PGE Proposes 3.9% Residential Rate Increase for 2027

Portland General Electric (PGE) customers could be paying even more for electricity next year.

On August 4, 2026, PGE filed a new general rate case with the Oregon Public Utility Commission (OPUC). If the request is approved as filed, residential electricity rates would rise an average of 3.9% beginning July 1, 2027. PGE estimates the change would add about $8.33 per month to the bill of a typical residential customer using 780 kilowatt-hours of electricity.

That may sound like a relatively modest monthly increase. But for Oregon households that have already endured years of steep rate hikes, it is yet another reminder that the price of buying electricity from the grid keeps rising – and homeowners have little control over when the next increase arrives.

Many Oregon homeowners are fed up with these rate hikes and are turning to solar and battery backup to reduce the amount of electricity they purchase from PGE and gain greater control over their energy costs. For residents fed up with unpredictable utility bills and increasing reliance on utility companies, now may be the right time to find out how much of their energy use they could cover with solar and how battery storage could help keep essential appliances running during outages.

How Much Is PGE Proposing to Raise Rates in 2027?

PGE is requesting an overall rate increase of 4.8% across its customer classes. Under the proposal:

• Residential customers would see an average 3.9% increase.
• A typical residential customer using 780 kWh per month would pay about $8.33 more each month.
• That works out to nearly $100 in additional electricity costs over one year, assuming similar usage. But that increase doesn’t factor in the affect of numerous rate hikes and cost increases in recent years.
• The new rates would take effect July 1, 2027, if approved as filed.

The proposal is not final. The OPUC will review PGE’s requested costs and investments through a public process before deciding what, if any, increase to approve. The Commission could approve the request, reduce it or make other changes before new rates take effect.

According to a statement by PGE, the additional revenue would support projects intended to improve reliability and prepare the grid for growing electricity demand. The utility has pointed to new and upgraded substations, transmission-line rebuilds, pole and wire replacements, wildfire-risk reduction, new customer meters and other grid improvements.

Those investments may be important, but the practical concern for customers remains the same: another proposed increase is arriving after several years in which household electricity costs have already risen dramatically.

PGE Customers Have Already Faced Years of Rate Increases

The proposed 2027 PGE rate increase is not an isolated event. It follows a series of major residential rate increases, including:

• 2022: 11% residential rate increase
• 2023: 7% residential rate increase
• 2024: 17% residential rates increased – the utility’s largest annual increase in roughly two decades.
• 2025: 5.5% residential rates increase
• 2026: 5% residential rate increase

Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) reported that PGE residential rates climbed nearly 60% between 2020 and 2026. Because rate hikes compound, each new percentage increase is applied to prices that have already gone up.

Residential customers did receive a small measure of relief in July 2026, when changes made under Oregon’s POWER Act shifted more infrastructure costs to large energy users such as data centers. That change reduced residential rates by approximately 1.3%. However, PGE’s newly proposed 3.9% residential increase would more than erase that reduction if regulators approve it as filed.

PGE is also proposing additional increases for large-load data centers, and the company says it is using Oregon’s updated rules to help ensure that growth pays for the infrastructure needed to support it. Even with those changes, residential customers are still being asked to pay more.

What Repeated Electricity Rate Hikes Mean for Oregon Households

An average increase of $8.33 per month will not affect every household equally. Actual costs depend on how much electricity a customer uses. A larger home, electric heating, air conditioning, an electric vehicle, a heat pump, a hot tub or other high-demand equipment can push monthly consumption well above the average used in PGE’s estimate.

For many families, another rate increase means finding more room in a budget already strained by higher housing, grocery, insurance, transportation and utility costs. Households on fixed or limited incomes can be especially vulnerable, but rising electricity prices can affect anyone trying to plan long-term expenses.

Energy affordability is already a serious issue in Oregon. The Oregon Citizens’ Utility Board (OCUB) reported that for-profit utilities disconnected Oregon households for nonpayment 71,190 times during 2025. More than 21,000 of those disconnections occurred during the summer, when access to safe indoor temperatures can be critical (Read full report here).

