CU customers to pay more for electricity this summer

City Utilities of Springfield customers can expect to pay more for electricity during the next six months, with residential bills going up an average of $14 a month.

CU said two factors are driving the change: fuel and base rate.

Springfield City Council in 2023 approved a 3.9% rate hike, which begins April 1. For a typical residential customer using 900 kilowatt-hours per month, the estimated increase will be $4.79 per month.

Jamie Presley, manager of communications for CU, told Springfield Business Journal that commercial customers are also affected by the 3.9% base rate adjustment scheduled for April, but it is harder to translate into an average because their usage varies widely.

“For commercial customers, the best example we can give is that for every 1,000 kWh, electric customers should expect to see a $10.50 increase in billed fuel compared to the previous six months,” Presley said. “This allows a commercial customer to quickly utilize the 1,000 kWh calculation and compare it to their own usage to estimate a bill impact for fuel costs.”

Twice a year, CU estimates the cost of fuel related to generating and purchasing electricity for the next six months. At the end of that period, the estimate is compared to actual costs, and an adjustment is made.

CU reported higher than expected costs, resulting in a roughly $8 million shortfall and an adjustment, primarily due to electricity needs during Winter Storm Fern in January. The adjustment will trigger an additional $9.45 per month.

“Typical residential electric bills for customers using an average of 900 kWh per month are expected to total about $124.42 per month in summer 2026, compared to $109.70 per month in summer 2025,” Presley said.

CU President and CEO Dwayne Fulk said in a news release that “we do not take these adjustments lightly.”

“While we recognize that increases are never welcome, allowing infrastructure to age beyond its useful life or fail ultimately costs far more in terms of both reliability and affordability for our community,” he said in the release.

CU said adding those two together means residential customers with average usage can expect to pay $14 a month more for electricity, compared to summer 2025, for the next six months.

The price of natural gas is projected to remain steady, according to CU.

In the release, CU officials said customers in fiscal year 2025 paid electric rates 27% below the national average and 9% below the Missouri average.

Presley said the public utility reported roughly 105,000 residential customers and 16,000 commercial customers at the end of fiscal year 2025. CU also had 230 industrial customers during that period.