Community Corner
Summer Pricing Reduced For SDG&E Residential Customers
The price drop will help alleviate higher energy bills due to hot weather while customers spend more time at home during the pandemic.
SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA — San Diego Gas & Electric announced Monday that residential customers will receive a 5 percent reduction in pricing starting July 1. The summer price drop will help alleviate higher energy bills due to hot weather while customers spend more time at home during the coronavirus pandemic.
The new pricing applies for customers enrolled in the Time-of-Use DR1 pricing plan. It will run through Oct. 31 and applies to all three time-of-use periods: on-peak, off-peak and super off-peak, according to SDG&E.
The California Public Utilities Commission recently approved the new pricing plan, which will also implement a 4 percent increase in pricing from Nov. 1 through May 31.
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This is the second change in summer pricing that SDG&E has secured from the CPUC. In April, SDG&E petitioned the CPUC to eliminate seasonal pricing for residential customers on standard tiered pricing plans to make energy bills more predictable.
"Given the financial hardships the pandemic has caused, providing some bill relief to our customers as summer approaches was a priority for us, and we are appreciative that the CPUC agreed," said Dan Skopec, SDG&E's vice president of regulatory affairs.
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With the new pricing, a customer using an average of 400 kWh per month could see a bill decrease of about $5.80 per month, according to SDG&E.
For customers in the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) Program, a bill discount program that offers a reduction of 30 percent or more on monthly bills, an average usage of 400 kWh per month could see a bill decrease of about $3.96 per month with the new pricing.
"We also encourage our customers to take advantage of the assistance and bill relief programs we have available," Skopec said.
Two other energy bill payment assistance programs are available for customers who meet income eligibility criteria. Visit sdge.com/assistance for more information.
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