Electric Rates for Residential Customers in Wisconsin
Who Are These Rates For?
Our Electric Rates for Residential Service are designed to serve you where you live, whether your residence is a:
- single-family home
- duplex
- condominium
- apartment building
Depending on where you live, your electric service is designated as Urban or Rural. This designation is shown on your Public Service bill:
- RES RURAL ELEC means Residential Rural Electric Service.
- RES URBAN ELEC means Residential Urban Electric Service.
How Reliable Is the Service These Rates Provide?
Both Urban and Rural Residential Electric Service provide a firm supply of electricity to your home. This means electricity is available continuously, whenever it's needed. The only exception — as with any electric service — is when unexpected events occur (such as a severe storm or a vehicle hitting a power pole) that make it impossible to deliver power to you. When Public Service learns of any outage, we immediately begin efforts to restore power.
What Charges Are Involved?
Each month, your bill for electric service includes the following charges:
- Energy Charge, for the amount of electricity you use. Electricity is measured in kilowatt-hours (abbreviated kWh). One kilowatt-hour is equal to the power used by ten 100-watt bulbs for one hour. ("See How Are My Charges Calculated?" on this page for your current Energy Charge.)
- Customer Charge, a fixed charge that does not vary with the amount of electricity you use. The Customer Charge covers the cost of providing safe, reliable electric service. For example, it includes the cost of Public Service owning, maintaining and operating equipment that generates and delivers electricity to your home, as well as the cost of providing customer service. The Customer Charge is slightly higher in rural areas because in these areas, Public Service needs longer power lines to provide service to fewer customers (which increases the cost per customer). The Customer Charge is the minimum amount you will be billed each month (see the "How Are My Charges Calculated" on this page for your current Customer Charge).
- Wisconsin Low-Income Assistance Fee, a fee collected to support low-income energy assistance programs. Wisconsin Legislature requires electric utilities to collect these fees, and then transfer the funds to the Wisconsin Department of Administration to assist low-income customers. For more information, please refer to a more detailed description of the Wisconsin Low-Income Assistance Fee.
Several factors can influence your monthly electricity use. Major factors that can be measured by Public Service are summarized in the lower left-hand corner of your monthly bill.
How Are My Charges Calculated?
| Type of Electric Service | Type of Customer | Residential Urban Customer Charge | Residential Rural Customer Charge | Energy Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single-family home, duplex, condominium, etc. | Year-round (12-month) |
$8.40 per month | $10.40 per month | $0.10670 per kWh |
| Seasonal* (6-month) |
$16.80 per month | $20.80 per month | $0.10670 per kWh |
* If your seasonal facility is used during the summer months, you'll be billed for electric service May through October. If your seasonal facility is used during the winter months, you'll be billed for electric service November through April. Your electric service may remain connected all year. Any incidental electric use during the "off-season" will be included on your first bill of the following season. If your electric use is more than 500 kilowatt-hours during the off-season, Public Service will send you a bill during the off-season.
See the Wisconsin Rate Book for more information.