The Average PG&E Utility Bill Has Gone Up Nearly 70% Since 2020

Source: KQED |  By Matthew Green

The increasingly steep cost of keeping the lights on and the heat flowing comes as PG&E last week asked California regulators if it could increase the rate of return for its investors, to 11.3%, up a percentage point from the current limit — a move that would result in yet another rate hike.

But Lee Trotman, with The Utility Reform Network, said PG&E enjoyed record profits last year — of $2.47 billion — and shouldn’t need to raise rates to further satisfy its investors. “The overall message is that rates have gone up without fail,” he said. “They’re doing everything they can to make shareholders happy at the cost of ratepayers.”