Santa Cruz County, CA: 2 Electric Providers

Santa Cruz County, California Electricity Rates & Statistics

Electricity Rates, Plans & Statistics

  • The average electricity bill in Santa Cruz County, CA is $161.15
  • The average electricity rate in Santa Cruz County, CA is 37.33¢

Electric Bills and Electric Rates in Santa Cruz County, CA

The average residential electric bill in Santa Cruz County, CA is $161.15 per month. Santa Cruz County, CA is the 11th most expensive county in California for electricity.

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Santa Cruz County, California Electricity Overview

Citizens of Santa Cruz County use enough electricity to emit 1,162.4 kilograms of CO2 gases per person, which is the 2684th highest amount of pollution from electricity consumption for a county in the country.

Santa Cruz County's average residential electricity rate is 37.33 cents per kilowatt hour, which is 124.06% more than the national average price of 16.66 cents per kilowatt hour.

Over 49.60% of Santa Cruz County's electricity production comes from sustainable fuel types, ranking Santa Cruz County at 47th in the state for total sustainable electricity generation.

The county is the 50th largest producer of electricity out of 58 counties in California, producing 64,676 megawatt hours.

Solar power production in Santa Cruz County has grown from 0 megawatt hours to 3,331 megawatt hours per year over the past year.

Central Coast Community Energy is the largest electricity provider in Santa Cruz County when calculated by megawatt hours sold.

ENERGY CONSUMPTION

  • Total Consumption

    1,657,323 MWh

  • Consumption per Capita

    6.27 MWh

ENERGY PRODUCTION

  • Total Production

    64,676 MWh

  • Production from Renewable Energy

    32,081 MWh

  • Production from Non-Renewable Energy

    32,595 MWh

  • Production per Capita

    0.24 MWh

EMISSIONS

  • CO2 Emissions

    307,303,130 kg

  • CO2 Emissions per Capita

    1,162.4 kg

Recent Electricity Rates and Production Changes in Santa Cruz

To see the most recent electricity rates and production changes for cities in Santa Cruz County, select the city below. If you would like to get access to monthly historical data, please contact us directly by submitting a request.

Rates and Production Categories


Santa Cruz Electricity Pricing Data

Average Residential Bundled Electricity Rate for November, 2024

30.84¢ per kWh

  • 2.3% lower than last month
  • 9.87% higher than November last year
  • 5.62% lower than the California average
  • 81.07% higher than the US average
  • 439th in the state out of 1,616 cities
  • The state rank has increased by 388 since last month
  • The state rank is the same since November last year
  • 29,973rd in the US out of 31,800 cities
  • The national rank has increased by 388 since last month
  • The national rank has dropped by 242 since November last year

12 Month Rolling Average Residential Bundled Rate

31.39¢ per kWh

  • 0.74% higher than last month
  • 14.66% higher than November last year
  • 0.99% lower than the California average
  • 90.36% higher than the US average
  • 441st in the state out of 1,616 cities
  • The state rank is the same since last month
  • The state rank has dropped by 2 since November last year
  • 30,030th in the US out of 31,800 cities
  • The national rank has dropped by 30 since last month
  • The national rank has dropped by 564 since November last year

Average Residential Bundled Electricity Bill for November, 2024

$99.92 per month

  • 23.36% lower than last month
  • 8.38% higher than November last year
  • 28.22% lower than the California average
  • 15.5% lower than the US average
  • 209th in the state out of 1,616 cities
  • The state rank has increased by 404 since last month
  • The state rank has dropped by 49 since November last year
  • 8,679th in the US out of 31,800 cities
  • The national rank has increased by 12,679 since last month
  • The national rank has dropped by 2,714 since November last year

12 Month Rolling Average Residential Bundled Bill

$122.84 per month

  • 0.53% higher than last month
  • 14.35% higher than November last year
  • 25.83% lower than the California average
  • 13.64% lower than the US average
  • 186th in the state out of 1,616 cities
  • The state rank has dropped by 1 since last month
  • The state rank has dropped by 3 since November last year
  • 9,183rd in the US out of 31,800 cities
  • The national rank has dropped by 189 since last month
  • The national rank has dropped by 4,252 since November last year

Santa Cruz, CA Electricity Overview

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Santa Cruz has an average residential electricity rate of 31.39 cents per kilowatt hour, which is 88.42% higher than the average nationwide price of 16.66 cents. Production from non-renewable fuel sources makes up 0.52 megawatt hours per capita in the city The city generates 32,595 megawatt hours from natural gas as the fuel source, ranking them the 52nd ranked city in the state for total electricity production from natural gas out of 1617 cities.

