Electricity Rates in California

Electricity Rates, Plans & Statistics

High Power Bills?

Reduce or replace your electricity bill with solar

Electricity Companies & Statistics in California

Population
39,029,342
Total Production
217,097,004 MWh / 5.56 MWh per capita
Total Consumption
237,878,344 MWh / 6.09 MWh per capita
Total Production from Renewable
102,293,030 MWh / 2.62 MWh per capita
CO₂ Emissions from Consumption
50,658,157,514 kg / 1,297.95 kg per capita
Total Production from Non-Renewable
115,513,198 MWh / 2.96 MWh per capita

Average Residential Electricity Bills & Rates in California

California residential electric rates are highest in January and the highest average bill is in March.

Historical Electricity Rates:

50^th29.21¢Average residential price per kWh in the state of California

35^th$143.24Average residential monthly electricity bill for California Residents

California Electricity Fuel Mix

MonthlyWe report production data as it is published. Due to reporting methods and timing, data from 2023 and 2022 may be incomplete. Data is released in full each fall for the previous calendar year. For clarification on any data points, please contact our team.

AnnualAnnual data for 2022 will be finalized in the fall of 2023. Until that time, some data may be incomplete. Data for 2023 is a summation of all information released to date, which may only represent a portion of the actual production that has occurred. For clarification on any data points, please contact our team.

California's Electricity Prices and Usage

Customers in California are faced with a higher residential electricity rate than many people in the United States, with an average state electric rate of 29.21 cents per kilowatt hour compared to the United States average price of 16.01 cents. California ranks as the 50th lowest priced state in the US by average electricity rate. The state features a deregulated electricity market, where citizens are able to choose from multiple electricity companies out of the over 60 providers that operate in the state. The largest electricity provider in the state based on megawatt hours sold is Southern California Edison. The electricity grid in the state has an average of 0.48 outages per customer a year, with outages lasting roughly 37.75 minutes. The US average for these two data points are 1.27 outages and 137.24 minutes. California ranks as the 51st highest state in the country for electricity use per person, with an annual average of 6.09 megawatt hours consumed per resident living in the state. California has increased the amount of electricity generated by hydroelectric power sources by approximately 67.54% over the previous year.

Residential Electricity Providers in California

Provider	Service Type	Residential Rate (¢)	Residential Average Bill ($)	Residential Sales (MWh)	Residential Revenues ($)	State Production (MWh)
Southern California Edison	BUNDLED	30.25	140.52	17,745,359	5,368,471,000	5,651,573.93
Pacific Gas and Electric Company	BUNDLED	34.52	167.33	10,707,437	3,696,121,000	31,174,602
Los Angeles Department of Water & Power	BUNDLED	23.10	110.42	8,008,595.76	1,849,650,009	6,053,311
Clean Power Alliance	ENERGY	9.31	57.55	5,336,999	496,706,000
Sacramento Municipal Utility District	BUNDLED	16.92	112.85	4,675,784.82	791,293,619	6,858,796.02
Marin Clean Energy	ENERGY	10.25	46.76	2,797,083	286,681,400
East Bay Community Energy	ENERGY	11.54	44	2,651,484	305,853,000
San Diego Gas and Electric	BUNDLED	46.68	164.78	1,869,325.44	872,557,063	1,350,275.79
Imperial Irrigation District	BUNDLED	17.83	192.09	1,817,622	324,037,000	1,443,683
Central Coast Community Energy	ENERGY	9.78	37.78	1,757,498	171,867,200

