SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Matthew Oliver loves making his kids meals and taking care of them, but he said the strain from the cost-of-living in California, especially his high power bills with PG&E, certainly adds extra stress to his life.

What You Need To Know

  • CPUC is proposing a fixed fee of roughly $24 instead of a fixed fee cost based on income

  • The new charge would affect PG&E, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric customers

  • The fee is meant to help with costs of the utility companies, such as infrastructure

  • Some electric utility companies in the state already have fixed fees in place

“Literally we have seen it go up over 120%, our bill, over the last four years,” Oliver said.

The state’s public utility commission or CPUC has approved two rate increases this year that, on average, add $38 per month for PG&E customers.

The commission has now proposed a new separate monthly fixed fee charge not just for PG&E customers, but also, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric customers, who on average would see a new $24 charge on their bill.

Something Oliver said he strongly disagrees with. 

“That fixed fee actually looks like a rate increase, another rate increase,” Oliver said.

The Predictable Power Coalition, which represents the big three utilities, said the fee will help pay for certain costs such as infrastructure.

CPUC said during peak hours when power is the most expensive, rates for customers of the state’s big three utilities would fall between 8% and 9.8% because of the fixed charge.

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Homes that depend more on electricity will have an easier time seeing savings rather than those utilizing alternate energy sources like solar. 

As severe weather is forcing utility companies to improve the safety of their infrastructure, which the fixed fee would aid in, utility customers are footing a bill not entirely of their making, according to former CPUC regulatory judge Steve Weissman.

“As a society, we've created a problem, but now we're trying to impose all the costs for this on utility rates," said Weissman, who is now a lecturer at UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy. "Which is a concern because we really do want people to think more about using electricity as opposed to using fossil fuel.”

Oliver has solar and added that he is always thinking of ways to help be energy efficient. He said he hopes officials will take a hard look at this new fee proposal before deciding, and any future rate increases.