Electricity In California

  • Population39,512,223
  • Total Consumption245,197,685 MWh / 6.21 MWh per capita
  • CO2 Emissions from Consumption64,882,220,055 kg
  • Total Production194,911,776 MWh / 4.93 MWh per capita
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Residential Electricity Bills & Rates in California

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

Historical Electric Rates:

Price Per kWHAverage Bill$0.234/kWh$0.141/kWh$175.59/mo.$58.91/mo.
49th22.49¢Average residential price per kWh in the state of California
31st$123.92Average residential monthly electricity bill for California Residents

Energy Profile of California

MonthlyWe report production data as it is published. Due to reporting methods and timing, data from 2021 and 2020 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 2020 will be finalized in the fall of 2021. Until that time, some data may be incomplete. Data for 2021 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

Consumers in California are faced with a higher residential electricity rate than many people in the nation, with an average state electric rate of 22.49 cents per kilowatt hour compared to the US average price of 13.62 cents. This ranks California as the 49th lowest priced state in the country by average electricity rate. With 66 electricity companies in the state, customers have many choices to choose from thanks to the deregulated electricity market that exists in the state. Previously, roughly 13,213,215.03 megawatt hours were generated in the state from wind a year. However, now that total is 14,371,017.61 megawatt hours, a 8.76% increase. The state released 64,882,220,054.55 kilograms of CO2 emissions from electricity consumption, causing it to be the 5th worst polluting state in the United States when considering total CO2 emissions. California ranks as the 51st highest state in the nation for electricity use per person, with an average of 6.21 megawatt hours used each year per citizen. Edison International has 3,872,133 residential customers, which is more than all other vendors in the state .

Residential Electricity Providers in California

ProviderService TypeResidential Rate (¢)Residential Average Bill ($)Residential Sales (MWh)Residential Revenues ($)State Production (MWh)
Edison InternationalBUNDLED20.93117.122,624,0844,735,148,0008,377,933.46
Pacific Gas and Electric CompanyBUNDLED25.67150.5113,925,1993,574,288,00026,408,551
Los Angeles Department of Water & PowerBUNDLED21.07108.228,398,6721,769,584,1936,396,868
San Diego Gas and ElectricBUNDLED29.48110.55,818,4701,715,232,9582,001,998.84
Clean Power AllianceENERGY7.3348.945,532,622405,415,600
Sacramento Municipal Utility DistrictBUNDLED16.09112.114,770,605767,387,3116,436,305.77
Marin Clean EnergyENERGY8.6345.242,698,838232,955,500
East Bay Community EnergyENERGY8.2833.882,473,446204,871,500
Imperial Irrigation DistrictBUNDLED13.98163.741,922,754268,895,0001,279,031
San Jose Clean EnergyENERGY8.8741.871,790,192158,804,900
66 providers total

Power Plants in California

PlantCity/CountyPrimary Fuel TypeProduction (MWh)Emission (KG)Emissions/MWh (KG/MWh)Toxic Chemical ReleaseClosing Date
Diablo CanyonPacific Gas and Electric Company (100.00%)
San Luis Obispo County Nuclear 14,988,7488/2025
Dynegy Moss Landing Power Plant HybridDynegy Energy Services (100.00%)
Monterey County Natural Gas 5,483,0892,034,222,504.3371
Geysers Unit 5-20Calpine (100.00%)
Sonoma County Geothermal 4,617,125
Delta Energy CenterCalpine (100.00%)
Pittsburg Natural Gas 4,491,0881,750,391,405.42389.75
Pastoria Energy Facility, LLCCalpine (100.00%)
Kern County Natural Gas 4,388,8101,645,590,477.02374.95
High Desert Power PlantMRP Generation Holdings, LLC (100.00%)
Victorville Natural Gas 4,059,9831,615,029,614.94397.79
CosumnesSacramento Municipal Utility District (100.00%)
Clay CDP Natural Gas 4,025,823.021,422,760,860.6353.41
Elk Hills Power LLCElk Hills Power LLC (30.68%)California Resources Elk Hills LLC (69.32%)
Kern County Natural Gas 3,763,0911,324,929,530.12352.09
Gateway Generating StationPacific Gas and Electric Company (100.00%)
Contra Costa County Natural Gas 3,444,5641,322,132,366.1383.83
AES Huntington Beach Energy ProjectAES Corporation (65.00%)Ullico Infrastructure Southland Borrower (35.00%)
Huntington Beach Natural Gas 3,391,8021,231,193,681.06362.99
1423 power plants total

Quick Facts

California generates 58.96% of its electricity from non-renewable fuels, giving it a ranking of 7th worst for total electricity generation from non-renewable fuel types.

