PG&E announces electricity rate increases

March 12, 2017

pg&e

Pacific Gas and Electric raised rates on March 1 and has changed the way it charges customers. The changes will positively impact those in warmer areas of the Central Coast while increasing the bills of those in moderate climates.

On March 1, electric rates increased by 2.1 percent for all customers.

In the past, customers who had higher bills during the summer were charged higher rates. The idea was to promote conservation by charging a higher than average rate to consumers went over their average usage.

After determining this structure put people in warmer climates at a financial disadvantage, PG&E modified its billing structure.

As a result, customers who use their air conditioners during the summer months should notice a decrease in their electric bill while people who do not cool their homes during the summer should expect an increase in their electric bills.


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I hope they use the money to hire arbor crews to cut back tree branches this summer so the lights won’t go off next winter after every damn little wind storm that blows through.


No that’s the tree abatement assessment and will on your bill later this year. A whole separate charge for us.


Gee thanks


wait until “renewables” become the source of electricity. PG&E is getting out of the generation business and for good reason, nothing but headaches.

they will just importing our green mandated electricity at the going rate. i’m willing to bet it won’t be cheaper and we won’t be able to blame the electric company, its all on us folks.


Alternative factitis: No, PG&E got out of the generation business because that’s the law — thus they sold Morro Bay and Moss Landing long ago. Has nothing to do with any of what you say above.


Newbie, please do some research before calling out people. PG&E closed MB plant because of costs and environmental issues. Plant has sat as is for decades and PG&E is not the owner nor responsible party. Might ask the city of Morro Bay why it has not been torn down. converted or retrofitted…


Everybody has to remember that they have choices. I have known several people in my life that have homes separated from the grid. They have solar for the daytime and that also charges batteries for nighttime use. There are also generators. Thier house is no different than mine and I use PG&E. If you all think you can do it cheaper than what you pay PG&E, have at it! If you don’t know how to, hire someone to maintain a system for you.

You have the choice!


Forget the lip service, a business is about making a profit. With all the roof mounted solar panels generating electricity, adding to the supply while cutting into the profit, we’ll have to pay more to offset the lost revenue. It’s just that simple, PG&E will do just like any other energy supply business, they will sell less for more money to maintain profits and the bonus will be less power plants to maintain. Good by Diablo, hydro electric will do for night time power and the solar panels will eventually carry much of the daytime load. The best future money for PG&E is in the real-estate they’ve acquired, manage and today separately charge you for access, their power lines. Why screw with all the enviro BS when everyone else can do that. Easier money can be made with smart meters and automated billing.

Have you ever given up an easement to the public servant power company? What do you think a hand in everyone’s pocket is worth? Does the word illusion come to mind?


When they first installed my smart meter( called that because it knows how to rip you off) my bill was cut in half and I thought that was great but I then figured I was overpaying all this time according to the meter. But low and behold 4 months later the bill started climbing and climbing even though I used less.PGE keeps getting approval to increse rates, food goes up, gas up but no changes in wages except for the elete. They say if you increase the minimum wage jobs will be lost but how do you expect people to stay afloat when everything else goes up except wages. It’s a no loose situation for PGE because if they have large expenses they get to write it off and then raise the costs to the public. Calif. wants everyone to conserve but when you do the price of what you are conserving goes up conserve water, electricty, recycle all goes up so what is the point. Total rip off.


You hit a very interesting point regarding wages. All we really hear about is all of the increases in salaries for government workers, alibi if they don’t get the raises they may leave, all of the benefit packages that they demand, the retirements that they are getting with some as much as 95% of their normal pay. Then when they screw up we pay enormous severance pay so that they will not have to talk in public. Like PG&E they just keep raising their fees, costs, taxes and whatever so that they are comfortable. But at the same time as they go forward we, the payers, go backwards. These are the people that are usually in the headlines constantly complaining about their pay, benefits etc. All we can do is eventually pack up and leave California. Once they tax us with all of the new taxes and fees that they have been talking about for road repairs they may be able to save some money if they just repair all of the lanes of traffic that leaves California.


Ha ha ha. So you all thought that PG&E was your great friend when they gave back to all of the incorporated cities (except Grover Beach although they may have been included at the end) and the county when they announced that the Diablo plant was closing. Who do you think is paying for all of the bonus monies that the poor employees at PG&E will be receiving? Remember it will be years until the plant is fully closed and shut down, if ever. Like your local governments, PG&E is a monopoly that just raises their rates, fees or taxes as they wish to feed their lavish lifestyles, benefits and retirements.

Remember, nothing is for free.


We may have or may have not thought PG&E was our friend but we did think the PUC was looking out for us but we now know they were taking their instructions from PG&E and in return getting $$$ back from PG&E.


In addition to the pricing restructure mentioned in the article, they also increased minimum bill amounts (if you used little or no electricity). This was a double hit to the rooftop solar customers. This, after encouraging solar generation (it benefits them in several ways) for many years. Rooftop solar is still an obvious no-brainer to home owners.


Leave it to PG&E to enrich themselves at the expense of ratepayers. After San Bruno, why does PG&E exist?


This is utter stupidity on PG&E’s part. Why should someone blowing their AC all day in Paso have lower electric bills after they use more energy than someone is Pismo who never uses AC in their house?


So the residents that use less electricity will now subsidize the electricity of those who use more? Hmm … I think I’ll install an air conditioner now.


You didn’t read right. If you live somewhere on the coast like Los Osos or Grover Beach where you don’t really need AC, you are subsidizing those in hotter climates like Paso with your own higher electric bills. Those in hotter climates have lower electric bills because they have to blow their AC all summer.


This is asinine on PG&E’s part. Property values are higher on the Coast because the climate is better and utilities are cheaper (no need for AC or Central heat when its 55-75 most days). So now with higher property values on the Coast you also have to subsidize those living in hot and cold climates. Aint it great?