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Save energy & money checklist

Useful tools to control your energy use

We want to make it easy for you to understand your bill and usage and save money. Here are five ways to control your bill:

  1. Understand your bill.
  2. Manage your usage.
  3. Make sure you’re on the lowest rate.
  4. Apply for any discounts or programs to reduce the amount owed.
  5. Find the payment plan that works for you.

 

Understand your bill

Your bill contains important information. It shows how much energy you used and what the price was per kilowatt hour. Solar, Community Choice Aggregator (CCA) and Core Transport Agent (CTA) customers will also find the following:

  • Solar customers will see an estimate for how much they will owe on their annual True-Up date. Learn about solar billing
  • CCA customers will see electricity charges from another provider. For example, if you’re a CCA customer of Marin Clean Energy (MCE), you’ll see MCE charges on the bill. That’s because you buy your power from MCE instead of PG&E. Learn about Community Choice Aggregators
  • CTA customers will see gas charges from another provider. If you use a CTA, you’ll see their charges on the bill. That’s because you buy your gas from them instead of from PG&E. Learn about Core Transport Agents

Get an overview of your bill

 

Manage your usage

To manage usage and control costs, you must understand how much energy you use—and which systems and appliances drive your usage. The three keys to managing your usage are:

  1. Use less energy. Many things can drive your usage up, from having more guests at home to leaving appliances plugged in when they aren’t in use.
  2. Lose less energy. If your home is not well insulated, the energy you’re using is going right out your doors, windows and walls. When the weather is especially hot or cold, your heater or air conditioner run more often to keep your home at the temperature set on your thermostat. This can quickly drive costs up.
  3. Use energy at the right time of day. If you’re on a time-of-use rate plan, use less electricity between 4-9 p.m. That’s when rates are highest.

 

PG&E has tools to help you understand your usage. Once you sign in, you’ll be able to:

  • Compare one bill to another. Review if your usage has changed month to month. Learn what caused it. See how weather can impact your bill. Discover how much energy you used during peak hours when it’s most expensive.
  • Find energy usage details. Learn how much it costs to run your home each day. Review hourly usage information to find costly spikes.
  • Take a home energy checkup. Learn which systems use the most energy in your home. Find tips on how to reduce your energy costs. Get an estimate of how much you could save per year. Find ways to invest in your home, including cost-free ideas.
  • See your projected bill. Our projected bill feature allows you to see how much we expect your bill to be for the month, as well as how much you’ve spent to date.
  • Receive bill forecast alerts. Set a budget for your energy bill. We’ll send you a text message or email if you’re projected to go over your budget. Then you can take steps to reduce your usage for the rest of the month.

 

Find your lowest rate

PG&E doesn’t make more money when you use more power. We don’t want you to use more energy than is necessary. Use our rate analysis tool to review your current usage. We’ll help you find the lowest rate and show you how much you could save by switching plans. Sign in now to start your analysis.

 

Apply for discounts or programs to reduce the amount you owe

PG&E has four types of financial assistance programs:

  • Income-based programs
  • Medical-based programs—for those reliant on medical devices that use energy
  • Rebate and incentive programs
  • Payment option programs

 

Income-based financial assistance programs

  • California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE). The CARE program offers a monthly discount of 20% or more on your energy bill. Learn about CARE.
  • Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA). The FERA program offers an 18% discount on your monthly energy bill. Learn about FERA.
  • Energy Saving Assistance Program (ESA). The ESA program makes upgrades to your home to help lower your energy usage. Learn about ESA.
  • Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). LIHEAP offers one-time payment or home improvement assistance. Learn about LIHEAP.
  • Relief for Energy Assistance through Community Help (REACH). REACH can provide a payment on behalf of those with a past due balance. Learn about REACH.
  • Arrearage Management Plan (AMP). AMP offers debt forgiveness for those who are past-due on their PG&E bill. Learn more about AMP.

 

Medical-based financial assistance programs

 

Rebates and incentives

 

Payment option programs

  • Payment arrangements. If you are past-due on your bill, PG&E will work with you to split your past due balance into smaller pieces.
  • Extended due date. If you are past due on your PG&E bill, but expect to pay it in full, PG&E will extend your due date. If you are eligible, the option will show in your payments section. Sign into your PG&E account to see if you qualify. If you do, the option will appear on your dashboard.
  • Budget Billing. The Budget Billing program examines your annual usage. It creates a fixed amount for residential customers to pay each month to help you have a more predictable monthly bill. Learn about Budget Billing or sign into your PG&E account to enroll.