Pacific Power set a record from January to October of cutting off power to more than 20,000 households who could not afford payment, Oregon’s Citizens’ Utility Board told us.

And starting Jan. 1, Pacific Power was authorized to increase rates by about 10%, according to the Oregon Public Utility Commission.

It might not be exactly fair to juxtapose those two facts. Pacific Power faces inflation, too. It faces wildly unpredictable insurance and other costs from wildfire. It has big plans to improve and expand the power it provides to keep up with demand.

There is also new protection for some of the most low-income customers: They can get 80% off of their power bill. And it is less than Pacific Power asked for.

But the fact is that: “A typical residential customer of PGE or PacifiCorp saw their average bill increase 50% to 60%, from roughly $100/month in January 2020 to roughly $150 to $160/month in January 2024,” the Oregon Department of Energy reported.

This will be an increase on top of increase.

Some people can offset their costs by adding solar, more insulation or switching to more efficient appliances. High income households will have the money to do that. Low income households can get assistance. Everybody else is stuck.