Repeated rate increases also make future expenses harder to predict. Customers can conserve energy, improve efficiency and change daily habits, but they cannot control the utility’s price per kilowatt-hour. A household may use the same amount of electricity and still receive a higher bill because the rate itself changed.

Solar Can Reduce Your Exposure to Rising Utility Prices

When your home relies entirely on the grid, nearly every kilowatt-hour you use must be purchased at the utility’s current price. When that price rises, so does the cost of the same amount of electricity.

A properly designed solar panel system changes that equation by generating electricity at your property. Every kilowatt-hour supplied by your solar panels is one you don’t need to buy from the utility company at the full retail rates.

Here’s a quick rundown of how solar may help homeowners fight utility rate increases:

• Reduce monthly electricity purchases. The more of your household’s energy needs are covered by solar, the less exposed you may be to rising energy prices.
• Create greater long-term predictability. Instead of your energy costs being unpredictable and dictated by the utility company, solar lets you invest in a system designed to produce energy for decades and protect your from that unpredictability.
• Increase the value of every solar kilowatt-hour as utility prices rise. Future utility rates are never guaranteed, but electricity produced at home becomes more valuable when grid electricity costs more. In other words, the more energy costs rise, the more valuable your solar energy becomes. As rates increase, you’ll save more and more!
• Prepare for future energy needs. A custom solar panel system can account for future plans such as adding an electric vehicle, heat pump or other electric equipment. That way, as your home and family’s energy needs increase, your solar panels can cover the added load.
• Pair energy savings with backup power. Homeowners can also explore battery storage to keep selected circuits or appliances powered during outages and, where appropriate, manage when solar energy is stored or used. Battery backup can also reduce energy costs related to Time-of-Use (TOU) energy pricing, which charges you more depending on when you use energy. Store your solar energy and use it during expensive peak-rate times.

Solar does not always eliminate your power bill altogether. Customers may still pay basic service charges, and solar production varies by season, weather, roof conditions, shading, system size and household usage. That is why a personalized analysis is more useful than a one-size-fits-all promise.

Find Out Whether Solar Makes Sense Before the Next Rate Increase

Unfortunately, energy prices are expected to continue increasing in the coming years. But for many Oregon homeowners and families, installing solar panels can offer much needed relief and energy independence. It’s prompted many Oregon residents to ask: Can solar save me money on expensive power bills and painful rate hikes?

The best way to find out it to request your free solar and battery analysis.

Green Ridge Solar offers a free solar and battery analysis that can help answer questions such as:

• How much electricity does your household currently use?
• How much solar energy could your roof or property produce?
• What portion of your current usage could a custom solar system cover?
• How might future plans, such as an EV or heat pump, change the recommended system size?
• What purchase, financing or third-party ownership (TPO) options are available?
• What could your estimated long-term solar savings look like?

Green Ridge Solar is a local Oregon solar company with in-house installation and electrical teams. Every system is custom designed for the property and the customer’s goals, with local professionals managing the process from analysis and design through permitting, installation and long-term service.

You can also learn more about residential solar installation in Oregon or review the details of PGE’s 2026 rate increase to see how quickly recent price changes have added up.

Take Control of Your Energy Costs

PGE’s proposed 2027 rate increase still must go through regulatory review. The final percentage may change, but the broader pattern is already clear. Oregon households have experienced repeated electricity rate increases, and there is no guarantee that 2027 will be the last one.

You cannot control what your utility company charges for electricity. But you can take steps to reduce how much electricity you need to buy from the utility, and the best way to do that is producing your own power with solar panels.

Before the next utility rate increase arrives, find out whether solar could lower your energy bills and your dependence on rising grid prices. Request your free solar analysis from Green Ridge Solar today and get a personalized look at your property, energy usage and potential savings – with no obligation. And to estimate your solar savings now, use our Solar Calculator!