The truth behind PGE spending millions of dollars on marketing is that you may not approve of the message. We’ve been tracking PGE ads, and the number of ads they run that you ultimately pay for may shock you.
UPDATED 11/01/25 at 6:45am – We have officially reported Portland General Electric to the FBI for alleged Federal crimes (allegedly) and that is all we are at liberty to say at this time. We will keep you informed as more information comes to light. Thank you.
PGE Bills Keep Going Up
Have you ever wondered why your PGE bill keeps going up so much? Well, there are a lot of factors, yes, but did you know that PGE spends millions on marketing? Things like EV ownership and free EV driving days? Plus, they also have booths, events, tents, tables, brand gear, and much more such as staffing.
PGE Rates Increase app. 70% Over 5 Years
Not only have the rates gone up roughly 70% in the last five years, but PGE is now asking for 2%+ more in 2026.
Ad Expert Over 15+ Years
Before we dive in, let me first say that I am qualified to share this information. Personally, I first became a Google Certified Partner Ad Expert over a decade ago, Yahoo Cert.(back when it was a thing), Microsoft/Bing Cert., and have earned Top SEO title over my 15+ years digital marketing career. With that said, I have a keen eye for ads that others may miss because my eyes are trained for it like a doctor finds cancer.
This is the cancer I have found.
For the past year, I have been tracking PGE ads displayed within the greater Portland Metro area, and the level of ad spend seems to be out of this world!
Furthermore, there’s no one at the wheel, as in, there is no one actually there, it’s all just paid ad spend by the boat loads. Take a look, you decide. Below you will find dozens of ads that PGE has displayed to me.
Please note, this is less than half of the screenshots we have recorded.
PGE’s Secret Websites & Marketing
PGE seems to have more than one website, but one disappear earlier this year for some reason during our investigation. I took ad screenshot, and the site was gone when I went back to look at it a couple months later to wrap up this article. Above are the ads, and below is proof that there was in fact a site, and PGE owned it.
Please look at the bottom left of the green image.
Why is PGE making EV websites and then deleted them? It was a nice site, too, so why would they spend that much just to throw it away? What about all the ad budget spent?
Conclusion
At the end of the day, I do not believe this to be a fair use of funds when PGE receives Federal Funding. I find it both offensive and discriminatory. I am curious to know if PGE is using Federal Funds for such alleged discrimination. There are also several financial questions regarding this case that I simple cannot answer at this time due to lack of data, but we will keep digging for you.
We will escalate this and report back with future findings.
Thank you for reading.
2% Rate Increase: https://katu.com/news/local/pge-seeks-2-rate-hike-for-2026
PGE Investor Report Data Source: https://investors.portlandgeneral.com/financial-information/annual-reports
2024 Report: https://investors.portlandgeneral.com/static-files/069eedf5-5399-444e-96b4-af71dbebaa49
