California is looking to rapidly shift away from fossil fuels and make its grid more resilient, but these efforts show the other side of the greening of the grid—power generation costs may be plunging, but transmission and distribution costs are rising, leading to higher spending from utilities.
These increased expenditures are passed on to consumers by the investor-owned utilities Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas & Electric. As a result, electricity bills in California have risen so much in recent years that in some places, the power bill exceeds the cost of rent, The Wall Street Journal reports in a featured article.
The surge in bills has been “untenable,” according to the consumer advocate’s office at California’s utilities regulator.
In its latest 2024 Q2 Electric Rates Report last month, the Public Advocates Office tracked residential electric rate changes across Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), and Southern California Edison (SCE) service territories through July 1, 2024.
The report found that over the last few years, California’s electric bills are generally rising due to higher electricity use from things such as air conditioning, and higher overall electricity prices.
Since January 2014, residential average rates for the PG&E service area have jumped by 110%, those of SCE have surged by 90%, and SDG&E rates have soared by 82%.
NB Power raised their electricity rates by 14% this year, 9% last year and have proposed 20% hikes next year!
Disgraceful, disgusting yet typical.
And just wait until folks see how much rates are going to rise when poor deluded consumers have to compete AGAINST BIG Rich Tech companies and their HUGE, HUGE electrical requirements for AI.
For years I have been proclaiming that the Liberals have traded your First-World standard of living straight up to China for their Third World standard of living.
Forgive me for not realizing that the Liberals would speed up the process by bringing half the Third World here.
And it’s too late baby now, it’s too late
Though we really did try to make it
Something inside has died, and I can’t hide it
And I just can’t fake it
Oh, no, no, no (no, no, no)
It’s too late baby, it’s too late………
“The report found that over the last few years, California’s electric bills are generally rising due to higher electricity use from things such as air conditioning…”
________________________________________________________
(Putting on my California Legislature Brain)… Well, obviously, more people are using air conditioners because of climate change. The seas are boiling. So, our only course of action is to outlaw air conditioners.
Canada is only a matter of degree behind. The Canadian electricity system is on the same path. Hopefully the suicidal zealots led by actor-boy in Ottawa will be gone soon.
“power generation costs may be plunging, but transmission and distribution costs are rising, leading to higher spending from utilities.”
Wind / solar require additional transmission, so this is partly true but ignores the larger truth of wind / solar being variable. Once you factor in the cost of reserve generation to backup wind / solar the economics shift. The variable nature of wind / solar means that you either buy backup power on the spot market at astronomical rates or you install reserve generation which sits idle until called upon to backup wind / solar.
Government subsidies also need to be factored into the overall cost of green power.
There’s a reason wind / solar projects are being cancelled, and it’s not because they generate cheap power. Quite the opposite.
Power generation costs are not plunging….when one considers the cost of unreliablity of wind and solar and the costs of base power backup and grid availability and efficiency.
Funny how costly redundant infrastructure is. Some people are stumped by it.
Dear PG&E … you are actively participating with CA “green” anti-fossil fuels policies by charging customers up to 3x the market price for Nat. Gas. As a result … my thermostat is set to 61 deg. throughout the winter. You have no “transmission” issues with this efficient and clean fuel as the infrastructure is fixed and built out decades ago.
I don’t even have AC … so you can’t blame “global warming” or other lies. And my newly remodeled home has foam insulation as high as R-60 my windows are all brand new, and my appliances are all 97% efficient … and STILL my rates and bills have risen well over 110% over the last 10 years.
But add to that my Property taxes that are $15,000.00/year, sales taxes of 8.75% with the promise of another 1% increase in Nov. my homeowners insurance is spiking 22% higher Oct.1 along with my auto insurance. Not to mention paying the highest price for food in America. Our FIXED costs are spiraling completely out of control. And all the other Utility costs have spiked out of control. No one can afford to have a lawn anymore, so the front yard landscape trend is to literally have a “wild” yard full of what look to be cultivated weeds.
WARNING … life is brutal in CA … not to mention the NO GO cities and neighborhoods.
Kenji
California Democrats want you to take in another family to your house. This will effectively halve your electricity bill, property tax and other costs.
I have no doubt Newsom will be seizing my empty bedrooms for a gaggle of “newcomers” inside the next decade
How is it that you are unable to locate the nearest U-Haul establishment?
… it’s complicated. But the wife just retired which was a lynchpin to our flight. I’m probably still a couple years, and a healthy economy away from my CALxit … gooooo President Trump!!
Unless the burdens are too much to bear and we hit the ejector seat button.
You can always raise your standard of living by going homeless..
California also has publicity owned utilities with rates much less,up to60% than the big 3
Ironically … Sacramento has SMUD … which derives most ALL of its power from Folsom dam and other hydroelectric sources … and their rates are 1/4 of what mine are. How convenient for the State politicians in the Capital …
Carbon tax
Delivery fee
Municipal tax
Delivery fee
My gas last month was $89, actual usage was $41 rest was add the above add ons.
‘it cant continue it cant go on’.
it certainly can,
when all the causes of inflation push together, get that snowball rolling and presto!!! hyperinflation evahwheah !!! wheeee !!! get yer wheelbarrows out, time to buy a loaf of bread !!!
“As a result, electricity bills in California have risen so much in recent years that in some places, the power bill exceeds the cost of rent, The Wall Street Journal reports in a featured article.”
The obvious answer to that problem is to raise the rent.
Boom! Steve breaks the internet.
Too much air con used there, anyway. It is freezing in stores and businesses.
l cd never figure that out back in the 70s 80s wondering if it was unhealthy for the employees or such.
It looks good on the people of California, they keep electing the same idiots, so suck it up
Solar and wind installed “capacity” need 100% of that nameplate capacity backed up in spinning reserve capacity production from traditional sources. So the “renewable” generation capacity doesn’t contribute anything of value, because 1. It is unreliable. 2. It doesn’t produce grid stable frequency matched electricity. 3. It lacks power factor, which is the relation of voltage to current on their waveforms. More penetration of wind and solar into the grid inherently makes the grid less reliable and stable.
Greendundancy.