Electricity prices in California
Homes in California paid an average of 29.75 cents per kilowatt-hour for electricity in August 2026, compared with 30.92 cents a year earlier. Over the 12 months to August 2026 the average was 32.34 cents, the 2nd highest of the 50 states and DC. The US average over the same period was 18.04 cents.
Monthly price since 2017
CaliforniaUS average
Average residential revenue per kilowatt-hour sold, in cents, each month. Prices usually rise in summer in many states because of tiered and seasonal rates.
Year by year
| Year | Price (cents/kWh) | Average monthly bill | Average monthly use (kWh) | Residential customers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 31.35 | $155 | 494 | 14,371,584 |
| 2024 | 31.97 | $161 | 503 | 14,217,179 |
| 2023 | 29.51 | $145 | 491 | 14,063,972 |
| 2022 | 25.84 | $138 | 535 | 13,942,175 |
| 2021 | 22.82 | $124 | 542 | 13,883,989 |
| 2020 | 20.45 | $117 | 572 | 13,834,718 |
| 2019 | 19.15 | $102 | 532 | 13,707,126 |
| 2018 | 18.84 | $103 | 546 | 13,591,149 |
| 2017 | 18.31 | $101 | 554 | 13,548,293 |
| 2016 | 17.39 | $95 | 547 | 13,445,133 |
| 2015 | 16.99 | $95 | 557 | 13,380,682 |
| 2014 | 16.25 | $91 | 562 | 13,256,067 |
| 2013 | 16.23 | $91 | 561 | 13,256,422 |
| 2012 | 15.34 | $88 | 573 | 13,101,882 |
| 2011 | 14.78 | $84 | 567 | 13,002,978 |
| 2010 | 14.75 | $83 | 562 | 12,947,913 |
Full calendar years with final EIA data. Bills and use are averages per residential customer account.
Last 24 months
| Month | Price (cents/kWh) | Average bill | Average use (kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 2026 (preliminary) | 29.75 | $235 | 789 |
| July 2026 (preliminary) | 33.61 | $192 | 571 |
| June 2026 (preliminary) | 34.74 | $165 | 474 |
| May 2026 (preliminary) | 33.25 | $136 | 408 |
| April 2026 (preliminary) | 35.29 | $138 | 392 |
| March 2026 (preliminary) | 33.28 | $154 | 462 |
| February 2026 (preliminary) | 33.22 | $140 | 420 |
| January 2026 (preliminary) | 30.29 | $183 | 604 |
| December 2025 | 29.95 | $140 | 469 |
| November 2025 | 32.03 | $133 | 416 |
| October 2025 | 33.62 | $151 | 448 |
| September 2025 | 31.89 | $200 | 627 |
| August 2025 | 30.92 | $195 | 629 |
| July 2025 | 31.72 | $187 | 589 |
| June 2025 | 32.43 | $162 | 500 |
| May 2025 | 32.51 | $133 | 409 |
| April 2025 | 27.76 | $110 | 397 |
| March 2025 | 31.59 | $133 | 422 |
| February 2025 | 31.57 | $145 | 460 |
| January 2025 | 30.13 | $166 | 552 |
| December 2024 | 30.62 | $150 | 489 |
| November 2024 | 30.18 | $127 | 422 |
| October 2024 | 32.45 | $163 | 503 |
| September 2024 | 31.83 | $196 | 615 |
Utilities in California, 2025
Full-service (bundled) residential customers by utility for 2025, from the annual EIA-861 survey. Select a heading to sort.
| Southern California Edison Co | investor-owned utility | 3,262,177 | 31.48 | $149 |
| Pacific Gas & Electric Co. | investor-owned utility | 1,738,444 | 37.52 | $174 |
| Los Angeles Department of Water & Power | municipal utility | 1,415,602 | 26.48 | $124 |
| Sacramento Municipal Util Dist | public power utility | 601,275 | 18.93 | $125 |
| San Diego Gas & Electric Co | investor-owned utility | 284,416 | 45.77 | $168 |
| Imperial Irrigation District | public power utility | 142,916 | 18.69 | $202 |
| City of Anaheim | municipal utility | 107,148 | 19.37 | $92 |
| Modesto Irrigation District | public power utility | 104,671 | 23.03 | $173 |
| City of Riverside | municipal utility | 101,042 | 21.94 | $135 |
| Turlock Irrigation District | public power utility | 80,976 | 17.40 | $142 |
| City of Glendale | municipal utility | 78,071 | 35.51 | $139 |
| City of Roseville | municipal utility | 64,556 | 21.29 | $145 |
| City of Pasadena | municipal utility | 58,602 | 25.11 | $116 |
| City of Santa Clara | municipal utility | 54,000 | 17.88 | $71 |
| City of Burbank Water and Power | municipal utility | 46,719 | 21.50 | $106 |
| Liberty Utilities | investor-owned utility | 44,507 | 27.65 | $141 |
| City of Redding | municipal utility | 39,152 | 18.97 | $152 |
| PacifiCorp | investor-owned utility | 36,339 | 24.18 | $200 |
| Alameda Municipal Power | municipal utility | 32,364 | 24.01 | $87 |
| City of Palo Alto | municipal utility | 25,672 | 21.36 | $110 |
| City of Lodi | municipal utility | 24,215 | 22.78 | $128 |
| Bear Valley Electric Service | investor-owned utility | 23,395 | 41.12 | $122 |
| City of Colton | municipal utility | 17,367 | 23.00 | $119 |
| City of Azusa | municipal utility | 15,646 | 20.77 | $104 |
| Merced Irrigation District | public power utility | 11,850 | 24.15 | $144 |
| City of Moreno Valley | municipal utility | 7,952 | 40.60 | $188 |
| City of Shasta Lake | municipal utility | 4,278 | 22.91 | $180 |
| City & County of San Francisco | municipal utility | 3,670 | 27.13 | $295 |
| Surprise Valley Electrification | electric cooperative | 2,788 | 13.50 | $128 |
| City of Corona | municipal utility | 1,305 | 15.76 | $84 |
Customers who buy power from a separate supplier
In California some homes buy electricity from a retail supplier and pay their local utility only for delivery. The delivery and supply figures below each cover only part of those homes' bills, so they cannot be compared with full-service prices.
