# WPS Rate Increase 2027: About $1 a Month, WPS Estimates

> WPS rate increase 2027: after the Nov. 5 PSC vote, WPS estimates typical electric bills rise $1 or less a month in 2027 and $5-$6 in 2028. Final order pending.

- URL: https://solarexaminer.com/posts/wps-rate-increase-2027/
- Site: Solar Examiner (https://solarexaminer.com/)
- Category: News
- Published: 2026-11-07
- Last verified: 2026-11-07
- Author: Craig Leslie

## Key takeaways

- The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) approved rate changes for Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) on Nov. 5, 2026, according to parent company WEC Energy Group. The written order with final rates is expected before the end of the year.
- WPS estimates its electric rates will rise 0.3% in 2027, about $1 or less a month for a typical household, and 2.9% in 2028, about $5 to $6 a month. These are preliminary company estimates, not final rates.
- WPS had asked for about $11 a month more in 2027 and about $5 more in 2028 for a typical residential electric customer.
- The PSC set WPS's return on equity at 9.5%, down from 9.8% today and below the 9.9% WPS requested.
- Gas rate outcomes for WPS were not in the reports we reviewed. Check the written order before relying on gas figures.



**Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) electric customers face a much smaller 2027 increase than the utility requested. After the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) voted on Nov. 5, 2026, WPS estimated a 0.3% electric increase in 2027, about $1 or less a month for a typical household, and 2.9% in 2028, about $5 to $6 a month.** WPS had asked for about $11 a month more in 2027. The PSC's written order, which will set exact rates, is still pending.

WPS says it has about 474,000 electric customers and 350,000 natural gas customers. For how WPS compares with We Energies, Alliant and other utilities in the state, and how each credits rooftop solar, see our [Wisconsin electric rates and solar guide](/posts/wisconsin-electricity-rate-changes-2026/).

## What the PSC Decided

WEC Energy Group, the parent of WPS and We Energies, said in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing dated Nov. 5 that the PSC "approved rate changes" that day in the rate cases WPS, We Energies (Wisconsin Electric Power Company) and Wisconsin Gas filed in April 2026. Its presentation slides list:

- **Return on equity:** 9.50%, the profit rate the PSC allows on shareholder investment. WPS and We Energies had asked for 9.9%; the current rate is 9.8%.
- **Equity ratio:** 53.0%, unchanged.
- **Final written order:** expected before year-end.

The SEC filing does not give the dollar or percentage increases. Those come from company estimates (WPS for NBC 26, WEC Energy Group for WPR), reported the next day by NBC 26, Wisconsin Public Radio and WFRV:

| WPS electric, typical household | 2027 | 2028 |
|---|---|---|
| Requested (WPS, April 2026) | about +$11 a month | about +$5 a month |
| After PSC vote (WPS estimate) | 0.3%, about +$1 or less a month | 2.9%, about +$5 to $6 a month |
| Status | Voted Nov. 5; written order pending | Voted Nov. 5; written order pending |

WPS spokesperson Matt Cullen gave NBC 26 the estimates, and the station noted the PSC "is yet to outline exactly what the increases will now be." WFRV called the figures "preliminary estimates."

By our arithmetic, the estimates add up to roughly $5 to $7 a month above 2026 levels by 2028, compared with about $16 under WPS's original request ($11 + $5). Nearly all of the cut is in 2027: the 2028 estimate ($5 to $6) is about what WPS asked for in 2028 ($5). WPS's April figures and the post-vote estimates may not use exactly the same measure, and neither the reports nor the SEC filing say what usage level "typical household" means. The PSC's order will show the final comparison.

## What WPS Had Asked For

WPS filed in April 2026, in PSC docket 6690-UR-129. Its April 1 release said a typical residential electric bill would increase "by about $11 per month in 2027 and about $5 per month in 2028." WEC's April investor slides put the WPS electric base rate request at 6.3% for 2027 and 3.5% for 2028, excluding fuel.

WPS said the money would pay for solar, wind and battery projects already approved by regulators, trimming more than 2,000 miles of power lines a year, removal of 5,000 to 8,000 hazard trees a year, and 80 to 100 miles of underground cable in each of 2027 and 2028.

On the gas side, WPS asked for about $7 a month more in 2027 for residential customers and said no base rate increase was expected in 2028. The reports on the vote that we reviewed did not give WPS gas outcomes.

## We Energies Got a Larger Increase

The PSC decided the We Energies case at the same meeting. WEC's estimates, as reported by WPR and WFRV, put We Energies electric increases at 3.9% in 2027 and 3.5% in 2028, about $7 to $8 a month in 2027 and $6 to $7 in 2028 for a typical residential customer. Our [We Energies 2027 rate increase article](/posts/we-energies-rate-increase-2027/) has the original request and current tariff.

PSC Chair Summer Strand, as quoted by WPR: "We heard you loud and clear that utility rates are too high."

## What It Means for Your Bill and Solar

If WPS's estimate holds, a typical household's 2027 electric bill would barely move, and the bigger step comes in 2028. Two cautions apply:

- **The numbers are estimates.** The written order sets the final rates and the split between the fixed customer charge and per-kWh charges.
- **This covers electric base rates only.** Gas customers should wait for the written order, which was not described in the reports we reviewed.

