PG&E, SCE and SDG&E have different tariffs, but there is no single price that describes every household’s bill. Your comparison depends on the plan, billing dates, usage timing, fixed charges, discount status and generation provider. Utility-wide averages answer a different question from the cost of serving your home.
Updated October 21, 2026: The previous early-2026 average-rate ranking and derived monthly savings figures have been removed because they were not reverified as current household prices. This guide now focuses on a like-for-like comparison.
Compare a bill, not just a price per kWh
Use a full year of consumption when possible. Apply the same usage profile to eligible plans, with the correct season, TOU windows and tariff effective dates. Include any fixed or minimum charge and identify which taxes, adjustments and credits the estimate covers.
The CPUC’s electric rates guide explains the distinction between usage charges and the fixed cost of the grid. A lower energy rate does not by itself establish a lower total bill.
Check each plan’s own time windows
Do not assume that all TOU plans share the same peak hours, weekend rules or seasonal dates. Consult the current tariff attached to the plan. Moving the same amount of electricity to a cheaper period can change energy charges, but the impact on the whole bill depends on all other components.
For an EV or an electric home, compare the additional charging or heating load with the home’s existing usage. A plan with a low charging price can still be a poor fit if its other periods or fixed charges cost more.
Account for CCA service and enrollment rules
Confirm the generation provider shown on your bill. A CCA comparison must include the applicable delivery charges, generation price and PCIA or other relevant adjustments. The CPUC’s retail choice overview explains these separate responsibilities. A model should not recommend a plan solely because it appears in a dataset: check service territory, equipment requirements and whether enrollment is open.
Use an actionable comparison
- Find your utility, rate-plan code, generation provider and discount status on a recent bill.
- Gather monthly or interval consumption and the dates covered.
- Compare eligible plans using the same consumption and assumptions.
- Check the source date, omitted bill items and eligibility notes beside each result.
- Confirm the proposed change with the utility before enrolling.
Open California Rate Finder to explore a supported plan, Compare Plans for modeled alternatives, or EV Smart Charge Planner for charging scenarios. Address detection and planning estimates do not establish your current enrolled plan.
Official tariff sources
Source review: October 21, 2026. Regulatory explanations and source links were checked for this revision. Individual tariff verification is recorded separately in the tool datasets; this article does not certify all utility rates as current.