Santa Cruz emits 1,244.01 kilograms of CO2 emissions per capita due to electricity use, which makes it the 59th worst polluting city out of 1617 cities in California. At 1,244.01 kilograms per person and 62,714 citizens in the city, the city emits 78,016,984.32 kilograms of CO2 emissions. Roughly 71.04% of Santa Cruz's electricity is generated using Natural Gas. Secondary fuels used in electricity generation include Landfill Gas at 21.73% and Solar at 7.23% of generation. The city has no electricity generation sources within its borders, meaning the companies that service the city must import all of the 393,151.08 megawatt hours that citizens here consume.

Average Residential Electricity Bills & Rates in Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz residential electric rates are highest in May and the highest average bill is in August.

Historical Electricity Rates:

Price Per kWhAverage Bill$0.366/kWh$0.168/kWh$169.82/mo.$69.86/mo.
441st31.39¢Average residential price per kWh in the city of Santa Cruz
186th$122.84Average residential monthly electricity bill for Santa Cruz Residents

Electric Companies With Service in Santa Cruz, California

ProviderService TypeResidential Rate (¢)Residential Average Bill ($)City Production (MWh)Residential Sales (MWh)Residential Revenues ($)
Central Coast Community EnergyENERGY11.9643.41,778,130.57212,740,886.48
Pacific Gas and Electric CompanyBUNDLED40.1319910,964,2014,399,774,000

Zips with electric coverage in Santa Cruz, California include: 95060, 95062, 95064, 95065

Watsonville, CA Electricity Overview

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Watsonville has an average residential electricity rate of 34.32 cents per kilowatt hour, which is 105.98% higher than the average nationwide price of 16.66 cents. Central Coast Community Energy has an estimated 400 total residential customers, more than all other vendors in the city. Consumers in Watsonville experience 1.56 power outages a year with outages lasting on average 255.9 minutes.

Watsonville residents average 1,098.34 kilograms of CO2 emissions per citizen due to electricity use, which ranks them 327th highest in the state out of 1617 in this category. With total emissions of 58,174,626.3 kilograms, the city ranks 180th worst in the state for total emissions from electricity consumption. All of the 332,041.33 megawatt hours consumed in Watsonville must be brought in from nearby areas as there are no electricity plants within the city limits.

Average Residential Electricity Bills & Rates in Watsonville

Watsonville residential electric rates are highest in May and the highest average bill is in July.

Historical Electricity Rates:

Price Per kWhAverage Bill$0.406/kWh$0.179/kWh$188.34/mo.$75.67/mo.
599th34.32¢Average residential price per kWh in the city of Watsonville
372nd$136.03Average residential monthly electricity bill for Watsonville Residents

Electric Companies With Service in Watsonville, California

ProviderService TypeResidential Rate (¢)Residential Average Bill ($)City Production (MWh)Residential Sales (MWh)Residential Revenues ($)
Central Coast Community EnergyENERGY11.9643.41,778,130.57212,740,886.48
Pacific Gas and Electric CompanyBUNDLED40.1319910,964,2014,399,774,000

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Scotts Valley, CA Electricity Overview

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Scotts Valley has an average residential electricity rate of 34.32 cents per kilowatt hour, which is 105.98% higher than the average nationwide price of 16.66 cents. Central Coast Community Energy has an estimated 269 total residential customers, more than all other vendors in the city. Consumers in Scotts Valley experience 1.56 power outages a year with outages lasting on average 255.9 minutes.

Scotts Valley residents average 1,098.34 kilograms of CO2 emissions per citizen due to electricity use, which ranks them 113th highest in the state out of 1617 in this category. With total emissions of 13,528,242.12 kilograms, the city ranks 448th worst in the state for total emissions from electricity consumption. All of the 77,214.69 megawatt hours consumed in Scotts Valley must be brought in from nearby areas as there are no electricity plants within the city limits.

Average Residential Electricity Bills & Rates in Scotts Valley

Scotts Valley residential electric rates are highest in May and the highest average bill is in July.