Commercial Electricity Providers in California

Provider	Service Type	Commercial Rate (¢)	Commercial Average Bill ($)	Commercial Sales (MWh)	Commercial Revenues ($)	State Production (MWh)
Southern California Edison	BUNDLED	22.74	1,143.28	27,048,159	6,150,108,000	5,651,573.93
Los Angeles Department of Water & Power	BUNDLED	21.55	2,331.91	11,795,337.48	2,542,395,009	6,053,311
Pacific Gas and Electric Company	BUNDLED	35.10	1,060.17	7,186,660	2,522,808,000	31,174,602
Clean Power Alliance	ENERGY	9.14	486.14	4,052,900	370,352,400
Sacramento Municipal Utility District	BUNDLED	16.15	694.7	3,651,219.39	589,648,944	6,858,796.02
East Bay Community Energy	ENERGY	11.25	474.96	2,818,799	317,046,000
Marin Clean Energy	ENERGY	10.07	364.33	2,638,343	265,759,700
Central Coast Community Energy	ENERGY	9.13	254.07	1,911,901	174,521,300
Peninsula Clean Energy	ENERGY	10.39	558.26	1,832,765	190,382,000
San Jose Clean Energy	ENERGY	13.40	704.82	1,764,058	236,322,000

Power Plants in California

Plant	City/County	Primary Fuel Type	Production (MWh)	Emission (KG)	Emissions/MWh (KG/MWh)	Closing Date
Diablo CanyonPacific Gas and Electric Company (100.00%)	San Luis Obispo County	Nuclear	17,796,038			8/2025
Dynegy Moss Landing Power Plant HybridDynegy Energy Services (100.00%)	Monterey County	Natural Gas	5,332,649	2,018,409,934.52	378.5
Geysers Unit 5-20Calpine (100.00%)	Sonoma County	Geothermal	4,470,780
Delta Energy CenterCalpine (100.00%)	Pittsburg	Natural Gas	4,328,216	1,668,816,165.52	385.57
Pastoria Energy Facility, LLCCalpine (100.00%)	Kern County	Natural Gas	4,210,232	1,572,217,464.16	373.43
High Desert Power PlantMRP Generation Holdings, LLC (100.00%)	Victorville	Natural Gas	4,108,347	1,568,009,116.38	381.66
Elk Hills Power LLCElk Hills Power LLC (31.83%)California Resources Elk Hills LLC (68.17%)	Kern County	Natural Gas	3,722,468	1,276,998,681.14	343.05
CosumnesSacramento Municipal Utility District (100.00%)	Sacramento County	Natural Gas	3,321,210.02	1,176,738,580.83	354.31
Gateway Generating StationPacific Gas and Electric Company (100.00%)	Antioch	Natural Gas	3,145,233	1,201,284,077.42	381.94
AES Huntington Beach Energy ProjectUllico Infrastructure Southland Borrower (35.00%)AES Corporation (65.00%)	Huntington Beach	Natural Gas	3,070,787	1,135,332,036.16	369.72

Quick Facts

California ranks 28th in nation for production per capita from nuclear power, averaging 0.46 megawatt hours generated from nuclear sources.

California is the 2nd largest producer of megawatt hours produced from renewable fuel types.

Ranking 8th in wind power production in the nation, California has a total yield of 14,646,674.43 megawatt hours from wind power.

California produces 1.05 megawatt hours per capita per year from solar power, giving the state a rank of 5th in the nation for this category.

During the past 12 months, there has been a 1.75% decrease in the use of non-renewable fuel sources for electricity generation in California.

California ranks 2nd highest in hydroelectric power generation, generating 31,021,876.05 megawatt hours per year from hydroelectric facilities.

