Vermont Approves 5.5% Electricity Rate Hike Taking Effect Oct. 1 for 275,000 Customers
MONTPELIER, Vt. — Vermont's Public Utility Commission has approved Green Mountain Power's request for a rate increase, effective October 1, 2026: electric bills for the utility's more than 275,000 customers will rise 5.5 percent. A household with a $100 monthly bill would pay about $5.50 more per month.
Green Mountain Power had originally sought a 7.5 percent increase, citing higher power supply and transmission costs, along with a roughly $341 million, four-year grid investment plan to bury power lines and harden overhead equipment to reduce outages. The three-member commission, after a review opened in March, trimmed the increase by two percentage points and sharply cut the utility's grid spending plan.
Regulators found that much of the cost pressure was beyond the company's control but judged a 7.5 percent hike too heavy a burden for customers. The utility argued that more frequent severe storms demand faster resilience construction, tied to its goal of eliminating customer outages by 2030.
The increase comes as American households face broadly rising living costs. Vermont officials remind low-income customers that state energy assistance and bill-discount programs are available. Green Mountain Power says its 2024 energy mix was 100 percent carbon-free and 79 percent renewable.
(According to the Vermont Public Utility Commission's decision and local media reports.)
Source: 佛蒙特州公共事业委员会决定及当地媒体
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: CC0（Wikimedia Commons，摄影：Novoklimov）
