12/8/2020 - If you’re a PG&E customer, you should start preparing yourself for an increase in your electricity bill. On March 1st, a rate hike of 8 percent will take effect.
The boost was approved by the California Public Utilities Commission on Thursday, December 3rd. And According to reporting done by the Associated Press, it will result in an average increase of $13.44 per month, or 161 dollars and 28 cents per year for residential customers across Northern California.
Rate increases over the next few years, including this one, will add up to 1.15 billion additional dollars in revenue for PG&E.
The utility company says they plan to use their funds to update their outdated equipment, equipment which has been blamed for igniting catastrophic wildfires over the past few years. But this will come at a cost to consumers, as it will further tighten the budgets of Californians struggling to make ends meet during the pandemic.
The approval didn’t come lightly. Rather, it came after a two year battle between PG&E and a variety of consumer advocacy groups that rejected the idea that customers should have to pay for updates that, as one source said, PG&E neglected for years.
In the full story, you'll hear from Mindy Spatt, representative of consumer advocacy group The Utilities Reform Network, who believes that in light of the pandemic and subsequent economic hardship, the rate hike should be frozen. You'll also hear from Paul Doherty, communications representative at PG&E, who says that the rate hike is necessary in order for PG&E to continue to safely and reliably provide electricity.