City of Palo Alto electricity rates
Municipal utility · California · WECC region · CAISO
City of Palo Alto is a city-owned municipal utility, governed locally rather than by the state commission, serving 25,672 homes in California. Its residential customers pay an average of 21.66¢/kWh including fixed and delivery charges, 20% more than the U.S. average.
Rate basis: EIA-861 2025 annual data, adjusted to the 12 months ending 2026-07 using the state's price trend.
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City of Palo Alto bill estimates
| Monthly use | At average all-in rate | Base tariff charges* |
|---|---|---|
| 500 kWh | $108.30 | $54.61 |
| 1,000 kWh | $216.60 | $137.23 |
| 1,500 kWh | $324.90 | $224.22 |
| 2,000 kWh | $433.20 | $311.22 |
*Schedule E1 Residential Electric Service (effective 2009-07-01), energy and fixed charges from the OpenEI Utility Rate Database. Riders, fuel adjustments and taxes are often billed separately, so real bills usually land closer to the all-in column. Calculate your bill.
City of Palo Alto residential rate plans
| Plan | Effective | Customer charge | Energy charges |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schedule E1 Residential Electric Service | 2009-07-01 | — | 9.52¢ first 300 kWh, 13.02¢ first 600 kWh, 17.40¢ after |
| Schedule E1 TOU Residential Time Of Usetime-of-use | 2013-01-01 | — | 7.7¢ (12am–6am, 11pm–12am) · 9.5¢ (6am–12pm, 6pm–11pm) · 15.3¢ (12pm–6pm) — summer weekdays |
Source: OpenEI U.S. Utility Rate Database. Rates change. Check the linked tariff or your bill for current figures.
City of Palo Alto rate history
2015–2025: +78% change in the average residential rate (12.02¢ → 21.36¢). Annual EIA-861 data.
Outages & reliability
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Reliability history
| 2025 | City of Palo Alto | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outage minutes per customer (SAIDI) | 68 | 352 | 266 |
| Outages per customer (SAIFI) | 0.62 | 1.28 | 1.34 |
| Average restoration time (CAIDI) | 110 min | — | — |
| Outage minutes excluding major storms | 27 | 135 | 121 |
Outages in counties served (2025)
From ORNL EAGLE-I, which tracks customers without power every 15 minutes. These counts cover every utility in each county. Weighted across City of Palo Alto's counties, customers averaged 3 hr 24 min without power.
| County | Outage min/customer | Days with outages | Peak customers out | Worst day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara | 204 | 45 | 40,070 | 2025-03-31 |
City of Palo Alto service area
City of Palo Alto serves Santa Clara County in California and 16 ZIP codes.
Santa Clara
Cities: San Jose, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Cupertino, Menlo Park, Saratoga, Los Gatos, Los Altos, East Palo Alto, Stanford, Los Altos Hills, Woodside, Portola Valley, West Menlo Park, Loyola, Lexington Hills, Ladera
Programs, smart meters & solar
| Smart meters (AMI) for homes | 91% |
| Time-based rate programs | None reported |
| Net-metered solar homes | 1,763 |
| Home batteries paired with solar | 229 |
| Residential efficiency incentives paid (2025) | $1,378,751 |
| Residential energy saved by programs | 937 MWh |
City of Palo Alto at a glance
| Ownership | Municipal utility |
| Services | Distribution, Wholesale Marketing, Bundled |
| Commercial rate | 21.24¢/kWh |
| Industrial rate | 19.21¢/kWh |
| Retail revenue (2025) | $191,860,000 |
| Electricity sold (2025) | 923,551 MWh |
| Peak demand | 168 MW summer · 137 MW winter |
| Line losses | 1.8% |
| Balancing authority | CISO |
| EIA utility ID | 14401 |
| Website | https:www.ncpa.com/policy/reports/energy-efficiency |
Other utilities in California
Frequently asked questions
What is City of Palo Alto's electricity rate?
City of Palo Alto residential customers pay an average of 21.66¢ per kWh, all charges included (EIA-861 2025 annual data, adjusted to the 12 months ending 2026-07 using the state's price trend). That's 34% below the California average of 32.99¢ and 20% above the U.S. average.
What is the average City of Palo Alto electric bill?
About $112 a month. The average City of Palo Alto home uses 516 kWh a month. At 1,000 kWh the bill would be about $217.
How many customers does City of Palo Alto have?
City of Palo Alto serves 25,672 residential customers and 29,265 customers in total in California, across 1 county.
How reliable is City of Palo Alto?
In 2025, the average City of Palo Alto customer was without power for 68 min (SAIDI) over 0.62 interruptions (SAIFI), including major storms. Excluding major event days it was 27 min. The California average was 5 hr 52 min and the U.S. average 4 hr 26 min.
Does City of Palo Alto offer time-of-use rates?
Yes. The OpenEI rate database lists 1 time-of-use residential plan, including Schedule E1 TOU Residential Time Of Use. Running big appliances off-peak can cut their cost. Pick the plan in the calculator above to see by how much.
Does City of Palo Alto offer net metering for solar?
City of Palo Alto had 1,763 residential net-metered customers in 2025 with 9.8 MW of capacity and 229 solar-paired batteries. Estimate solar savings at this utility's rate.
Sources: EIA-861 2025 and EIA-861M (through July 2026), OpenEI URDB, ORNL EAGLE-I, U.S. Census. Methodology. Spot an error? Rates change often, so confirm with City of Palo Alto before making decisions.