Why You Need to Pay Attention to Your Energy Bill
How closely do you analyze your energy bill every month? Do you eagerly await your PG&E statement to see if your energy-saving efforts have been rewarded by a reduced bill? Or do you leave billing matters to the auto pay and scarcely scrutinize your energy payments? With the changes being made to our energy costs on almost a daily basis, it is important to give your energy bill a second look.
Today, we will discuss how PG&E charges their customers and why you should understand how you are being charged for your energy use.
How Is Energy Billed?
Just like gas is measured in gallons and we pay per gallon, energy is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh), and we pay per kilowatt hour. PG&E offers different rate plans, but this article will focus on the most common E-1 tiered rate plan.
With a tiered rate plan, customers are charged based on how much power they use, not when they use the power.
Each month, customers are given a baseline energy allowance that is billed at a lower rate per kWh. As customer's usage goes beyond the baseline allowance, they move into a second tier, which charges more money per kilowatt-hour. Throughout the month, they are billed at higher rates for this extra power.
When usage falls into the third tier, or the high usage tier, they may pay up to $0.60/kWh, or about three times the baseline price. It's important to check your energy bill and monitor usage to avoid unexpected astronomical charges.
The Problem with Tiered Energy Plans
This tiered pricing system encourages energy-saving and efficiency. However, it makes customers extra susceptible to rate increases and unpredictably high energy bills.
The California public utilities commission continues to approve PG&E energy rate increases. As such, homeowners are paying more money for less power. And each tier is becoming more expensive. And this trend doesn't show any signs of change.
The devastating wildfires that ravaged Northern California in 2018 cost PG&E about $15 billion. As a result, the utility is increasing consumer rates to help them pay for grid upgrades. These upgrades hope to reduce the risk that its antiquated equipment will cause deadly wildfires.
After two years of bargaining with California regulators, a rate increase was approved. Residential customers, started March 1st, will see an 8% rate increase. The higher prices are projected to boost the bills of PG&E’s customers by an average of $13.44 a month. It is highly unlikely that this will be a one-time rate increase. Historical data shows that PG&E has raised rates roughly 3-6% per year since 2009.
The rate increases come at a time when millions of Californians are struggling. Those on fixed incomes, such as elderly customers on social security or unemployed workers, will be impacted the most.
The percentage of customers’ monthly income that goes toward energy bills will increase. While their monthly income stays the same.
Turn to Renewable Energy
Even as unstable weather conditions and natural disasters accelerate, PG&E continues to drag its feet on upgrades to its grid.
Northern California homeowners reasonably expect continued rate increases and power shutoffs.
Given these projections, you might ask yourself if you want to be bound to PG&E’s ever-increasing electric rates. Or do you want to take control over yourÂ
power, lock in your energy rates, and save tens of thousands of dollars in the long run?
Thousands of California homeowners are tired of blackouts and ever-increasing rate hikes. They've installed home solar systems to take back their power from PG&E.
SolarUnion is the preferred solar choice for those in the San Francisco Bay Area.
To learn more about how you can save tens of thousands of dollars in PG&E bills while contributing to a cleaner, greener future, contact SolarUnion today.