Electricity rates — California

What a typical bill in California costs

At 1,000 kWh a month the 52 generally available plans here run from $2,890.50 on Residential Time of Use (R1B) to $6,090.38 on TOU-DR Coastal Baseline Region, with a median of $4,839.46.

Effective rates span 24.1¢ to 50.8¢ per kWh at that usage.

What households in California pay, by EIA's count

California's residential electricity averaged 32.9¢ per kWh over the 12 months to June 2026, the 2nd-highest of the 50 states and DC and 84% above the US average of 17.9¢. It sits between Massachusetts (30.4¢) and Hawaii (42.7¢).

EIA lists 32 utilities serving homes in California. By homes served, the largest 5 are Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (5,047,461), Southern California Edison Co (4,594,415), Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (1,410,191), San Diego Gas & Electric Co (1,364,361), and Sacramento Municipal Util Dist (592,557). Municipal utilities supply about 15% and public power districts supply about 7% of its households.

Over five years they rose 52.9%, well ahead of the US's 34.7%.

California homes used the most electricity in August and the least in April (2021–2025): a summer peak, 1.8 times the lightest month. August's bills were the highest, averaging $198; April's the lowest, $114. June was the dearest month per kWh, 13% above January.

The utilities with a ranked plan on this page serve about 91% of California's households: Pacific Gas & Electric Co (5,047,461), Southern California Edison Co (4,594,415), Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (1,410,191), San Diego Gas & Electric Co (1,364,361). Their median plan at 1,000 kWh a month works out to 40.3¢ per kWh, 23% above EIA's average, which is why this page compares that median with other states'.

Chart of this for reuse (PNG), free to republish under CC BY 4.0 with credit to WattClear. Suggested alt text: “Bar chart. California's average home electricity price, July 2025 to June 2026, was 2.9% higher than the 12 months before, the 44th-largest rise of the 50 states. Washington, DC: +24.9%. United States average: +6.7%. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration.”

In the guides: Summer and winter bills, state by state

How California compares

At 1,000 kWh a month the median plan in California costs $4,839.46 a year: the highest of the 30 states whose indexed plans stand for them, and 2.1× as much as their median of $2,303.60. Next down is Hawaii ($4,429.60).

Its cheapest open plan, Residential Time of Use (R1B) from Los Angeles Department of Water & Power at $2,890.50, is the 7th-highest of the 30 states' cheapest plans.

101 of its 149 priceable plans price by the hour, the 5th-largest share of any state here.

The largest fixed charge on any plan here is $62.95 a month, the 4th-largest such charge of the 30 states.

In the guides: What published electricity plans cost, state by state · What a plan charges by the hour, and what moving a kilowatt-hour is worth · What a bill costs before a single kilowatt-hour

What each provider in California costs

4 utilities serve customers across California in this data. At 1,000 kWh a month the cheapest of them is Los Angeles Department of Water & Power at $2,890.50 a year on Residential Time of Use (R1B); the dearest is San Diego Gas & Electric Co at $5,798.91.

That is $2,908.41 a year between the best each provider offers.

Cheapest available plan by provider: Los Angeles Department of Water & Power $2,890.50; Southern California Edison Co $4,349.31; Pacific Gas & Electric Co $4,566.22; San Diego Gas & Electric Co $5,798.91.

Which plan in California is cheapest as use rises

The cheapest plan in California changes with consumption. At 500 kWh a month Residential Service (R1A): Zone 2 wins at $1,450.44 a year; at 2,000 kWh Residential Time of Use (R1B) wins at $5,684.97.

The penalty for a poor choice grows with usage: $1,562.11 a year at 500 kWh against $6,578.55 at 2,000 kWh.

How California's plans are structured

Of 149 priceable plans: 116 tiered, 101 time-of-use, 46 priced by season, 1 with demand charges, 1 flat-rate.

Fixed monthly charges run from $0.79 to $62.95.

Who provides California's plans

These plans come from 7 utilities: City & County of San Francisco (Utility Company), City of Redding, California (Utility Company), Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, Pacific Gas & Electric Co, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, San Diego Gas & Electric Co, Southern California Edison Co.

The largest saving among California's plans

Moving from TOU-DR Coastal Baseline Region to Residential Time of Use (R1B) saves $3,199.88 a year at 1,000 kWh a month, with no change in consumption.

What the California figures do not cover

101 of these plans price by the hour; their figures assume the typical hourly pattern of homes in California, not this household's own hours.