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Power Rates

Proposed 2027-2028 Power Rate Adjustments

Tacoma Power is proposing rate adjustments for 2027 and 2028. Rate adjustments vary by customer class and take effect annually on April 1 each year.

Learn how we support our customers with payment assistance programs and ways to manage your bill.

payment assistance programs

Proposed Rates

Single-story blue-gray house with a front porch, surrounded by a lush yard and a concrete pathway.

Residential

Proposed rate adjustments for single family and multifamily homes:

2027 - 6.2% or about $7.40 monthly
2028 - 6.2% or about $8.59 monthly
Home 177

Small General Service

Proposed rate adjustment for small businesses:

2027 - 8.1% or about $12.52 monthly
2028 - 8.1% or about $15.16 monthly

Small General Business (B rate)

  • 2027 – 8.1% or $12.52 monthly
  • 2028 – 8.1% or $15.16 monthly

General Business (G rate)

  • 2027 – 10.8%
  • 2028 – 10.8% 

Learn more about our rates and how they are developed.

Explore the Rates Process

More about Tacoma Power

Filed Investigator checking an electric meter on the side of a home.

What goes into power rates?

Power rates help pay for the operation and maintenance of our electric system, from poles and substations to our clean, renewable hydropower projects. As a public utility, we charge only the revenue needed to provide service, with rates based on the cost to serve each customer class.
Rates Process
Aerial view of Mossyrock Dam on the Cowlitz River, showing the concrete arch dam, powerhouse, transmission substation and reservoir surrounded by forested hills.

Where we get our power

Most of our electricity comes from clean, renewable hydropower, including power generated at our four hydroelectric projects in western Washington. We also use other energy sources as needed to reliably serve our customers.
Power Sources

2025-2026 Rates

Average residential increase

      • $6.72 – average residential monthly adjustment in 2025
      • $7.09 – average residential monthly adjustment in 2026

Average small general business (B rate)

      • $9.79 – average monthly adjustment in 2025
      • $10.02 – average monthly adjustment in 2026

Average general business (G rate)

      • $131- average monthly increase in 2025
      • $144 – average monthly increase in 2026

To see a full breakdown of our 2026 power rates, please review our rate schedule.

2026 Rate Schedule

Tacoma Power’s rates remain among the most affordable in the region. Here are our rates compared to those of other power utilities.

Bar Chart titled "Power Rates (as of April 1, 2026)" comparing monthly electric rates across four utilities and four customer types. Tacoma Power has the lowest rates in most categories, including residential, large commercial, and high voltage industrial. Snohomish County PUD is slightly lower than Tacoma Power for small commercial customers. Puget Sound Energy and Seattle City Light have higher costs across all categories, with differences ranging from about 6% to 119% more than Tacoma Power.

 

 

Common Questions

We encourage all of our customers to register for MyAccount for 24/7 access to account information, notifications, usage data, and even to sign up for automatic payments.

If you need additional information about your utility bill, feel free to call our customer service team at 253-502-8600.

Whether you face a short-term financial issue or are on a limited or fixed income, paying your bills can sometimes be challenging. Tacoma Public Utilities offers a number of programs that may help. 

Learn More about Payment Assistance
Image of an electric dial meter reading of 8542.

Sample electric meter reading

You can track how much electricity you use at home by reading your meter.

If you have a dial meter, from left to right, read the smaller of the two numbers on either side of the pointer. The sample shown here has a reading of 8542. If your meter has four dials, multiply the meter reading by 10. That number is the amount of kilowatt-hours you’ve used.

To determine how much electricity you’ve used, subtract your previous meter reading from the present one.

Power Rates 2There are multiple channels on advanced electric meters. This allows the meter to periodically display multiple pieces of information.

The first display flash shows the total electricity usage through the meter. Usage is displayed cumulatively because meter readings are measured in kWh (kilowatt-hours). We use this reading for billing. You will also see 888888 flash on the display, which is a check to ensure the display is functioning correctly.

To determine how much electricity you’ve used, subtract your previous meter reading from the present one. For power, usage is billed per kWh used.

Some commercial customers have a multiplier applied to their meter reading to calculate the actual kWh billed.

Solar customers may have two electric meters: a Production (or Generation) meter and a Net Meter.

  • The Production Meter measures the electricity generated by the solar panels in kWh before it is consumed at home. This can also be accomplished on a solar customer’s solar monitoring app or other customer-owned equipment. If excess electricity (electricity that cannot be used in the home at the time that it is produced) is sent to Tacoma Power’s grid, it will be measured on the Net Meter’s second channel (the second number to appear after the display shows 888888).
  • The Net Meter also measures electricity purchased from Tacoma Power in kWh. That is shown on the first channel of the Net Meter (the first number to appear after the display shows 888888).

To determine your bill, the amount of electricity sent to Tacoma Power is subtracted (or credited) from the amount of electricity purchased from Tacoma Power. The information shown on Production Meters is not used in calculating customer electricity bills. Also, there is no concern if you see 888888 on your meter. It is there to verify that the display is functioning properly.

Ways to Manage Your Bills

Budget Billing
Payment Options
Power and Water Conservation
Payment Assistance Programs