Alliant Energy plans to raise utility rates in Iowa, projecting a 13.4% increase in residential electrical bills from 2024-2025. The rate hike will be implemented in two phases, with a 7.7% increase in October 2024 and then another 5.7% increase in October 2025.
This is the utility company's third rate increase in the past 7 years. Alliant Energy already has the 3rd-highest residential rates among 31 large Midwest utility companies, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
Increasingly frustrated with Alliant Energy's continued rate inflation, a growing number of Iowans are pursing alternative power sources and home energy storage systems in order to gain control over their utility bills.
Alliant Energy published the following two-page notice to inform customers about its proposed rate increase:
More than 85 communities and 3 counties across Iowa filed official resolutions opposing the rate increase with the Iowa Utilities Commission, according to the Clean Energy Districts of Iowa Coalition. The CEDI said that Alliant's high-and-rising rates cause serious hardship for low and fixed-income residents and that they have discouraged economic development in the region.
As of August 2024, Alliant Energy has not published any changes to this proposal on its website, which suggests that the rate increase will indeed move forward as planned.
On their website, Alliant Energy suggests that customers implement energy efficiency tips such as unplugging appliances, using cold water, cooking food in the microwave instead of the oven, using ceiling fans, and turning the thermostat up during hot summer weather and down during the winter.
Despite efforts to decrease their energy usage, many Iowans still struggle with the lack of control over their continuously rising electrical bills. Increasingly, Iowa home and business owners are turning to home solar, energy storage systems, and whole-home generators to reduce their monthly bills and decrease their reliance on Alliant Energy.