Base Services Charge

Implementing a Base Services Charge and lowering the cost of electricity:

• Makes bills clearer and more transparent
• Shift costs away from low-income customers
• Support the path to electrification and carbon-free energy
• Enable PG&E to comply with the CA State Legislature's Assembly Bill (AB) 205

Electric pricing is lower for residential customers.³

Separating some of the costs of services from electricity pricing makes bills more transparent. The change lowers kWh pricing and helps make it more affordable for customers to replace gas appliances and vehicles with efficient electric options. It ensures that customers' energy bills are better matched to their income level. It also shifts cost burdens away from low-income customers. While electric pricing is lower, some customers experience a lower total bill, and others may see their bills slightly increase.

1. Distribution customer access costs

Costs of the connection to the grid, metering, and a portion of customer service costs related to billing

2. Public Purpose Program charges

Costs of clean energy and equity programs like CARE, energy efficiency, and demand response

3. New System Generation Charge

Funds system reliability for all customers

Customers enrolled in the CARE or FERA program automatically receive a discount, reducing their effective Base Services Charge. The standard Base Services Charge is discounted to $6.00 per month for CARE customers and is discounted to $12.00 per month for FERA households or Affordable Housing (Deed Restricted) dwellers.

CARE and FERA customers continue to receive their electricity usage discount. This is in addition to the already reduced kWh pricing.

Yes. Solar customers, even though they are producing clean energy, still use the electric grid, and therefore pay the same Base Services Charge as non-solar customers to maintain the infrastructure. The Base Services Charge replaces the monthly Minimum Electric Charge.

Yes. Utilities throughout the state have already implemented this change, as required by state law. Visit CA State Legislature's Assembly Bill (AB) 205 to learn more.

For the past several years, PG&E has consistently provided our customers with electricity that is 95-100 percent free of greenhouse gas emissions. Greater access to electrification through lower kWh pricing supports California's clean energy goals by encouraging the adoption of cleaner technologies – helping the state achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.