In the state of California, the usage of renewable fuels for electricity production has fallen by 2.54% over the course of the past 12 months.

With a 0.11% decline over the past 12 months, California’s population is estimated to be 39,512,223.

With 33,992,856.19 megawatt hours produced from solar power and 39,512,223 citizens in California, the state averages 0.86 megawatt hours produced from solar per capita, which gives it a ranking of 5th in the United States.

California uses 25.80% more megawatt hours than it generates.

While a majority of states try to decrease the burning of non-renewable fuel types, California’s burning of these fuels for electricity purposes has actually risen by 2.95% within the previous 12 months.

CountyPopulationProvidersPlantsResidential Rate (¢)Residential Avg. Electric Bill
Alameda County1,671,32952324.82$126.88/mo
Alpine County1,129619.34$111.41/mo
Amador County39,7522325.67$150.51/mo
Butte County219,18632025.67$150.51/mo
Calaveras County45,9053525.67$150.51/mo
Colusa County21,5473225.67$150.51/mo
Contra Costa County1,153,52642825.17$136.88/mo
Del Norte County27,812212.88$116.55/mo
El Dorado County192,84371323.92$133.46/mo
Fresno County999,10156825.02$145.91/mo
Glenn County28,3933225.67$150.51/mo
Humboldt County135,5583524.79$134.02/mo
Imperial County181,21536214.12$162.81/mo
Inyo County18,03931520.89$115.38/mo
Kern County900,202318823.04$131.97/mo
Kings County152,94033225.31$148.00/mo
Lake County64,3862425.67$150.51/mo
Lassen County30,5736716.65$116.38/mo
Los Angeles County10,039,107419920.38$116.93/mo
Madera County157,32731725.67$150.51/mo
Marin County258,8263425.03$133.01/mo
Mariposa County17,2032225.67$150.51/mo
Mendocino County86,7493225.12$133.93/mo
Merced County277,68051624.18$146.35/mo
Modoc County8,841411.61$110.98/mo
Mono County14,4446820.49$115.09/mo
Monterey County434,06122025.67$150.51/mo
Napa County137,7443625.03$133.01/mo
Nevada County99,75571023.79$138.90/mo
Orange County3,175,69244122.11$113.46/mo
Placer County398,32991923.45$131.19/mo
Plumas County18,80731123.46$146.57/mo
Riverside County2,470,54658718.86$134.50/mo
Sacramento County1,552,05845316.80$114.95/mo
San Benito County62,8082325.67$150.51/mo
San Bernardino County2,180,085312420.51$114.71/mo
San Diego County3,338,33037928.43$114.11/mo
San Francisco County881,5494723.42$133.03/mo
San Joaquin County762,14852125.12$134.83/mo
San Luis Obispo County283,11121325.67$150.51/mo
San Mateo County766,5733424.68$128.51/mo
Santa Barbara County446,4993524.60$142.96/mo
Santa Clara County1,927,85275625.04$135.12/mo
Santa Cruz County273,2132325.67$150.51/mo
Shasta County180,08063823.32$144.50/mo
Sierra County3,0057320.58$124.10/mo
Siskiyou County43,5393612.88$116.55/mo
Solano County447,64343325.21$138.08/mo
Sonoma County494,33631825.12$133.93/mo
Stanislaus County550,66061819.53$145.99/mo
Sutter County96,9713725.67$150.51/mo
Tehama County65,0843625.67$150.51/mo
Trinity County12,285269.38$92.19/mo
Tulare County466,19533821.68$122.41/mo
Tuolumne County54,47841725.18$147.09/mo
Ventura County846,00621220.28$117.63/mo
Yolo County220,50031025.67$150.51/mo
Yuba County78,6683325.67$150.51/mo

