How is Phase V different than Phases I – IV?

In Phases I through IV, residential members saw a minimal decrease in their kilowatt-hour energy charge to offset the slight increase in their monthly facilities charge. However, the ongoing inflationary pressures on electrical equipment driving up the costs for CEC’s strategic investment initiative and the rising costs for power have made implementing a minimal rate decrease financially unfeasible.

For years, the co-op has successfully kept its residential rates low, well below Oregon and the nation’s average, while prices for residential electricity, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, have jumped 25% nationwide from June 2021 through June 2024. There is every indication the upward trend will continue.

The Bonneville Power Administration—the supplier of nearly all Central Electric’s wholesale electricity—has signaled an approximate 19% increase in power costs for the upcoming three-year rate period from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2028.