American homeowners are preparing to face an increase in utility bills for the upcoming year 2026. This follows the approval of a law passed by the Columbus City Council, which aims to adjust the price of utilities in response to a growing population. Some bills could rise by as much as 18%, but according to statements made to the local NBC affiliate, WCMH, by Columbus Deputy Director of Water and Energy Jon Lee, the increase is necessary to meet population demand.
Water is expected to increase by 18%, electricity by 13%, sanitation by 18%, and stormwater by 2%, resulting in an overall estimated increase of about 12% in customers’ total bills. The revenue from this increase is expected to be allocated to the creation of a fourth water plant. Lee mentioned the discounts that residents of Columbus Power and Water can access to, which could serve more than 100,000 homes, although Councilman Christopher Wyche says that figure is not accurate.
Increase in supply prices
The growing population expansion has caused public services to have supply difficulties, which has resulted in an increase in consumers’ bills. This is due to the approval of a new law by the Columbus City Council, which allows for the increase in public service prices. It is the first time in 20 years that the bill percentage rises to almost 18% for homes in the United States.
This increase takes effect on January 1, 2026, and will affect four main services provided by the capital of Ohio. According to Jon Lee, Deputy Director of Water and Energy in Columbus, in his statements to the local NBC affiliate, WCMH, “Basically, these rate increases will ensure that we have the capacity, the public service capacity, necessary to meet that growing population demand”.
Which services are affected?
The four main services that will experience a price increase are:
- Water, by 18%.
- Electricity, by 13%.
- Sanitation, by 8%.
- Stormwater, by 2%.
The sum of these percentages, translated into a customer’s overall bill, amounts to an increase of approximately 12%. According to the authorities, the additional revenue generated from these increases will be allocated to projects such as the construction of a fourth water plant to serve the city, which costs $2.3 billion. The authorities are aware of the impact this increase will have on residents but also defend its necessity.
According to Lee, “We are right at the point where we are looking at our projections regarding capacity needs. Our plants have a limited capacity to supply water, based on a capacity rate, and therefore we will be able to serve that growing population by 2050 with the addition of this plant”.
Possible compensation discounts
According to Lee, Columbus Power and Water is already working to expand its offers, having “increased the discount from 25% to 30%” on consumer bills. He argues that these discounts could ease the pressure on around 100,000 households, although Councilman Christopher Wyche stated that the actual number is “not even close to that figure.” He added, “At least I have hope that some changes the department is making to our utility assistance program will help get more people to sign up”.