| Delivery utility | Delivery-only homes | Delivery charge (cents/kWh) |
|---|---|---|
| Pacific Gas & Electric Co. | 3,317,112 | 24.60 |
| Southern California Edison Co | 1,365,070 | 19.19 |
| San Diego Gas & Electric Co | 1,094,049 | 27.33 |
| Retail supplier | Homes supplied | Supply price (cents/kWh) |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego Community Power | 851,153 | 15.76 |
| Clean Power Alliance of Southern Califor | 752,163 | 13.95 |
| Ava Community Energy | 657,327 | 14.48 |
| Marin Clean Energy | 533,896 | 15.00 |
| Central Coast Community Energy | 429,482 | 14.75 |
| CleanPowerSF | 358,382 | 15.16 |
| San Jose Clean Energy | 326,574 | 13.96 |
| WestLight Energy | 285,476 | 12.43 |
| Silicon Valley Clean Energy Authority | 253,277 | 13.30 |
| Clean Energy Alliance | 218,258 | 18.29 |
| Sonoma Clean Power Authority | 202,434 | 12.36 |
| Orange County Power Authority | 155,559 | 12.92 |
| Pioneer Community Energy | 145,198 | 13.88 |
| Valley Clean Energy Alliance | 54,345 | 13.94 |
| Redwood Coast Energy Authority | 51,383 | 13.83 |
| Lancaster Choice Energy | 47,159 | 16.38 |
| Energy for Palmdale's Independent Choice | 40,579 | 16.85 |
| Pomona Choice Energy (PCE) | 37,045 | 16.29 |
| Santa Barbara Clean Energy | 32,190 | 15.35 |
| Desert Community Energy | 27,896 | 18.07 |
| Apple Valley Choice Energy | 22,627 | 14.08 |
| Pico Rivera Innovative Municipal Energy | 14,772 | 15.99 |
| San Jacinto Power | 13,631 | 16.97 |
| Rancho Mirage Energy Authority | 12,995 | 13.58 |
| Pilot Power Group, LLC | 3,678 | 16.67 |
| King City Community Power | 2,716 | 14.20 |
Rooftop solar sold by the kilowatt-hour
Some solar companies own panels on customers' roofs and sell them the power. EIA reports these sales as behind-the-meter. The price covers only the solar power, not the grid power the home also buys.
| Company | Homes | Solar price (cents/kWh) |
|---|---|---|
| Sunrun Inc. | 359,783 | 31.17 |
| Tesla Inc. | 146,091 | 18.91 |
| SunPower Capital, LLC | 73,491 | 25.70 |
| EverBright, LLC | 26,148 | 25.71 |
| Spruce Finance | 25,201 | 19.27 |
| Palmetto Solar, LLC | 9,079 | 19.20 |
Reliability across California in 2025: the average customer was without power for 345 minutes over 1.27 interruptions, or 135 minutes excluding major storms and other major event days. This is EIA's state total for utilities reporting under any standard, covering 15,912,615 customers.
If your bill is hard to pay
The federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps with heating and cooling bills. Find your state office on the LIHEAP page. Your state utility commission handles complaints about utility billing and rates.
Sources
- US Energy Information Administration, Annual Electric Power Industry Report, Form EIA-861, 2025 and 2024 detailed data (Sales to Ultimate Customers, Reliability, Service Territory, Average Bill)
- US Energy Information Administration, Electric power sales, revenue, and energy efficiency, Form EIA-861M detailed data (sales_revenue.xlsx), monthly 2010 to August 2026
- US Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A and Table 5.6.B, average price of electricity by state (used to cross-check every state figure for August 2026)
Checked 29 October 2026. Figures for 2026 are preliminary and EIA may revise them. These are statewide averages, not the rate on your bill.