Join us on March 13, 2026, at the O’Fallon Park Rec Complex, to learn more about how city water rates are set, what you’re paying for, and what’s being done to keep water service safe, reliable, and affordable for all.

The January 2026 issue of Harper’s Magazine includes a comprehensive article about how utility rates are set by state regulating bodies, and how those commissions are influenced by the profit driven goals of utilities.

Liberty/Empire electric customers are seeing some progress in the Liberty Electric rate case, though not nearly enough in the opinion of Consumers Council of Missouri.

Consumers Council of Missouri is deeply concerned with the impact that construction of large-scale data centers will have on electric utility rates for ordinary household customers.

Did you know that laws passed by the Missouri Legislature can raise your utility rates? Consumers Council of Missouri invites members and supporters to participate in our upcoming advocacy day at the Missouri State Capitol.

According to a report issued by Synapse Energy, Ameren and Spire customers have experienced significant recent increases in their utility bills, outpacing both national inflation (25.4%) and Missouri average weekly wage growth (32%). This report focuses on the years 2020 – 2025.

Ameren Missouri customers saw major electricity bill increases that outpaced both inflation and wage growth.
• Average summer bills rose 34.3%
• Average winter bills rose 32.9%
These increases are not driven by fuel costs. Ameren’s fuel charge has stayed relatively steady. Higher rates tied to infrastructure investments were the main driver.

Spire Missouri customers faced even steeper increases in natural gas bills.
• Spire West winter bills rose 95.1% for a typical household using 120 ccf
• Spire East winter bills rose 60.8%  for the same usage
Winter gas bills rose far more than summer bills because gas is mainly used for home heating. 

Read the full report here: MO IOU Rate Analysis 2025

Please join Consumers Council on Thursday, January 22, 2026, for a webinar on upcoming state legislation affecting utilities. This session will provide an overview of key 2026 legislative proposals, with a focus on how critical utility policies impact consumers across Missouri.

Event Details

Date and Time: January 22, 2026 at 12:00 noon Central Time

Location: Zoom — All registrants will receive a Zoom link upon registration for this event.

Cost: There is no charge for this event.

If you would like to become a member of Consumers Council for only $10, or donate to our organization, please CLICK HERE.

Summary of Decision

Spire Rate Case

(GR-2025-0107)

Background:

In November 2024, Spire gas utility requested a 15% rate increase.  Consumers Council of Missouri (“CCM”) intervened in this case, filed expert testimony challenging Spire’s request, encouraged public testimony at hearings, and ultimately secured several consumer victories through negotiation with the utility and other parties.  On Wednesday, September 3, 2025, the MoPSC approved a settlement of all issues in this case.  

Key Wins for Residential Customers

• Rate Request Reduced: Spire’s original request for a 15% rate increase was reduced to an average 10% increase.
• Residential Households Protected: The large industrial and commercial customers wanted residential households to pay for a larger percentage of the rate increase.  Our evidence showed that applying the increase unevenly would have resulted in households subsidizing large customers.  The settlement ensures that the percentage impact is roughly the same across all sizes of customer classes.
• Limited Fixed Monthly Charge Increase: The fixed monthly customer charge will increase from $20 to $22 but our advocacy prevented a higher increase.  A lower customer charge  gives consumers more control over their bills when they engage in energy conservation and energy efficiency.
• Continuation of Customer Assistance Programs: Current assistance programs for customers are extended, including the income-eligible Payment Partner Program and the Critical Medical Needs program, through September 2028.
• New Low-Income Assistance Program: An income-eligible program will be created for low-income families.  Essentially, the monthly $22 customer charge will be waived for those who qualify for LIHEAP energy assistance.
• ISRS Reporting Requirements: The new Spire settlement includes Infrastructure System Replacement Surcharge (“ISRS”) reporting requirements for which Consumers Council advocated.  Our hope is that this new public reporting information will help us drill down into what is going on with the ISRS surcharge and help us find ways to ensure that it is operating correctly.

We Predict that Household Gas Bills Will Continue to Rise

Household natural gas rates have skyrocketed since 2021.  As we reported, the average Spire East customer has already experienced a +62% increase in their winter bill since winter 2020-2021, and +109% increase for Spire West customers. The main reason for this outrageous spike in Spire’s rates is ISRS, which raises bills outside of rate cases like this one.  ISRS is a gas pipeline replacement and relocation charge.

While the result in this case is better than what was originally requested by Spire, the relief may be short lived.  In a new law, promoted by Spire and MoPSC Chair Kayla Hahn, the Missouri Legislature passed a “Future Test Year” methodology as part of Senate Bill 4 in April 2025. Signed by Governor Kehoe, this law will add forward-looking estimates of costs to be included in natural gas bills, instead of audited historical costs. Consumers Council estimates that this will cause another 10% increase in gas bills (an average of $276 per year per household) in the next rate case filed by Spire.