After the city council approved the companies’ plans, Seattle residents will pay more for utilities and electricity in the coming years.

The plans call for average annual rate increases of about 4 to 6 percent through 2030. Next year, Seattle Public Utilities rates will increase 3.7 percent and Seattle City Light rates are set to rise 5.4 percent. The combined monthly cost of utilities and electricity for a typical Seattle household could reach $444 by 2030, according to agency data obtained by The Seattle Times. Agencies update their strategic plans with rate projections every few years, while the council sets actual rates annually.

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The utility companies claim that rising construction costs, increasing energy demand and extreme weather are to blame for the price increases. City Light has struggled with rising demand and fluctuating energy prices. For the past 20 years, most of Seattle’s electricity needs have been met largely by hydroelectric power from the utility companies’ dams, with additional energy purchased at stable, low prices. Droughts have also reduced production from City Light’s dams, forcing the utility to buy more power on the open market at higher prices.

Public utilities cited rising costs for goods and labor, as well as major upgrades to Seattle’s aging water, sewer and drainage systems, as reasons for the rate increases. The agency is spending $710 million on a massive sewage and stormwater storage tunnel, up from $570 million when the project began in 2021.

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There are discounts and emergency assistance for customers with lower incomes.

“We wanted to consider what our constituents would pay,” said City Councilwoman Tanya Woo, calling the rebate program the “best way” to help lower-income residents cope with the price increases.

Bill Kaczaraba is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here. Follow Bill on X, formerly known as Twitter, Here and send him an email here.