Is PG&E Really “Stabilizing” Their Rates? Think Again.
With public anger rising over PG&E’s sky-high electric rates, and with over one million PG&E customers behind on payments (totaling over $1.1 billion dollars!), PG&E has made many public announcements that they will be “stabilizing” their rates–claiming that many customer’s bills may actually go down.
While this is good news to hear, is it actually true?
According to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) recent report, the short answer is No. In fact the opposite is true. In their report “The Full Impact of PG&E’s Expected Rate Request”(see link below) they state:
“Our analysis finds that the average PG&E customer bill could increase by about 16% in 2027 and 30% by 2030 when all expected revenue requests are taken into account.”
For people who are already reducing their air conditioner usage in the hot summer months, this will force an unpleasant decision- sweat more or pay more.
Why is there such a difference between what PG&E is claiming and what the CPUC is reporting?
The report details the creative bookkeeping that PG&E is using to make it appear they have been able to stabilize their rates.
Every year PG&E must make a General Rate Case (GRC) to the CPUC and get their approval before raising the rates. Typically the CPUC rubber stamps their requests. However to artificially make the rate case look small, PG&E has now simply moved the high-cost items out of the general rate case and put them into “less rigorous” review processes.
“PG&E continues to rely on regulatory mechanisms, i.e., balancing and memorandum accounts, to routinely request recovery of large costs outside of the GRC budgeting process.”
“PG&E has requested to move healthcare and energization cost recovery into balancing accounts outside of the GRC, and to move undergrounding cost recovery to a different and less rigorous review process, i.e., advice letters, creating an illusion that the GRC request alone is more moderate than it is.”
In short, they are playing “hide the numbers” so they can publicly state their General Rate Case shows the rates “stabilizing,” which though true is only showing a small fraction of the overall picture.
Sadly, as the rates continue to increase, more and more people will be forced into making the decision between being uncomfortable in their own home or having to pay high bills.
If you are tired of PG&E and having to choose between sweating in your house or giving up your hard earned money to PG&E, solar can be the way out. I would be happy to review the many options available and see if solar might be a good fit for your home.
Data taken from: The Full Impact of PG&E’s Expected Rate Request. March 5 2026 on the CPUC Public Advocate Office website.
