PG&E Rates To Rise Again

NORTH COAST, Calif. (KIEM) The price you pay for electricity and gas is about to go up again. As California regulators have just approved another rate hike for PG&E. The public utilities’ commission unanimously gave its ok to PG&E raising monthly bills by more than 9 percent. This means the average homeowner will pay 14 dollars more each month. This marks the second-rate hike approved for the utility company this year. As a rate jump had previously gone into effect on January first. 

PG&E has released the following statement:

This change to electric rates is largely driven by an increase in the cost of purchasing electricity on behalf of our customers.

These costs are being driven by a few factors: recent California drought conditions which have reduced lower-cost hydroelectric generation across the western U.S. and by higher natural gas and wholesale electric energy prices seen in 2021 and forecasted to continue into 2022.

PG&E passes through the cost of energy purchases directly to our customers and does not mark-up that cost. What we pay for our customers’ energy supply, both natural gas and electricity, we pass through directly to our customers.

While PG&E takes a number of steps to reduce the impact of volatile natural gas prices and mitigate electricity price increases on our customers, we understand that any increase in our customers’ energy bills can be challenging, particularly during the ongoing economic impacts of the pandemic. We’re here to help our customers manage their energy use and costs, and at pge.com we offer a variety of tools, rebates, discounts, rate options and financial assistance programs to help take control of their energy usage and lower their monthly bills.

-Paid Advertisement-