Beginning Oct. 1, Lakeland Electric base rates will increase gradually over the course of four years. Residential base rates will increase about 3.7% a year through 2030 or 15.53% over four years.
The first increase is expected to add about $2.83 to a monthly bill before taxes for an average residential customer using 1,178 kilowatt-hours a month.
Commercial increases will vary, ranging from about 10% over four years for large businesses to nearly 20% for small businesses and 22.3% for medium-sized customers.
Lakeland Electric limited increases on the first 1,000 kilowatt-hours used each month to about 2% a year to ease the impact on lower-use and fixed-income customers.
City commissioners unanimously approved the increases on Monday, June 20.
“The base rate has not kept pace,” Assistant General Manager Willem Strauss said when the proposal was released in June 2026.
The increase follows a rate study that looked at what it will cost to run the utility and whether each customer group is paying its fair share.
The base rate pays for poles, wires, equipment, repairs, and employees. Fuel charges, taxes, and other fees are separate.
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