Snohomish PUD proposes 0% electric rate increase for 2027

Everett electricity customers could see their bills hold steady next year. Snohomish County Public Utility District is proposing a 0% overall electric rate increase for 2027.

The proposal, announced Oct. 26 on the PUD's website, still needs approval from the PUD's Board of Commissioners. The board is scheduled to take up the 2027 budget and rates at its Nov. 17 meeting.

That vote matters for every household in the PUD's service area across Snohomish County and Camano Island.

What's behind the proposal

The PUD said the proposed rate hold reflects internal cost-cutting, project prioritization and customer conservation efforts that collectively reduced electricity demand. The utility also pointed to federal grants helping fund grid modernization, wildfire-risk mitigation and efficiency improvements.

John Haarlow, the PUD's CEO and general manager, said in the announcement that the utility is "proposing no electric rate increase in 2027" because "many families and businesses continue to face financial challenges."

"By listening to our customers and carefully managing costs, we're helping keep electricity affordable while continuing to provide the reliable service our community depends on," Haarlow said.

The PUD is a not-for-profit, community-owned utility governed by three elected commissioners. Its rates are based on cost, not profit. It is the 12th-largest public power utility in the country by customers served, according to the PUD.

After a 2026 rate hike

The proposed freeze would follow a year in which residential customers absorbed a 2.5% average increase. That 2026 hike, approved by the commission in December 2025, raised the residential energy charge from 10.26 cents per kilowatt-hour to 10.61 cents per kilowatt-hour, effective April 1, 2026. It added roughly $3.22 per month to the average residential bill.

Rising costs of materials, supplies and equipment were the main drivers of that increase, the PUD said at the time.

County tax revenues could also rise

Separately, the Snohomish County Council is reviewing a biennial budget for 2027–2028 that includes a proposed 4.1647% increase to county general property tax revenues in 2027, according to the Lynnwood Times. Budget deliberations were tentatively scheduled for Nov. 10.

The county government and the PUD are separate entities with independent budgets.