Some Mainers will see higher electric bills starting Jan. 1, 2026, when a new standard-offer rate takes effect.
State regulators on Wednesday approved the new standard-offer supply rates for residential and business customers in Versant Power’s Maine Public District, which covers much of Aroostook County, and Central Maine Power.
In northern Maine, the average monthly bill for residential and small-business customers using about 550 kilowatt hours a month will go up $16, while users in central and southern Maine will see a monthly hike of about $11.
For Aroostook residents, it’s the latest in a years-long pattern of rising power costs. And they’ll see the biggest hike: more than 3 cents per kilowatt hour, going from 11.65 cents to 14.87 cents.
Central Maine Power customers will pay about 2 cents more per kilowatt hour, from the current rate of 10.61 to 12.72.
The PUC also set commercial rates. Aroostook’s businesses will see slight decreases: from 15.02 to 14.67 cents per kilowatt hour for medium businesses, and from 17.76 to 17.16 cents for large companies.
Medium-sized business customers in the Central Maine Power region will pay nearly 2 cents more per kilowatt hour, with rates rising from the current 10.47 cents to 12.36 cents in 2026. Rates for larger companies are calculated monthly relative to wholesale market prices, according to the PUC.
The rates were determined by a competitive bidding process, regulators said.
Standard-offer supply rates apply to customers who don’t purchase their power directly from a supplier.
Utility bills contain two parts: electricity supply, for which most people use the standard offer rate, and transmission and delivery, which a utility company provides. Standard offer costs are about 40% of the total residential customer bill, according to the commission.
