3Q 2026 Rates: Members see overall increase due to COPA changes
Starting July 1, 2026, MEA members will notice an increase in their total electric bills compared to last quarter. MEA members will see an increase in the Cost of Power Adjustment (COPA) beginning in the third quarter of 2026, reflecting higher fuel and power supply costs experienced this spring and projected for the months ahead.

The COPA is the portion of your electric bill that reflects the actual cost of fuel and purchased power used to provide electricity. Unlike base rates, which cover the operation, maintenance, and improvement of MEA’s electric system, the COPA changes as fuel and power supply costs rise or fall and are directly passed through to MEA members without any markup as costs are incurred.

Fuel and purchased power currently account for approximately 37% of the average residential electric bill. As a result, significant increases or decreases in these costs can have a meaningful impact on monthly bills, even when base rates remain unchanged. Part of the COPA also involves a balancing account which is essentially a running true-up. It tracks the difference between the projected cost of power and what it actually costs, so any over-collection is returned to members and any shortfall is recovered over time.

For the upcoming quarter, MEA’s COPA rate will increase from $0.07879 per kilowatt-hour(kWh) to $0.10195 per kWh, an increase of approximately 29.4%. It is important to note that the MEA Board of Directors approved no change to base rates for the third quarter. Base rates are reviewed separately and cover the costs of operating and maintaining MEA's electric system. The increase members will see this quarter is primarily related to higher fuel and purchased power costs reflected in the COPA.

What this means for members

• A typical member using about 623 kWh per monh (MEA’s average usage benchmark) will see their average monthly bill increase by $14.53, or 9.26% more than 2Q 2026.

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2Q 2026 Rates: Members see small overall increase
Starting April 1, 2026, MEA members will notice a slight increase in their total electric bills compared to last quarter. The change comes mainly from a 3.2% increase in the Cost of Power Adjustment (COPA) rate, which reflects the cost of fuel and power MEA purchases to serve members. The MEA Board of Directors approved no change to base rates in a previous board meeting. Base rates cover MEA’s operating costs not included in the COPA and are also updated quarterly.

What this means for members

• A typical member using about 623 kWh per monh (MEA’s average usage benchmark) will see their average monthly bill increase by $1.57, or 1.09% more than 1Q 2026.

1Q 2026 Rates: Members see slight overall decrease
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Starting January 1, 2026, MEA members will notice a slight decrease in their total electric bills compared to last quarter. The change comes mainly from a 6% drop in the Cost of Power Adjustment (COPA) rate, which reflects the cost of fuel and power MEA purchases to serve members. A previously approved 2% base rate increase will also take effect this quarter, but the COPA decrease more than offsets that change, resulting in a small overall savings. The 1Q 2026 COPA decrease is largely due to higher expected winter electricity usage, which helps spread fuel and purchased power costs across more kilowatt-hours sold.

Base rates recover MEA’s operating costs not included in COPA and are also updated quarterly. The 2% base rate increase, approved by the MEA Board of Directors and the RCA, reflects ongoing inflation and rising operational expenses.

What this means for members

• A typical member using about 642 kWh per month (MEA’s average usage benchmark) will see their average monthly bill decrease by $1.35, or 0.82% less than 4Q 2025.

MEA reviews rates each quarter to keep bills aligned with real costs, while following RCA-approved guidelines. MEA remains committed to delivering reliable, affordable electricity to its members while navigating the challenges of fluctuating fuel costs, purchased power contracts, and long-term energy planning.
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2025 4Q Rates: Overall Rate Decrease

MEA members will see a slight decrease in their electric bills beginning October 1, 2025, as the Cost of Power Adjustment (COPA) rate decreases by approximately 6% compared to the previous quarter. The base rates remain unchanged as authorized by the MEA Board of Directors. The COPA adjustment—reviewed quarterly by the RCA—primarily reflects the cost of fuel used to generate electricity and power purchased from other utilities.

The 4th quarter COPA decrease is driven largely by lower projected purchased power costs, coupled with adjustments to the balancing account - which is stabilizing after under-and over-collections in previous quarters. These savings are partially offset by an increase in the projected fuel cost component due to:

• Higher cost of natural gas per mcf, effective in April under MEA’s contract with Hilcorp;
• Increased fuel quantities as we  head into winter months, and
• An increase in ENSTAR gas  transportation rates that took effect in June.

What this means for members

• A typical member using 642 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per month will see their average monthly bill     decrease by about $3.49, or 2.1%, compared to the 3rd quarter.
• The all-in effective rate per kWh will drop from 25.62 cents in Q3 to 25.07 cents in Q4.‍

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‍2025 3Q Rates: Overall Rate Increase

Beginning July 1, 2025, MEA members will see an increase in their electric bills due to a 3% increase in base rates and a 12.2% increase in the Cost of Power Adjustment (COPA) component of rates. The base rate reflects the fixed cost of delivering electricity to homes and businesses and was approved by both the MEA Board of Directors and the Regulatory Commission of Alaska (RCA). The COPA rate, which primarily recovers fuel and purchased power costs, is adjusted quarterly and subject to RCA review and approval. These changes will result in an average monthly increase of approximately $8.87, or 5.7% overall, for a typical member using 642 kilowatt-hours.

MEA’s Cost of Power Adjustment (COPA) rate—which recovers the cost of fuel used to generate electricity and power purchased from other sources—is higher this quarter due to increased anticipated purchases of Eklutna hydro power from the Municipality of Anchorage, as well as additional tight pool power purchases from Chugach Electric during the third quarter. This increase is further compounded by an under-collection of costs from earlier in the year. Some fuel expenses were undercharged in previous COPA filings, and a milder-than-usual winter led to lower electricity usage across our system, reducing the ability to spread those fixed costs. As required by the Regulatory Commission of Alaska (RCA), MEA must now recover those undercharged amounts through this quarter’s COPA rate. All else being equal, once these recovery amounts are collected, we anticipate the COPA rate will return to more typical levels next quarter.

MEA evaluates rates quarterly to ensure they align with RCA-approved guidelines and reflect changing fuel costs, generation sources, and member demand. Factors such as energy use, market fuel prices, weather conditions, and broader economic trends can all impact electric rates.

View MEA's current quarter rate sheet: