the electricity usage rate has remained the same over the same time period at $00.0233 for the first 25,000 kilowatt hours per month.  

Vibbert said the average residential customer uses only 2,000-2,500 kilowatt hours in per month.