Electricity rates in California
Updated 2026-10-21 with EIA data through July 2026
Homes in California paid an average of 32.99¢ per kWh over the last 12 months, up from 17.39¢ in 2016. Businesses paid 26.82¢ and industry 21.36¢. Retail choice is limited.
What things cost to run in California
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California electricity price trend
Annual average residential price, 2010–2025. Since 2016, prices have risen +87%.
Choosing a provider in California
Homes can't choose a retail supplier, but many communities buy power through a Community Choice Aggregator (CCA).
Competitive suppliers in California charged homes an average of 14.68¢/kWh for supply in 2025, before the utility's delivery charges (delivery-only customers paid about 23.76¢/kWh on average). Compare a supplier's offer with your utility's default "price to compare" on your bill.
Power outages in California right now
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Electric utilities in California
57 utilities serve homes in California. Rates are average residential revenue per kWh, so they include fixed charges. Click a utility for rate plans, outage history and its service map.
Click or tap a county to see the electric companies that serve it.
| Utility | Type | Homes served | Rate | Avg bill | Outage min/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern California Edison Co. | Investor-owned | 3.26M | 33.11¢ | $157 | 545 |
| Pacific Gas & Electric Co. | Investor-owned | 1.74M | 36.47¢ | $169 | 273 |
| Los Angeles Department of Water & Power | Municipal | 1.42M | 27.65¢ | $130 | 408 |
| Sacramento Municipal Util Dist | Public power district | 601K | 19.55¢ | $130 | 50 |
| San Diego Gas & Electric Co. | Investor-owned | 284K | 47.15¢ | $173 | 130 |
| Imperial Irrigation District | Public power district | 143K | 20.30¢ | $220 | 114 |
| City of Anaheim | Municipal | 107K | 19.63¢ | $93 | 32 |
| Modesto Irrigation District | Public power district | 105K | 23.49¢ | $177 | 36 |
| City of Riverside | Municipal | 101K | 22.25¢ | $137 | 88 |
| Turlock Irrigation District | Public power district | 81K | 18.02¢ | $147 | 62 |
| City of Glendale | Municipal | 78K | 36.00¢ | $141 | 588 |
| City of Roseville | Municipal | 65K | 21.58¢ | $147 | 13 |
| City of Pasadena | Municipal | 59K | 25.31¢ | $117 | 213 |
| City of Santa Clara | Municipal | 54K | 18.31¢ | $73 | 69 |
| City of Burbank Water and Power | Municipal | 47K | 21.80¢ | $107 | 174 |
| Liberty Utilities | Investor-owned | 45K | 28.04¢ | $143 | 614 |
| City of Redding | Municipal | 39K | 19.23¢ | $154 | 74 |
| PacifiCorp | Investor-owned | 36K | 24.71¢ | $205 | 485 |
| Alameda Municipal Power | Municipal | 32K | 24.34¢ | $88 | 9 |
| City of Palo Alto | Municipal | 26K | 21.66¢ | $112 | 68 |
| City of Lodi | Municipal | 24K | 23.10¢ | $130 | 72 |
| Bear Valley Electric Service | Investor-owned | 23K | 43.16¢ | $128 | 338 |
| City of Colton | Municipal | 17K | 23.32¢ | $121 | 66 |
| City of Azusa | Municipal | 16K | 21.06¢ | $106 | — |
| City of Lompoc | Municipal | 15K | 22.60¢ | $173 | 99 |
| Truckee Donner P U D | Public power district | 15K | 25.63¢ | $231 | 1,024 |
| City of Banning | Municipal | 14K | 20.36¢ | $202 | — |
| Merced Irrigation District | Public power district | 12K | 24.49¢ | $146 | — |
| Lassen Municipal Utility District | Municipal | 11K | 23.48¢ | $228 | 203 |
| City of Moreno Valley | Municipal | 7,952 | 41.16¢ | $191 | 85 |
| City of Ukiah | Municipal | 7,902 | 28.15¢ | $298 | — |
| Plumas-Sierra Rural Electric Co-op | Electric cooperative | 7,795 | 22.78¢ | $331 | 14,622 |
| Trinity Public Utilities Dist | Public power district | 7,284 | 10.00¢ | $138 | — |
| City of Healdsburg | Municipal | 6,144 | 22.59¢ | $248 | 16 |
| Anza Electric Co-op | Electric cooperative | 4,792 | 27.75¢ | $243 | 414 |
| City of Shasta Lake | Municipal | 4,278 | 23.23¢ | $182 | 80 |
| Lathrop Irrigation District | Public power district | 4,104 | 22.23¢ | $170 | — |
| Rancho Cucamonga Municipal Utility | Municipal | 3,758 | 15.26¢ | $475 | — |
| City & County of San Francisco | Municipal | 3,670 | 28.32¢ | $308 | — |
| City of Gridley | Municipal | 3,144 | 25.50¢ | $217 | — |
| City of Needles | Municipal | 3,045 | 16.23¢ | $407 | — |
| Surprise Valley Electrification | Electric cooperative | 2,788 | 13.82¢ | $131 | — |
| Colorado River Indian Irr Proj | Federal | 1,842 | 9.29¢ | $85 | — |
| DOD USMC Marine Air Ground Combat | Federal | 1,514 | 17.10¢ | $313 | 136 |
| City of Corona | Municipal | 1,305 | 16.22¢ | $86 | 178 |
| Kirkwood Meadows PUD | Public power district | 754 | 79.97¢ | $596 | — |
| City of Biggs | Municipal | 747 | 20.91¢ | $401 | — |
| Shelter Cove Resort Improvement Dist No. 1 | Public power district | 648 | 37.03¢ | $178 | — |
| Pittsburg Power Company | Municipal | 595 | 30.47¢ | $994 | — |
| City of Industry | Municipal | 142 | 14.64¢ | $3,813 | — |
| Port of Oakland | Municipal | 120 | 22.93¢ | $13,264 | — |
| Aha Macav Power Service | Public power district | 115 | 10.56¢ | $340 | — |
| City of Victorville | Municipal | 92 | 20.51¢ | $19,726 | — |
| City of Vernon | Municipal | 73 | 13.17¢ | $50 | 33 |
| Port of Stockton | Municipal | 51 | 17.65¢ | $13,598 | — |
| Tuolumne County Pub Power Agny | Public power district | 33 | 17.39¢ | $16,703 | — |
| Valley Electric Association | Electric cooperative | 12 | 19.28¢ | $112 | — |
Retail electricity providers in California
Average revenue per kWh from residential customers in 2025 (EIA-861), adjusted to current state trend.
