SDG&E will raise its electricity rates by as much as 12.2% for many of its customers.
Electricity price hikes of any size are bad for end-users. Why pay more money for the exact same service?
This is why a growing number of businesses and homeowners throughout San Diego have begun exploring their solar options. From Chula Vista to El Cajon, they realize that each additional kilowatt of installed solar capacity shields them from current and future electricity price hikes.
The benefits of installing solar actually go much farther than electricity bill savings. But in today’s post, we wanted to explore how much SDG&E’s prices will actually go up.
Is 12.2% Higher Electricity Bills Truly Accurate?
According to many of the news reports that have come out over the past several months, average utility prices will rise about 12.2%.
This has been the official party line.
But a closer look at SDG&E’s own website shows a very different story.
Unfortunately, the utility company doesn’t talk about percentage changes. But it does offer a set of tables outlining how much higher electricity bills will go – depending on your location and monthly consumption habits.
For example, if you live on San Diego’s coast and currently pay $288/month for SDG&E electricity, you can expect your monthly bill to jump up to $381.
That’s nearly a 33% increase – not 12.2%.
If you consume a lot of electricity, your monthly bill could jump up nearly 40% – whether you live inland, by the mountains, in the desert, or on the coast.
So how did we reach 12.2% – a number that doesn’t seem to reflect reality at all?
Even if you add up all the percentage changes in SDG&E’s charts and take the average – the median increase is still 24%, which is nearly double the official 12.2%.
How does one explain this?
At Sunline Energy, we’re not really sure. But here’s our best guess.
SDG&E points out that only 25% of its customers throughout San Diego will actually see electricity bill increases – namely heavier users (Tiers 3 and 4) within their network.
In other words, customers in Tier 3 and 4 will see an average of 24% higher bills. But when you factor in all customers across all 4 tiers, the average price hike is only 12.2%.
Solar in San Diego – Protection Against Voodoo Math and Higher Bills
In all honesty, we’re not sure how SDG&E or reporters reached this magic 12.2% figure.
The above is simply our best guess.
But by installing solar panels today, you don’t have to guess. There’s no math to reconcile – no charts to study. Just lower monthly electricity bills starting on Day 1.
And as utility prices continue to go up – so do your monthly savings.
In fact, with a large enough solar installation in San Diego, you can opt out of the utility game entirely. Pay $0 a month – no matter how high SDG&E raises its rates today, tomorrow, or even 25 years from now.
To begin exploring your solar options in San Diego, contact us today at Sunline Energy. All initial consultations and on-site surveys are 100% free.
