Why is your electric bill going up in 2026?
If you opened your latest utility statement and felt a pit in your stomach, you aren’t alone. As of February 1, 2026, thousands of Montanans saw another permanent jump in their costs. But why is this happening now, and who is responsible?
The NorthWestern Energy Rate Hike of 2026
The primary driver behind your higher costs is the NorthWestern Energy rate hike 2026. Following a controversial "self-implementation" period last year, the Montana Public Service Commission (PSC) issued a final order that permanently increased residential electric base rates by 17%.
For the average family, this isn't just a few cents—it’s a direct hit to the grocery and rent budget.
What Are You Actually Paying For?
A large portion of this increase is being used to bail out the Yellowstone County Generating Station—a methane gas plant that has faced repeated delays and cost overruns. To make matters worse, the PSC recently voted to suspend the "90-10" sharing rule (PCCAM).
Previously, the utility had to eat 10% of their bad energy-buying estimates. Now, the PSC has shifted 100% of that risk onto you. When NorthWestern Energy gambles on market prices and loses, you pay the tab.
How to Lower Your Energy Bill
While NorthWestern Energy CEOs suggest "using less energy" or comparing your bill to the price of a hamburger, the reality is that individual conservation can only do so much when the system is rigged. To truly lower my Montana energy bill, we need a Commission that prioritizes families over corporate profits. Please Vote Responsibly.
The Fight for Montana PSC District 5
This is exactly why the race for Montana PSC District 5 is the most important election you’ve never heard of. From Helena to Kalispell, we all deserve a Commissioner who understands that electricity is a necessity, not a luxury.
The PSC was created to be the "Voter's Watchdog” but somewhere along the way, the Commission fell asleep on the porch.
The impact of the PSC.
Setting Rates
From making sure that everyone is paying their fair share to making sure that the utility isn’t requesting money to pad their wallet at the expense of ratepayers, the PSC controls a massive part of how our economy works. And for too long the commission hasn’t cared about the people of Montana.
moving into the future
We in Montana have been on the cutting edge of electrical generation before, and we can be there again. Wind and solar are key, and that requires that we build storage, which we know how to do, too. The PSC has the power to guide our utilities to invest in smart, clean, reliable energy sources that don’t require us to give up our fresh air, beautiful waterways, or amazing public lands. Oh, and they reduce costs for consumers, too!
fixing aged infrastructure
I’m 53 years old and the fact that we have power poles across the state that are older than me is unconscionable. As infrastructure is forced to serve beyond its safe lifetime we see catastrophe after disaster, including the fire that destroyed Denton in 2021. We cannot let the utility’s greed for wealth to it’s C-Suite override it’s duty to support and restore its infrastructure, and I absolutely will not allow this to continue.
fair payment for the same thing
Our costs as residential consumers are out of line. In just the last three years we’ve seen our costs per kilowatt rise nearly 40%, and since deregulation we’ve seen those costs more than triple. What’s really funny about that is that the efficiency of our devices has gone up so much that the actual residential demand has remained mostly flat that entire time. Commercial and Industrial demand have increased tho, and yet for some reason they pay less per kilowatt than everyday Montanans. We can fix that, too.
NorthWestern tells PSC to throw out data center complaint
Big Sky 55+ and others ask PSC to protect existing ratepayers
—by KEILA SZPALLER Daily Montanan
Here’s the thing
Most of what NWE is claiming is ridiculous. Especially this part:
“Complainants gloss over the difference between signing an agreement for electricity supply service and actually providing electricity,” NorthWestern said.
No, they aren’t, NWE. This is a classic attempt to use a point in time argument to avoid legal oversight. It’s true that NWE isn’t delivering anything to these not-yet-built datacenter, but it’s also true that NWE is trying to entice AI companies to build in NWE service areas.
And the PSC absolutely needs to be looking into this, now.
Consider this a pink slip for the status quo. Your power bill is on the ballot, and it’s time to elect a fixer, not another utility company lapdog. Join me today!
Everyone.
Most Montanans don’t know what the PSC does, but once they do, they realize that it’s yet one more thing they need to keep an eye on so they don't get burned. It’s exhausting for all of us, but it doesn't have to be this way.
The current PSC has been hiding in the shadows and doing the bidding of multi-national corporations for years; it’s time we had a PSC that stood up for the people of Montana. It’s time to elect a commissioner who will continue to fight for Montanans instead of prioritizing their own interests again and again.
Everywhere.
The PSC touches every part of Montana, from the plains to the mountains, rivers, and every part of our lives. So much of what the PSC does, every day, affects every Montanan, every day. And unfortunately, a lot of it is failing in ways that put Montanans’ lives at risk. Montanans want a clean environment so much we put in as a cornerstone of our Constitution. The PSC holds the keys to keeping our future healthy and vibrant. It’s time a responsible adult had those keys.
All of us.
I can’t do this alone. I need help, and every bit of help is worth it. Can you make a call? Great! Can you share a post on social media? Awesome! Want to write a letter to the editor proclaiming how amazing I am? I thank you and my mother thanks you! Need some swag? Donate today and we’ll get that right over to you as soon as we have some!
Can you even win, Kev? Yep!
PSC District 5 is made up of Montana House Districts 3, 4, 5, 7, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 24, 25, 76, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 91, 92, & 99. It seems like a lot of districts, but each of the 5 PSC districts are the same number of House districts, but that’s a wildly different amount of land. That map? Woof.
That said, in checking the voting patterns in the House districts that make up PSC5 we get a DPQ of 45.9%. Which is hella winnable.
“But Kev, what is DPQ?”
—Sara, via email
Good question!
DPQ stands for Democratic Party Quotient (at least, that’s what all of us think, but no one who came up with the Three-Letter-Acronym is actually alive to tell us) and regardless of what it the words were, we know what we are calculating: the percentage of likely and reliable Democratic voters in a district.
FORTY-FIVE-POINT-NINE-PERCENT!
There’s usually anywhere from 3-6% independent and about 3% unknown in any district, and this is all statistics and some magic, but just think of how many people are fed up with seeing their electric bill go up month after month, know that the GOP has had 100% control of the PSC for over a decade, and are willing to try something new?
Enough that this seat is definitely winnable. Won’t you join me?