Following a lengthy period of price hikes, Central Maine Power Co. customers could see a minor decrease in their monthly electrical bills this summer.

The utility on Tuesday submitted a pair of filings to the Maine Public Utilities Commission, which, if approved, could bring the average residential customer’s bill down by about $4 each month starting in July, the company said in a release.

The average CMP bill is currently $168.41 and covers 550 kilowatt hours, according to the Maine Department of Energy Resources — so a $4 decrease would equal about a 2.4% drop overall.

The rate reduction is “primarily due to an uncharacteristically calm 2025 with respect to major storm costs,” the utility told regulators in a Tuesday filing. In previous years, Maine had been hit by a series of intense storms that left customers on the hook for costly recovery processes.

The company does not budget in advance for storms; instead, it pays for storm damage as it occurs and attempts to recoup some of that cost from ratepayers down the line.

Because of the quiet storm season, CMP plans to reduce its recovery revenue requirement by about $109 million starting in July. At the same time, it is seeking to increase revenue for infrastructure and other upgrades by about $70 million, according to the filings. Together, those changes add up to the roughly $4 decrease in average monthly bills.

Heather Sanborn, who represents ratepayers as the state’s public advocate, called the proposed reduction “good news for Maine families” in a written statement. Her office will participate in the commission’s review of the case, which could last weeks.

“(The Office of the Public Advocate) will closely scrutinize every part of this latest filing to make sure rates come down as much as possible and that CMP is only charging what’s truly necessary to provide safe and reliable service,” Sanborn said.

Dan Burgess, Mills’ acting commissioner at the Maine Department of Energy Resources, also cheered on the lower proposed rate.

Linda Ball, the utility’s chief executive, said the temporary change is designed to “serve as a bridge” while regulators develop new guidance for multiyear rate plans.

Last year, CMP submitted a controversial plan to increase rates incrementally over five years. All told, the proposal would have hiked monthly rates by about $35 for the average household. It drew protests from ratepayers, consumer advocates and Gov. Janet Mills, who called the increase “unacceptable.”

Regulators verbally moved to dismiss that case in November. Days later, the utility filed a motion withdrawing the case before regulators could issue a written order formalizing their decision.

CMP plans to file its rate change request in April. The proposal will include new rates aimed to take effect around May 2027, as well as the shorter-term changes slated for July. The broader proposal could mean another bill increase in the long term, but the exact details are not yet available.

CMP expects the forthcoming proposal to address expanding its workforce and improving vegetation management, among other things. Those were both parts of its now-withdrawn five-year plan.

As costs rise all around, Mainers have been especially pinched by increased electricity prices. Throughout the Northeast, electricity rates rose faster than inflation last year.

The average CMP bill rose about 12.4% from January 2025 to January 2026, though some of that hike was driven by the cost to supply electricity, which CMP does not control.

CMP is the state’s largest utility, serving about 670,000 customers across central and southern Maine. The utilities commission, which regulates the cost of electricity throughout the state, must approve any changes to CMP’s distribution rates before they take effect.