Power Plant Fuel Types, Emissions & Pollution Factors

Coming in as the 5th worst ranked state in the nation, California emits 64,882,220,054.55 kilograms of CO2 emissions from electricity consumption. The state averages 1,642.08 kilograms of CO2 emissions per capita, which is a better measurement of the state’s emission levels. They rank 50th highest in the nation for emissions per resident. Around 50.01% of the state of California’s electricity is generated using Natural Gas. Solar and Nuclear make up the next highest totals for a fuel type at 17.44% and 7.69%, respectively. California has the 1st highest amount of electricity producing plants of any state in the US, with 1423 total plants. This equates to the 22nd most power plants per resident in the nation.

NATURAL GAS
Natural Gas
Natural Gas
Natural Gas
Natural Gas
Natural Gas
Natural Gas
50.01%
SOLAR
Solar
Solar
17.44%
NUCLEAR
Nuclear
7.69%
CONVENTIONAL HYDROELECTRIC
Conventional Hydroelectric
7.48%
WIND
Wind
7.37%
OTHER
Other
Other
10.06%

California Net Metering

California has 46 out of 66 electricity providers reporting that they offer net metering to residents with personal solar panels. At the state level, California has highly favorable laws for consumers interested in investing in personal solar.

Energy Loss

There are 32 providers in California that reported energy loss, including Edison International, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, and Los Angeles Department of Water & Power. Combined, these 32 providers average an annual energy loss of 11.94% of electricity generated. The US average is 2.76%, resulting in California having a rank of 1st best in the US for energy loss efficiency.

Solar Taxes And Rebates

Motivating private citizens to consider installing solar panels can definitely be a challenge due to prohibitive initial costs. Governments can help the cause by passing legislation for tax breaks and rebates for those who purchase solar panels. California currently does not offer a state tax credit for solar panel installation at a private residence. While there are no state sponsored rebates there are local rebates available to many consumers who wish to install solar panels at their home. Fortunately, California offers a 100% tax exemption to consumers. at their residence. Homeowners in the state do not have access to a sales tax exemption when installing solar panels.

State Level Initiatives

Consumers seeking electricity plans that use renewable fuels will benefit from statewide legislation that encourage green energy usage. States that have Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) have requirements in place for all electric providers who sell electricity in the state. These standards require that a percentage of electricity must be generated from renewable energy. Electricity suppliers in the state of California are required to produce at least 25% of their output using renewable fuel sources. In addition, low income solar programs are another way states encourage renewable fuels and the state of California is home to one such program.

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 Energy in California

Where does California get its electricity?

The main fuels used for electricity generation in California are Natural Gas, Solar and Nuclear, accounting for 50.01%, 17.44% and 7.69% respectively.

What power companies are in California?

Which electricity company is the largest supplier in California?

The largest electricity supplier in California by megawatt hours sold is Edison International.

How many electric companies offer service in California?

There are 66 electricity companies serving consumers in California.

What is a good electricity rate in California?

The average electric rate in California is 22.49 cents per kilowatt hour, so anything below this amount is better than most. The lowest priced provider is currently Colorado River Indian Irr Proj, at 6.62 cents per kilowatt hour.

What is the average electric bill in California?

The California average electricity bill is $124 so far in 2022, while the US average is $122.

Does California have a deregulated electricity market?

California has a deregulated electricity market, meaning citizens in the state can often choose from an abundance of electricity providers for their electricity needs.

What is the cheapest electricity company in California?

Residential Rate RankProviderResidential Rate (¢)State Customers
1Colorado River Indian Irr Proj6.621,850
2Trinity PUD9.387,312
3City of Industry Electricity9.69114
4Needles Electric Company10.072,948
5Surprise Valley Electric10.094,434
6City of Vernon Utilities10.631,899
7PacifiCorp12.8845,739
8Santa Clara Utilities13.3257,062
9Imperial Irrigation District13.98159,015
10Liberty Utilities14.0050,210

How many power plants are located within California?

There are 1423 power plants in California

Last Reviewed By: Nick Reese
Published: 2021-03-16Last Updated: 2022-01-22