County	Population	Providers	Plants	Residential Rate (¢)	Residential Avg. Electric Bill
Alameda County	1,628,997	14	27	32.70	$150.78/mo
Alpine County	1,344	14		27.10	$134.26/mo
Amador County	40,095	10	5	33.72	$161.17/mo
Butte County	207,303	12	19	33.71	$161.12/mo
Calaveras County	45,349	10	5	33.72	$161.17/mo
Colusa County	21,780	10	3	33.72	$161.17/mo
Contra Costa County	1,156,966	11	30	33.32	$157.53/mo
Del Norte County	27,655	2		17.27	$151.06/mo
El Dorado County	192,646	15	15	32.04	$154.81/mo
Fresno County	1,015,190	13	85	33.20	$159.52/mo
Glenn County	28,675	10	2	33.72	$161.17/mo
Humboldt County	135,010	12	5	32.89	$153.19/mo
Imperial County	178,713	11	67	18.30	$190.41/mo
Inyo County	18,804	11	16	29.22	$145.34/mo
Kern County	916,108	12	206	31.60	$154.54/mo
Kings County	152,981	12	38	33.44	$160.29/mo
Lake County	68,191	10	2	33.72	$161.17/mo
Lassen County	32,949	11	6	24.30	$142.80/mo
Los Angeles County	9,721,138	21	224	29.21	$145.76/mo
Madera County	160,256	10	18	33.72	$161.17/mo
Marin County	256,018	11	3	32.67	$151.61/mo
Mariposa County	17,225	10	2	33.72	$161.17/mo
Mendocino County	89,783	11	2	33.71	$161.11/mo
Merced County	290,014	12	17	32.36	$158.54/mo
Modoc County	8,723	2		17.27	$151.06/mo
Mono County	13,291	14	9	29.57	$147.78/mo
Monterey County	432,858	12	24	32.42	$147.85/mo
Napa County	134,300	11	5	32.67	$151.61/mo
Nevada County	102,293	15	9	32.13	$154.91/mo
Orange County	3,151,184	13	36	31.66	$147.50/mo
Placer County	417,772	16	21	31.34	$152.26/mo
Plumas County	19,631	10	10	33.72	$161.17/mo
Riverside County	2,473,902	17	104	27.77	$156.19/mo
Sacramento County	1,584,169	11	55	19.51	$120.28/mo
San Benito County	67,579	11	3	32.52	$148.92/mo
San Bernardino County	2,193,656	18	137	29.21	$150.54/mo
San Diego County	3,276,208	11	84	41.99	$154.39/mo
San Francisco County	808,437	12	6	29.20	$154.75/mo
San Joaquin County	793,229	16	25	32.64	$159.72/mo
San Luis Obispo County	282,013	11	12	33.69	$160.78/mo
San Mateo County	729,181	12	7	32.25	$152.52/mo
Santa Barbara County	443,837	14	5	31.64	$146.58/mo
Santa Clara County	1,870,945	15	57	33.28	$158.31/mo
Santa Cruz County	264,370	11	4	32.27	$146.35/mo
Shasta County	180,930	14	39	31.99	$160.01/mo
Sierra County	3,079	14	2	29.09	$142.35/mo
Siskiyou County	44,151	2	6	17.27	$151.06/mo
Solano County	448,747	12	33	33.53	$159.63/mo
Sonoma County	482,650	11	20	33.70	$161.06/mo
Stanislaus County	551,275	12	18	27.97	$154.66/mo
Sutter County	98,503	10	8	33.72	$161.17/mo
Tehama County	65,245	10	5	33.72	$161.17/mo
Trinity County	15,818	1	5	9.95	$101.08/mo
Tulare County	477,544	12	39	30.52	$151.14/mo
Tuolumne County	55,243	12	16	33.34	$159.96/mo
Ventura County	832,605	11	16	29.70	$148.62/mo
Yolo County	222,115	11	13	33.16	$154.14/mo
Yuba County	84,310	10	4	33.72	$161.17/mo

In California, Natural Gas makes up 44.07% of the fuel sources utilized for electricity generation. Solar and Conventional Hydroelectric are also important fuel sources in the state, with 18.85% and 14.29% of total electricity generation being generated from each, respectively. The state is the 6th worst ranked state when it comes to total CO2 pollution, with the state consuming enough electricity to account for 50,658,157,513.73 kilograms of CO2 emissions. More telling of the state's emissions reality is the per resident CO2 totals. Currently that amount stands at 1,297.95 kilograms of CO2 emissions from electricity use, which results in the state ranking as the 52nd highest state in the US for CO2 pollution released per capita. California has the highest amount of electricity generation plants of any state in the United States, with 1565 plants. This translates to the 22nd most plants per person in the United States.