California vs. neighboring states
Energy costs at a glance
| Natural gas (homes) | $2.12/therm |
| Gasoline (regular) | $6.03/gal |
| Driving cost: EV vs. gas | 10¢ vs. 22¢/mi |
| Solar output (1 kW, Los Angeles) | 1,677 kWh/yr |
| Avg. outage time (2025) | 5 hr 52 min/yr |
| Commercial rate | 26.82¢ |
| Industrial rate | 21.36¢ |
What appliances cost to run in California
| Appliance | Per month | Per year | vs. U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Space heater | $54.40 | $272 | +$124 |
| Central air conditioner | $190 | $949 | +$431 |
| Refrigerator | $13.75 | $165 | +$75 |
| Electric car | $123 | $1,471 | +$669 |
| Electric clothes dryer | $22.62 | $271 | +$123 |
| Electric water heater | $124 | $1,485 | +$675 |
| Hot tub | $82.47 | $990 | +$450 |
| TV | $4.11 | $49 | +$22 |
| Pool pump (single-speed) | $137 | $683 | +$310 |
| Heat pump | $337 | $1,687 | +$767 |
Electricity rates by city in California
- Los Angeles
- San Diego
- San Jose
- San Francisco
- Fresno
- Sacramento
- Long Beach
- Oakland
- Bakersfield
- Anaheim
- Riverside
- Santa Ana
- Stockton
- Chula Vista
- Irvine
- Fremont
- San Bernardino
- Fontana
- Modesto
- Oxnard
- Moreno Valley
- Huntington Beach
- Glendale
- Santa Clarita
- Santa Rosa
- Oceanside
- Garden Grove
- Rancho Cucamonga
- Ontario
- Elk Grove
- Corona
- Lancaster
- Palmdale
- Hayward
- Salinas
- Sunnyvale
- Pomona
- Escondido
- Valencia
- Torrance
- Pasadena
- Orange
- Fullerton
- Roseville
- Visalia
- Thousand Oaks
- Concord
- Simi Valley
- East Los Angeles
- Santa Clara
- Victorville
- Vallejo
- Chico
- Berkeley
- El Monte
- Carlsbad
- Downey
- Costa Mesa
- Fairfield
- Inglewood
- Antioch
- Temecula
- Murrieta
- Richmond
- West Covina
- Norwalk
- Daly City
- Burbank
- Santa Maria
- Clovis
- El Cajon
- San Mateo
- Rialto
- Vista
- Compton
- Mission Viejo
- Vacaville
- Ventura
- South Gate
- Hesperia
- Carson
- Santa Monica
- San Marcos
- Arden-Arcade
- Westminster
- Santa Barbara
- Redding
- San Leandro
- Hawthorne
- Livermore
Frequently asked questions
What is the average electricity rate in California?
The average residential rate in California was 32.99¢ per kWh over the 12 months ending July 2026. That is 83% above the U.S. average of 17.99¢. In July 2026 alone it was 33.61¢, +2.9% from a year earlier.
What is the average electric bill in California?
About $163 a month. The average California home uses 494 kWh a month (EIA 2025), and we priced that at the current average rate. Bills vary with your utility, home size, heating type and season.
Is electricity expensive in California?
California ranks 50th cheapest of 51 (50 states plus DC) for residential electricity. That puts it among the most expensive states.
Can I choose my electricity provider in California?
Only in limited cases. Homes can't choose a retail supplier, but many communities buy power through a Community Choice Aggregator (CCA).
Which electric company is cheapest in California?
Among utilities with at least 1,000 residential customers, Colorado River Indian Irr Proj has the lowest average rate at 9.29¢/kWh. The highest is San Diego Gas & Electric Co. at 47.15¢. Most homes can't switch utilities, since your address determines which one serves you.
How reliable is the power grid in California?
In 2025, the average California customer was without power for 5 hr 52 min (SAIDI, including major storms) across about 1.3 outages. Excluding major event days it was 2 hr 15 min. Figures are customer-weighted across utilities that report to EIA.
Sources: EIA-861M monthly sales and revenue (through July 2026), EIA-861 2025 utility data, EIA fuel prices, NREL PVWatts. Methodology.