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Rate cases, bills and how to have a say

The tracker shows you the numbers. These pages explain what the numbers mean, in the order most people need them.

• What a rate case is, and how one actually works
  The public proceeding where a utility asks permission to charge more: who files, who argues, how long it takes, and why the ask is not the outcome.
• How to read your electric bill
  Supply, delivery, riders and the fixed charge: which lines a rate case moves, which ones you can shop, and why two neighbors pay different amounts.
• Why power bills jumped in 2025 and 2026
  Capacity prices, data center load, storms and the cost of money: the four things behind the increases, and which one hit your state.
• How to comment on a rate case, and whether it does anything
  Where comments go, what the commission does with them, and the one move that matters more than a comment.
• Can I switch my electricity supplier?
  Which states let you, what actually changes on the bill, and the three traps in supplier offers.
• What "typical bill" means when a utility quotes it
  Utilities pick their own kWh benchmark. How we turn a percentage into dollars, and how to scale it to your own usage.

Method and sources for the tracker itself are on the methodology page.