NATURAL GAS

44.07%

SOLAR

18.85%

CONVENTIONAL HYDROELECTRIC

14.29%

NUCLEAR

8.20%

WIND

6.75%

OTHER

8.18%

California has 42 out of 63 electricity providers reporting that they offer net metering to residents with personal solar panels. At the state level, California has favorable regulations for consumers interested in investing in solar.

There are 33 electricity providers in California that reported energy loss. Together, these 33 providers average a yearly energy loss of 9.15% of electricity generated. The countrywide average is 2.87%, resulting in California receiving a rank of 49th best in the US for energy loss efficiency.

State governments can help encourage private citizens to consider installing solar panels by promoting tax incentives and rebates to their populace. California currently does not offer a state tax credit for solar panel installation at a private residence. The state has no all encompassing rebate program, but local rebates are available to many citizens who wish to install solar. Fortunately, California offers a 100% tax exemption to homeowners. at their place of residence. The state currently does not offer a sales tax exemption for the install of solar, leaving homeowners high and dry for this one.

Consumers who are shopping for electricity plans that use renewable sources will have much better luck if there are state level initiatives that encourage green energy usage. Many states require renewable fuels to make up a percentage of the fuel used for electricity generation by electricity companies in the state. These requirements are referred to as Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS). Electric suppliers in California are required to generate a minimum of 25% of their electricity using renewable energy sources. Furthermore, the state has a low income solar program in place to help low income households installing solar panels.

Learn about going solar in California, find out which system size is best for you, compare local installers and see which incentives are available in your area.

FAQ: Common Questions About Electricity in California

How many power plants are in California?

California is home to 1565 electricity plants producing electricity for the state.

Where does California get its electricity?

California's electricity is generated using primarily Natural Gas, which makes up 44.07% of the fuel used in the state. In addition, Solar makes up 18.85% and Conventional Hydroelectric makes up 14.29%.

What is a good electricity rate in California?

The average rate of electricity in California in 2024 is 29.21 cents per kilowatt hour (¢/kWh).

What electricity company is the largest provider in California?

By total megawatt hours sold, Southern California Edison is the largest electricity provider in California.

Does California have a deregulated electricity market?

Yes, the state has a deregulated electricity market. This means that consumers in the state can choose from multiple electricity companies to supply their electricity.

What is the average electric bill in California?

The average electricity bill in California in 2024 is $143 while the national average is $138.

How many electric companies offer service in California?

There are 63 electricity companies offering service in California.

What electricity companies offer service in California?

State Customers Rank	Provider	State Customers
1	Southern California Edison	3,652,543
2	Pacific Gas and Electric Company	2,130,943
3	Los Angeles Department of Water & Power	1,496,184
4	Sacramento Municipal Utility District	657,566
5	San Diego Gas and Electric	490,627
6	Imperial Irrigation District	163,110
7	Modesto Irrigation District	132,398
8	Anaheim Public Utilities	122,391
9	Riverside Public Utilities	112,235
10	Turlock Irrigation District	95,120

What is the cheapest electricity company in California?

Residential Rate Rank	Provider	Residential Rate (¢)	State Customers
1	Colorado River Indian Irr Proj	7.75	1,863
2	Trinity PUD	9.95	7,320
3	City of Industry Electricity	10.34	119
4	Needles Electric Company	12.66	2,958
5	City of Vernon Utilities	14.75	1,882
6	Sillicon Valley Power	14.99	57,017
7	Corona Department of Water and Power	15.22	1,843
8	Biggs, California Electric Utility	15.23	752
9	Lompoc Utilities	15.66	15,181
10	Rancho Cucamonga Utilities	15.88	2,847

Last Reviewed By: Nick Reese

Published: 2024-03-29