Historical Electricity Rates:

Price Per kWhAverage Bill$0.406/kWh$0.179/kWh$188.34/mo.$75.67/mo.
577th34.32¢Average residential price per kWh in the city of Scotts Valley
372nd$136.03Average residential monthly electricity bill for Scotts Valley Residents

Electric Companies With Service in Scotts Valley, California

ProviderService TypeResidential Rate (¢)Residential Average Bill ($)City Production (MWh)Residential Sales (MWh)Residential Revenues ($)
Central Coast Community EnergyENERGY11.9643.41,778,130.57212,740,886.48
Pacific Gas and Electric CompanyBUNDLED40.1319910,964,2014,399,774,000

Zips with electric coverage in Scotts Valley, California include: 95060, 95066, 95065

Go Solar for less than your cell phone bill.

Santa Cruz County, California Production, Consumption, and Emissions by Fuel Types

Power Plants in Santa Cruz County, California

PlantCity/CountyStatePrimary Fuel TypeProduction (MWh)Production State RankEmission (kg)Emission State RankEmissions per MWhEmissions per MWh State RankToxic Chemical ReleaseClosing Date
University of California Santa CruzForefront Solar (50.00%)Santa Cruz Cogeneration Assoc (25.00%)EDPR CA Solar Park LLC (25.00%)
Santa Cruz CA Natural Gas 35,91310611,112,355.8129309.42268
Ameresco Santa Cruz EnergyAMERESCO Santa Cruz Energy LLC (100.00%)
Santa Cruz County CA Landfill Gas 18,7792311,091,899.3323590.6514
Santa Cruz EnergySanta Cruz Energy LLC (100.00%)
Santa Cruz CA Landfill Gas 9,971286,062,405.962860812
Aptos CDP CA Solar 1376655

Santa Cruz County, California Production Fuel Makeup

NATURAL GAS
Natural Gas
Natural Gas
Natural Gas
Natural Gas
Natural Gas
Natural Gas
50.40%
LANDFILL GAS
Landfill Gas
Landfill Gas
Landfill Gas
Landfill Gas
Landfill Gas
44.45%
SOLAR
Solar
5.15%

Power Plant Fuel Types, Emissions & Pollution Factors

Santa Cruz County emits 1,162.4 kilograms of CO2 emissions per capita from electricity use, which makes it the 2684th highest polluting county out of 3221 counties in the nation based on emissions per capita. This comes to a total pollution amount of 307,303,129.69 kilograms. The top fuel type utilized in Santa Cruz County is Natural Gas. The county produces 32,595 megawatt hours from this fuel source. When taken together with Landfill Gas (44.45%) and Solar (5.15%), the three fuel types account for 100.00% of the production in the county. Santa Cruz County has 4 power generation plants, which is 711th highest in the United States.

Santa Cruz County, California Net Metering

Of the 2 electricity suppliers in Santa Cruz County, only one of them report that they offer net metering crediting. Regulations put in place at the state level are great for consumers interested in installing solar or other alternative electricity generation sources.

Energy Loss

Energy loss in Santa Cruz County averages out to about 5.78% of all energy transmitted by the 2 companies that operate in the county and also report energy loss. The United States average for energy loss is 2.43% and the state average is 3.51%, resulting in a rank of 2461st best in the country and a state rank of 42nd best out of 3221 and 58 counties, respectively.

Power Companies in Santa Cruz County, California

Providers In Each City in Santa Cruz County:

  • Capitola, California:
    • Pacific Gas and Electric Company: 48.48%
    • Central Coast Community Energy: 51.52%
  • Santa Cruz, California:
    • Pacific Gas and Electric Company: 44.72%
    • Central Coast Community Energy: 55.28%
  • Scotts Valley, California:
    • Central Coast Community Energy: 50.00%
    • Pacific Gas and Electric Company: 50.00%
  • Watsonville, California:
    • Central Coast Community Energy: 50.00%
    • Pacific Gas and Electric Company: 50.00%

* City coverage generated based on government data. Always verify you can get service from the provider.

FAQ

How many power plants are located in Santa Cruz County, California?

Santa Cruz County, California is home to 4 active power plants producing electricity for the county and other surrounding areas.

What electricity company is the largest provider in Santa Cruz County, California?

By total revenue, Pacific Gas and Electric Company is the largest electricity provider in Santa Cruz County, California.

How many electric companies offer service in Santa Cruz County, California?

Santa Cruz County, California is home to 2 electricity suppliers operating in the area.

What electricity companies offer service in Santa Cruz County, California?

County Customers RankProviderEst. County Customers
1Central Coast Community Energy35,372
2Pacific Gas and Electric Company14,075

King Manalo
Last Reviewed By: King Manalo
Published: 2025-04-21