It’s getting more expensive to live in Arkansas, and it’s not because of your grocery bill.
No matter what kind of utilities you pay for, your bills are more expensive than before.
Companies providing natural gas, electric, water, and sewer services across the state are raising rates. In just the past year, households have seen bill increases ranging from $10 to $30 a month, and that’s per service. If you’re like most Arkansans, that means you’re paying more to keep the lights on, cool your home, and take a shower.
Some examples of these hikes:
- Natural Gas
- Summit Utilities’ approved 2024 increase means the average residential bill was up more than $15 last winter; another hike came in April of this year
- Electric
- SWEPCO is proposing a $30/month increase for a typical household
- Entergy has filed for an increase under its Formula Rate Plan
- Many co-op customers are seeing double-digit percentage hikes as wholesale costs are passed to consumers
- Water & Sewer
- Entire cities like Fort Smith and Bentonville alongside systems like Central Arkansas Water are raising rates; some are on an annual schedule of rate raises for the next decade
- Sewer bills in Fort Smith are set to go up every year until 2030
Why it matters
The bad thing about Big Utility is you can’t shop around for companies with better prices. Utilities are basic necessities, but they’re usually delivered by monopolies or city systems that operate without any competition.
When they raise rates, you don’t have a choice. You just have to pay more.
This is why rate hikes hurt working families the most. When your paycheck is already stretched, another $15 here or $20 there adds up quickly, especially across multiple bills.
Even though we’re seeing spikes across the utility board, the increases aren’t just about covering infrastructure costs. Many times hikes are about padding profits and lining corporate pockets; executives need their bonuses, after all!
Over the next several year, Arkansas families will have to tighten their belts and dig into their savings while big utility companies keep winning. These companies have teams and teams of lawyers and lobbyists who make sure their requests sail through the approval process, but everyday folks don’t get a seat at the table.
Often, we don’t even notice until the bill arrives.
The truth is that elected leaders could be doing more to protect consumers. Lawmakers could demand more oversight, cap increases, or investments in programs that would help families lower energy and water use.
Instead, they let corporations pass costs on to you.
What you can do:
- Pay attention to the Public Service Commission (the state body that regulates big energy monopolies) and city council agendas; governing bodies like these are where rate hikes are decided
- Speak up at public hearings or submit comments in writing to regulators, council members, and/or lawmakers
- Ask your elected leaders and candidates what they’re doing to protect Arkansans from unfair increases
Arkansas deserves better than to have their rates spike to help corporate giants profit off the backs of hardworking people. Let’s make sure our voices are just as loud as the lobbyists in the room.
