Consumers Council of Missouri works hard to reduce what communities that have long been the target of structural oppression spend on basic energy. Losing utility service, or cutting back on service to reduce utility bills, is not only dangerous to health and safety but may also affect whether a family can continue to reside in their home. Through advocacy and community engagement, we focus on keeping utility costs affordable by challenging rate increases and working to maintain and expand customer assistance programs.
Consumers Council of Missouri applauds members of the Missouri Senate from both sides of the aisle who acted on April 8th, 2026, to pass three pro-consumer amendments that can reduce the size of anticipated utility rate increases and protect property rights.
Have you ever noticed the large Spire metal covers embedded in the streets around your neighborhood? These markers often signal ongoing upgrades to underground gas infrastructure. Under Missouri law, gas and electric utilities are allowed to recover the costs of infrastructure improvements, primarily pipeline replacements, outside of traditional rate cases. This process accelerates system upgrades, but results in extra surcharges that hike gas and water rates higher than necessary....
In 2008, Missouri voters approved a ballot initiative requiring a percentage of electric power generation to come from non-nuclear renewable energy sources. The new law also allowed electric utilities to recover certain costs associated with providing renewable energy through a surcharge on customers’ monthly bills. Based on this law, the Missouri Public Service Commission (MoPSC) put a rule in place allowing certain renewable energy costs to pass directly onto your electric bill. This...
Households and businesses served by investor-owned utilities pay billions of dollars in profits to utility investors each year. Until now, no one has put a precise number on how much of an electric bill is made up of that profit. Using publicly reported financial data, this report by the Energy & Policy Institute provides the first systematic look at how much of each dollar spent on electricity ultimately goes to investors. Read the report here.
On February 27, 2026, Consumers Council filed a proposed rule to create a special alternative rate or bill discount, based in part on household utility burden, for low income customers of investor-owned gas, water, and electric utilities. Utility burden is the percentage of income a household spends on electricity, natural gas, or water service. This proposed rule is authorized by a new Missouri statute (See Section 393.1680 RSMO). Establishing a low-income assistance program is critical...
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.
