Customer Assistance Fact Sheet- English
Customer Assistance Fact Sheet- Spanish
Oakland, Calif. —Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) lowered electric rates on March 1,
2026—the fifth time since January 2024. The decrease marks the third consecutive electric
price cut since last September for residential customers who receive both electricity supply and
delivery from PG&E.
Combined with previous decreases, residential bundled electric rates are 13% lower than in
January 2024, reinforcing the company’s commitment to manage energy costs for customers.
Since that time, typical residential electric customer bills are about $25 less per month,
assuming a consistent monthly usage of 500 kilowatt-hours.
Based on current information, the company expects typical residential electric rates to be lower
overall in 2026 than in 2025. This is part of PG&E’s ongoing effort to stabilize energy prices for
customers.
“We are delivering on our promise to lower prices for our customers again, even as national
prices are expected to rise. Our actions match our promises: we’ve reduced electric rates five
times since January 2024 and remain committed to finding new ways to save and pass those
savings on to our customers,” said PG&E Corporation CEO Patti Poppe.
PG&E’s electric prices have stabilized and are going down, even while the U.S. Energy
Information Administration expects national electric prices to rise by nearly 10% between 2024
and 2026.
March Electric Rate Decrease
On March 1, 2026, PG&E reduced residential electric rates by 1.8% compared to February
rates, for customers who get both electricity supply and delivery service from PG&E. Electric
rates decreased about 8.3% for customers who receive the California Alternate Rates for
Energy (CARE) income-eligible discount.
Typical residential electric bills are decreasing by about $5.14 per month. For CARE customers,
bills are going down approximately $10.37 per month. Typical electric customers use about 500
kilowatt hours of electricity per month.
Electric rates are decreasing because the costs for completed safety and reliability work coming
out of rates exceed the costs for new investments authorized by PG&E’s regulators.
Restructured Electric Bill Debuts in March
The electric rate decrease also includes the new Base Services Charge. The California Public
Utilities Commission directed the state’s investor-owned utilities to implement the charge under
California Assembly Bill 205.
The Base Services Charge lowers the price of electricity for all residential customers. It is not a
new fee and does not increase the revenue that PG&E collects from customers. It makes bills
clearer and more transparent, shifts costs away from low-income customers and makes it more
affordable to transition to more clean-powered electric appliances in the home.
The new bill separates some costs of service from the price per unit (kilowatt hour) of electricity
use, including approved infrastructure and maintenance costs for connecting customers’ homes
to the grid, energy efficiency and demand response programs, call center services and billing,
all of which previously were included in electricity usage costs.
The Base Services Charge for customers enrolled in the California Alternative Rates for
Energy (CARE) program is about $6 per month, while those in the Family Electric Rate
Assistance (FERA) program and customers who live in Affordable Housing (Deed Restricted)
pay approximately $12 monthly. For most customers, the Base Services Charge is about $24
per month.
The change aligns PG&E’s billing structure with California’s other large, regulated utilities and
other utilities nationwide.
Each customer’s usage varies so the lower price per unit of electricity used may or may not lead
to a lower total bill.
Natural Gas Rate Change
On March 1, 2026, PG&E natural gas rates increased slightly by 0.3%, compared to February
rates. The increase is due to the recovery of authorized costs for safety and emergency
response work that was completed for customers.
Typical residential natural gas bills are increasing by about $0.24 per month. A typical residential
customer uses about 31 therms of energy monthly. For a typical residential CARE customer
using about 26 therms of energy monthly, bills will increase by about $0.16 per month.
The energy supply portion of natural gas bills changes monthly based on market prices. PG&E
does not mark up energy supply costs.
About PG&E: Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE: PCG), is a
combined natural gas and electric utility serving more than sixteen million people across 70,000
square miles in Northern and Central California. For more information,
visit pge.com and pge.com/news