For solar owners, a 0.3% change does little to the value of panels in 2027. The split matters more than the total: per-kWh charges are what your solar offsets, while a higher fixed charge is a cost solar cannot reduce. Our explainer on [fixed charges and solar savings](/posts/fixed-charges-and-solar-savings/) walks through that math.

## What Happens Next

WEC expects the PSC's final written order before the end of 2026, and WPS told NBC 26 it expects it "in the next few weeks." WPS said in April that it expected new rates in January 2027. We will update this article with the final residential rates when the order is issued.

## Sources and verification

| Important claim | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|
| PSC approved WPS, We Energies and Wisconsin Gas rate changes on Nov. 5, 2026 | [WEC Energy Group Form 8-K, Nov. 5, 2026](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000783325/000078332526000109/wec-20261105.htm) | Verified |
| 9.50% ROE; 53.0% equity ratio; written order expected before year-end | [Copy of the same 8-K with slides (Stock Titan)](https://www.stocktitan.net/sec-filings/WEC/8-k-wec-energy-group-inc-reports-material-event-f92343d6a1ce.html) | Verified (third-party copy of SEC filing) |
| 9.9% requested; 9.8% current ROE | [WPR, Nov. 6, 2026](https://www.wpr.org/energy/regulators-rate-hikes-we-energies-wisconsin-public-service); [copy of WEC April 2026 8-K slides (Stock Titan)](https://www.stocktitan.net/sec-filings/WELPM/8-k-wisconsin-electric-power-co-reports-material-event-3875b9476ab6.html) | Verified |
| WPS 0.3% (about $1 or less) in 2027, 2.9% ($5 to $6) in 2028; WPS spokesperson; order "in the next few weeks" | [NBC 26, Nov. 6, 2026](https://www.nbc26.com/greenbay/wps-customers-could-see-smaller-rate-hikes-after-regulators-cut-utilitys-profit-margin); [WPR](https://www.wpr.org/energy/regulators-rate-hikes-we-energies-wisconsin-public-service); [WFRV via Yahoo](https://yahoo.com/news/us/articles/energies-wps-hike-rates-customers-225656613.html) | Qualified (company estimates reported by news) |
| WPS request: about $11 (2027) and $5 (2028); gas about $7; 474,000 electric customers; docket 6690-UR-129; January 2027; project list | [WPS release, April 1, 2026](https://news.wisconsinpublicservice.com/wps-rate-filing-focuses-on-reliability-and-supporting-wisconsins-economy/) | Verified (company statements) |
| WPS electric base request 6.3% (2027) and 3.5% (2028), excluding fuel | [Copy of WEC April 2026 8-K slides (Stock Titan)](https://www.stocktitan.net/sec-filings/WELPM/8-k-wisconsin-electric-power-co-reports-material-event-3875b9476ab6.html) | Verified (third-party copy of SEC filing) |
| We Energies 3.9% and 3.5%; $7 to $8 and $6 to $7; Strand quote | [WPR](https://www.wpr.org/energy/regulators-rate-hikes-we-energies-wisconsin-public-service); [WFRV via Yahoo](https://yahoo.com/news/us/articles/energies-wps-hike-rates-customers-225656613.html) | Qualified (company estimates reported by news) |
| $5 to $7 by 2028 versus about $16 requested | Our arithmetic from the figures above | Calculated |

## Limitations

We could not read the PSC's decision documents, so the increases above are WEC's preliminary estimates as reported by three news outlets, and "typical household" usage is not defined. Gas outcomes, fixed charge changes and the effective date will be confirmed by the written order.

## Frequently asked questions

### How much will WPS electric bills go up in 2027?

WPS estimates a 0.3% electric rate increase in 2027, about $1 or less a month for a typical household, after the PSC's Nov. 5, 2026 vote. That is a preliminary company estimate; the PSC's written order will set the exact rates.

### How much will WPS rates go up in 2028?

WPS estimates 2.9% in 2028, about $5 to $6 a month for a typical household. Combined with 2027, that is roughly $5 to $7 a month above 2026 levels by 2028, compared with about $16 under WPS's original request.

### When does the WPS rate increase take effect?

WPS said in April it expected new rates in January 2027. WEC Energy Group says the PSC's final written order is expected before year-end, and WPS told NBC 26 it expects the order in the next few weeks.

### Did the PSC also approve a We Energies rate increase?

Yes, at the same Nov. 5 meeting. WEC Energy Group's estimates put We Energies electric increases at 3.9% in 2027 and 3.5% in 2028, about $7 to $8 a month in 2027 and $6 to $7 in 2028 for a typical residential customer.

### Does the WPS decision change solar savings?

Only slightly in 2027 if the 0.3% estimate holds. What matters for solar is how the final order splits the increase between fixed charges, which solar cannot reduce, and per-kWh charges, which solar can offset. That detail will be in the written order.


Image credit: Photo by [Jan Walter Luigi](https://unsplash.com/@janwalterluigi?utm_source=solarexaminer&utm_medium=referral) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/a-group-of-houses-covered-in-snow-next-to-trees-gyav4ridSBE?utm_source=solarexaminer&utm_medium=referral)