Electricity prices trend upward in Missouri, but Evergy says St. Joseph customers are seeing relief

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- Residential and commercial electricity prices in Missouri are rising, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Annual Electric Power Industry report.

The average price of electricity is measured in cents per kilowatt-hour. A kilowatt-hour is the amount of electricity consumed by a 1,000-watt appliance running for one hour.

In 2016, Missouri residential customers paid an average of 11.2 cents per kilowatt-hour. By 2024, the figure rose to 12.91 cents. Commercial rates increased from 9.26 cents to 10.29 cents over the same period. Industrial rates had a slight decrease from 7.12 to 7.9 cents.

These increases reflect a growing energy demand.

Evergy serves around 340,000 customers in its Missouri West service area, which includes St. Joseph. More than 50,000 of those customers are in St. Joseph alone.

Despite this trend, Evergy Spokesperson Courtney Lewis said customers in St. Joseph are currently seeing some relief.

"Customers in St. Joseph are seeing their overall prices go down about 5% from June 2024 to June 2025 because of lower fuel costs," Lewis said.

Lewis said energy use typically spikes in the summer months due to air conditioning. Evergy’s long-term increases have been smaller than national trends.

“Other states in our region and across the nation are seeing electricity prices rise at a significantly larger rate than Evergy. During that same time period, the average Evergy customer in St. Joseph saw their rates go up about 9.5%, and that’s well below that national increase and well below the rate of inflation.”

Lewis said Evergy works to keep costs low while maintaining reliability.

For customers struggling to keep up with bills, Evergy offers several programs:

• Average Pay: spreads payments evenly across the year to avoid seasonal spikes.
  
• Economic Relief Pilot Program: provides up to $65 per month for qualifying households at or below 200% of the federal poverty level.
  
• Energy Crisis Intervention Program: available for households facing disconnection.
  

“If people need assistance or they need some help with their energy bills, we want people to contact us," Lewis said. "We want you to keep your lights on. Don't wait till it's too late. We have programs available, and we also have resources that we can refer you to, like United Way or other opportunities for assistance."

Evergy also partners with local organizations, including the United Way of St. Joseph, to connect residents with assistance.

In addition, customers can take advantage of Evergy’s energy analyzer tools to monitor usage and compare their consumption to similar homes. Shifting appliance use to off-peak hours can also reduce costs.

Any rate increases must be approved through the Missouri Public Service Commission, which reviews requests through public hearings and testimony.