Your Utility Bills Are About to Skyrocket, and the Court Just Made Sure of It
Go grab your last utility bill. Look at the number, because that number is about to change.
In 2024, nearly 2 million Washingtonians voted yes on Initiative 2066 to protect access to natural gas. On September 17, the Washington State Supreme Court struck it down, 6-3. The court didn't rule on whether gas is good or bad. It ruled that the initiative covered more than one subject, so the whole thing was thrown out.
You'll hear two stories about what that means:
"Nobody is coming to rip out your furnace." That's true, for now.
"Electrification is clean, cheap and abundant." The math says otherwise.
What it costs you
Puget Sound Energy raised electric rates about 12% this January. Now it's asking regulators for 16.75% more on residential electric in 2027, then 3.76% in 2028 and 8.81% in 2029. If your home has both PSE electric and gas, PSE's own numbers add up to roughly $74 more a month by 2029. That's about $888 a year.
Why the grid matters
Washington runs mostly on hydro, but natural gas is our second-biggest power source and the swing source when demand spikes: cold mornings, early evenings and freezing snaps when heat pumps struggle. You can't push more water through a dam on demand. You can pull more gas through a pipe.
Now picture every home on a cold winter morning with an electric heat pump, an electric water heater and an EV charger, all on neighborhood transformers built for a fraction of that load. That's the problem nobody's pricing in.
What it means for real estate
These numbers are my estimates from building homes here:
New construction: electrification adds roughly $15,000–30,000 per home.
Older homes on 100-amp service: a panel upgrade alone can run $7,000–20,000.
A full gas-to-electric conversion: $20,000–60,000.
Rentals and HOAs: landlords pass utility costs on, and HOA dues cover more utilities than people realize.
Before you buy or sell, ask:
Which utility serves this exact address?
How big is the electrical panel, and is there room in it?
Which appliances run on gas, and what would it cost to replace them?
A home with a working gas system in the right area may even become a selling point.
This is a self-inflicted cost problem, and it hits families, renters, retirees and small businesses alike. Pay attention to your city and county councils, call your state representatives, and remember that Supreme Court seats are on the ballot this November.
[Watch the full episode] · Reply and tell me: how much has your utility bill gone up?
— Anto