For the three decades Mary Riggins has lived in her Harvard Hills home, electricity has usually cost her no more than $200. One month last fall, she got a bill for more than $500.
It felt sudden, the Tulsa resident said. She and many of her neighbors are older and living off a fixed income. Riggins just couldn’t afford it and found herself applying to bill assistance programs for the first time.
“I had to go and get somebody to help me pay it. I can’t live without electricity because of my health,” Riggins said.
Electricity has gotten more expensive, and the Public Service Company of Oklahoma is asking for more rate increases. Most recently, PSO asked to review and increase base rates for improvements to the power grid, which would cost residents around $25 more a month if approved.
The Flyer got our hands on average PSO bill increases for residents from 2017-2025. Here are three charts showing the rising electricity costs for Oklahomans.
PSO once prided itself on keeping its rates lower than inflation. The data provided to the Flyer tells a different story. It shows total bill costs, including base rates, fuel costs and riders. For a breakdown of what those charges mean, read our PSO bill breakdown here.
Oklahomans paid a monthly average of $146.30 for electricity last year — nearly 10% more than the year before and outpacing the 2025 inflation rate as well. It’s also about $50 more than the average cost eight years ago in 2017.
“Electricity providers faced the same pressures on labor, materials, equipment and especially fuel,” PSO communications manager Matt Rahn said in response to rising electricity costs.
Residential bills got more expensive in 2021 and 2022 after Winter Storm Uri, which caused power outages and infrastructure challenges across Oklahoma. According to PSO, its costs for fuel and electricity also rose to “unprecedented levels.” So the utility added recovery fees.
On top of that, PSO said it is required to have more energy generation readily available in case of extreme weather. Southwest Power Pool, which manages the electric grid in the central United States, raised the amount of required reserves in 2024.
“The team at PSO is focused on balancing affordability with reliability while meeting evolving grid requirements and keeping power dependable for the communities we serve,” Rahn said.
Riggins speculates PSO is price gouging, saying her bills are going up “because they can.”
Some residents are concerned their higher bills will only go up with the growing number of data centers and more on the way. According to Rahn, any costs to support new data centers are paid by large load customers — not residents.
A new bill working its way through the legislature this session directs the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, which oversees energy rates, to research how data centers are impacting electricity grids. Authored by Rep. Amanda Clinton, D-Tulsa, House Bill 3392 unanimously passed the House Utility Committee this month.
Similarly, House Bill 2992 — which would prevent higher utility rates for residential customers due to data center expansion — also unanimously passed. Both bills advanced to the House Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Oversight.
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