PG&E is asking for rate increases but says customer bills are expected to remain flat in 2027, compared to 2025. Beyond that, they aren’t estimating the impact.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — PG&E is asking California for more rate increases.

Maybe you got the email this week, if you’re a PG&E gas or electric customer, saying now is the time for the public to weigh in on the utility’s request.

ABC10 checked in with PG&E and consumer advocates about how much this could affect your bills.

The email invited people to “make comments and raise concerns” with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). The CPUC is the regulator in charge of approving, amending or denying rate increase requests from investor-owned utilities, including PG&E.

“We want our customers to know this is the smallest percentage increase we’ve asked for in a decade,” PG&E spokesperson Lynsey Paulo told ABC10 on Wednesday. “We’re really breaking the trend of double-digit increase requests, so we want them to know we are really working to stabilize prices for customers.” 

PG&E submitted what’s called a General Rate Case (GRC) application to the CPUC in May, and it’s now open for public comment. The GRC is a cost projection large utilities are required to file every four years. The one PG&E has submitted covers 2027 through 2030.

“This is to forecast the costs that we expect to continue making safety and reliability and clean energy upgrades for our customers,” Paulo said.


Rate increases

PG&E is forecasting its revenue requirements will increase 8% from 2026 to 2027, followed by three yearly increases of 6.1%.

The price difference in your monthly bill depends whether you’re a gas or electric customer — or both.

In its email to customers, PG&E said a typical residential Non-CARE electric customer using 500 kWh per month would see an increase from:

$214.93 to $226.11, or 5.2% in 2027$226.11 to $232.99, or 3.0% in 2028 $232.99 to $240.24, or 3.1% in 2029 $240.24 to $248.01, or 3.2% in 2030

As for gas, PG&E said a typical Non-CARE bundled residential customer averaging 31 therms per month would decrease from $83.86 to $83.32, or -0.6% in 2027, and then increase from:

$83.32 to $86.38, or 3.7% in 2028$86.38 to $89.63, or 3.8% in 2029$89.63 to $92.94, or 3.7% in 2030

Paulo says that first year’s increase will be offset by other temporary expenses coming to an end in 2026. She says customers are expected to see their bills remain flat in 2027 compared to what they’re paying this year.

“As for 2028 through 2030,” Paulo said, “I can’t forecast out ‘28, ‘29, and 2030 because we have too many cases that are pending that we don’t know what the outcome will be.”

She’s referring to pending requests for more temporary rate increases, to pay for specific projects.

“I think that most customers have already had it up to here with rate increases,” said Mark Toney, executive director of The Utility Reform Network (TURN).

He encourages people to not only submit public comment to the CPUC but also express concerns to their state senator and assemblymember.

“There are no limits to how much PG&E can ask for a rate increase,” Toney said. “There’s no limits to how many times a year they can ask. There’s no limits to how much the Public Utilities Commission can grant them in increases.”


Making comments

Already, people are weighing in on the public comment site.

One Sacramento customer opposed to the increases wrote, in part, “Current rates are already extraordinarily high compared to neighboring utilities, and these new hikes would make a bad situation even worse for households across Northern and Central California.”

Bernadette Del Chiaro is Senior Vice President for California with the Environmental Working Group.

“Ongoing rate increases are nothing more than a direct result of unchecked spending. The more PG&E spends of our money, the more they profit. It is that simple,” Del Chiaro said.

She, too, encourages people to make their voices heard to lawmakers and the regulators at the CPUC.

“The problem here — what’s broken — is that the regulator isn’t stepping in and scrutinizing the spending, saying ‘no’ to increased spending,” she said.

In addition to flat-out approving PG&E’s GRC application, the CPUC could ultimately decide to give PG&E a smaller increase than it’s asking.

The CPUC tells ABC10 it takes public comments into consideration as regulators make their decision. The final decision is expected late next year.

In addition to submitting written public comment online, there are also three upcoming opportunities to present your comments — at one in-person and two virtual hearings. That information is HERE.