California Electric Rates Are Up 69% to 101% in 10 Years Here's How Homeowners Are Breaking the Cycle

California Electric Rates Are Up 69% to 101% in 10 Years
Here's How Homeowners Are Breaking the Cycle

If it feels like your electric bill keeps climbing no matter what you do, the numbers back you up. The California Public Utilities Commission's Public Advocates Office released its second-quarter 2026 electric rates report, and it shows just how far residential rates have risen at the state's three largest utilities.

The 10-year picture
As of June 2026, the average residential rate at Southern California Edison was about 34.4 cents per kilowatt-hour, up 101 percent over 10 years and 56 percent over the last five. At San Diego Gas & Electric, the average residential rate reached about 45.5 cents per kilowatt-hour, up 97 percent over 10 years and 42 percent over five. At Pacific Gas and Electric, the average residential rate was about 33.7 cents per kilowatt-hour, up 69 percent over 10 years and 39 percent over five. In other words, many California households are paying roughly double what they paid for the same electricity a decade ago.

Why rates keep rising
The Public Advocates Office identifies several statewide drivers. Wildfire mitigation and wildfire liability costs are a major one. At SCE, wildfire-related costs made up about 14 percent of the utility's revenue requirement as of January 2026. Transmission investments and other grid costs add to the total. Many of these costs are long-term. Wildfire prevention, grid hardening, and transmission projects are paid for over years and decades, which means the pressure on rates is not going away soon.

How homeowners are breaking the cycle
When you buy all of your electricity from the utility, every rate increase lands directly on your bill. Homeowners who produce and store their own power reduce how much they buy, which reduces their exposure to future increases. A rooftop solar system generates electricity during the day. A battery stores that energy so it can be used in the evening, when time-of-use prices on SCE, SDG&E, and PG&E are highest. Together, they cut the amount of expensive grid power a home needs, and they provide backup power when the grid goes down. The benefit grows over time. Every year rates go up, the energy your system produces becomes more valuable compared with what you would otherwise pay the utility.

A path that does not require buying a system
For many homeowners, the barrier is not interest but cost. Through third-party ownership programs, qualifying homeowners can get solar and battery storage installed without buying or financing equipment. The provider owns and maintains the system, and the homeowner pays for the energy or service, often at a rate designed to come in below current utility rates. Depending on the home and program, savings can reach up to 40 percent compared with utility rates. Rates that have doubled in a decade are not a temporary problem. If you are tired of watching your bill climb year after year, now is the time to see whether your home can start producing its own power.

To find out if your home qualifies for a TPO solar and battery program, visit myhomesolution.org/california_public_utility_commissions