Why Is My PG&E Bill So High? Rates, Baseline and Peak

At a glance

A high PG&E bill usually comes down to three things: a high price per kWh, using more than your baseline allowance, and using power from 4 to 9 p.m. Summer air conditioning pushes on all three at once. PG&E customers who bought power from PG&E averaged about $198 a month in 2024 for about 500 kWh, in EIA data.

The price per kWh

EIA's yearly utility data shows PG&E's average residential price for power it supplies rising from 22.4 cents per kWh in 2019 to 39.6 cents in 2024, about 12% a year. The CPUC's Public Advocates Office reports a 3.7% cut on March 1, 2026, to an average of 33.7 cents, the same month the Base Services Charge started.

Tier 1, up to your baseline33¢per kWh

Tier 2, above your baseline41¢per kWh, about 24% more

PG&E's tiered plan, E-1, effective March 1, 2026. Source: PG&E residential rate plan pricing.

Your baseline allowance

Every PG&E home gets a baseline allowance, a set number of kWh a day at the lowest price, based on where you live, how your home is heated and the season. Use past it and the price jumps: on the tiered plan from 33 to 41 cents, and on the time-of-use plan the 8.14-cent baseline credit stops. The allowance varies a lot by territory:

Your cheap kWh: baseline allowance by territory

Summer, June to SeptemberWinter, October to May

13.511

9.811

17.710.4

1510.2

6.57.5

7.18.1

19.29.8

9.89.7

10.511.1

5.97.8

kWh a day for homes with basic service (not all-electric). A 30-day month in territory T gets 195 kWh in summer; in W, 576. Source: PG&E E-TOU-C tariff, June 1, 2026.

So the same habits can cost more in a territory with a small allowance, and a summer heat wave can push a home past its baseline quickly.

Power from 4 to 9 p.m. costs the most

On PG&E's standard time-of-use plan, E-TOU-C, every day from 4 to 9 p.m. is peak. In summer, a kWh above your baseline costs 52 cents at peak and 40 cents the rest of the day:

E-TOU-C, per kWh	Other hours	4 to 9 p.m.
Summer, within baseline	32¢	44¢
Summer, above baseline	40¢	52¢
Winter, within baseline	29¢	32¢
Winter, above baseline	37¢	40¢

PG&E's standard time-of-use plan, rounded, effective March 1, 2026. Summer is June 1 to September 30. Plus the Base Services Charge. Source: PG&E residential rate plan pricing.

Running the air conditioner, dryer, oven and EV charger after 4 p.m. on a hot day stacks the most expensive kWh on top of each other.

The fixed parts of the bill

Base Services Charge. Since March 2026, most PG&E homes pay about $24 a month whatever they use, $12 on FERA and $6 on CARE. The kWh prices were lowered at the same time. See our Base Services Charge guide.
California Climate Credit. PG&E customers get a $36.18 credit twice a year, so the months it lands look lower.

A bright kitchen with a gas range under a black hood, white cabinets and stone counters, warm under-cabinet lights on and trees outside the windows

If another provider supplies your power

In much of PG&E's area, a community choice provider buys the power and PG&E delivers it. In 2024, PG&E delivered power to 3,190,681 residential customers whose power came from another provider and supplied 1,856,780 itself, in EIA data. If you're one of the first group, your bill has a PG&E part for delivery and a part for your provider's generation, and both affect the total.

What lowers a PG&E bill

Move use out of 4 to 9 p.m. Laundry, dishes and EV charging cost less before 4 p.m. or after 9 p.m. on time-of-use plans.
Check your plan. PG&E's rate pages compare its plans; the tiered E-1 plan has no peak hours but charges 41 cents beyond baseline.
Income-qualified discounts. CARE and FERA lower both the kWh price and the Base Services Charge.
Make your own power. Solar you use at home saves the full price of the kWh it replaces. See solar for PG&E customers.

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Common questions

Why is my PG&E bill so high?

Mostly the price per kWh, which rose from 22.4 cents in 2019 to 39.6 cents in 2024 for homes buying power from PG&E, in EIA data. Use above your baseline allowance and use from 4 to 9 p.m. cost more on top of that, and since March 2026 most homes also pay a $24 monthly Base Services Charge.

What is PG&E's baseline allowance?

A set number of kWh a day at PG&E's lowest price, based on where you live, your heating source and the season. For homes with basic service it ranges from 5.9 kWh a day in territory Z's summer to 19.2 in territory W's summer.

What are PG&E's peak hours?

On the standard E-TOU-C plan, 4 to 9 p.m. every day. In summer, June through September, a kWh above your baseline costs 52 cents at peak and 40 cents at other hours.

How much is PG&E tier 2?

On PG&E's tiered E-1 plan, 41 cents per kWh for use above 100% of your baseline allowance, against 33 cents within it, at prices effective March 1, 2026.

Did PG&E rates go down in 2026?

Yes. The CPUC's Public Advocates Office reports PG&E's average residential rate fell 3.7% on March 1, 2026, to 33.7 cents per kWh, when the Base Services Charge started.

Prices are rounded and change during the year; check PG&E's tariffs for your plan. EIA figures are averages. Sources: PG&E: residential rate plan pricing · PG&E E-TOU-C tariff · PG&E: Base Services Charge · EIA Form 861 · CPUC Public Advocates Office. Reviewed October 2026.

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