JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Ameren Missouri electric customers will face a $260 million annual rate increase as a result of a decision Wednesday by utility regulators, though some of that extra money could be returned to them in savings through new energy efficiency incentives.

The rate hike, scheduled to take effect in January, marks the fifth time in the past six years that rates will have risen for the 1.2 million customers of Missouri’s largest utility. Monthly bills will go up by about $10 for an average residential customer using about 1,100 kilowatts of electricity, according to the Missouri Public Service Commission.