In 2021 SDG&E has increased their rates up to 25% , and electricity has jumped about 8% in the las month for the average home. Some San Diegans have reported that their energy bill went from $85 a month to $200. SDG&E officials have cited various reasons for the hike including growth of public benefit programs to provide discounts to low-income families, wildfire mitigation, and a higher cost of natural gas, which has been an issue in other states.
Unfortunately, some homeowners don’t feel SDG&E’s explanation is sufficient on why their energy bill is so high.
In a Region Like San Diego, What is The Average Electric Bill Every Month?
It’s difficult to say because San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) doesn’t make this information readily available (for the reasons explained down below).
However, according to this site, the “average” customer uses roughly 500 kilowatt-hours a month. So if we use that as our baseline, average prices range from $98 to $131 depending on where you live in San Diego.
Why Doesn’t SDG&E Make Average Electric Bill Prices More Public?
San Diego Gas & Electric could make average prices easier to find. But it chooses not to because its utility rates are some of the highest in the country.
The Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA) collects and publishes residential utility rates for the entire country. And in most years, SDG&E ranks among the most expensive electricity providers. When it’s not #1, it’s almost always in the top 5.
But it’s usually #1 – often by a ridiculously large margin.
In the first quarter of 2013, for example, the average SDG&E electric bill for 1,000 kWh was a staggering $272. The next most expensive utility provider on JEA’s list charged $202.
And it’s worth mentioning, that SDG&E (like most utilities) continues raising its rates year after year. In fact, in September 2013, some residential electricity customers got hit with 40% price hikes overnight.
If you were paying $100, you were suddenly paying $140.
It’s also worth mentioning that these higher prices don’t translate to higher value. It’s not like SDG&E’s electricity is any better or different from the electricity you might buy in New York, Tokyo, or Paris. Energy is energy. And no matter where you live, if you rely on utility power, you are renting that energy.
How Going Solar Can Lower Your Average Electricity Bill
If you’re cool with paying exorbitant electricity bills every month, then stop reading this. SDG&E provides 12 great opportunities every year to throw away money (and destroy the planet).
However, by going solar today, you can reduce your reliance on fossil fuel and utility power. In fact, with a large enough installation, you can reduce your monthly electricity bill to $0. Some even manage to push their electricity bills into the negative (it’s true).
Let’s put some numbers behind this.
If you’re paying $131 every month for utility power, you’ll end up spending nearly $16,000 over the next 10 years. And this assumes that utility rates don’t go up (which they most certainly will).
However, if you install a solar PV system that costs $10,000, it’s possible to eliminate all utility charges for the next 25 – 40 years (25 years is the minimum lifetime warranty that comes with most solar installations, but many installations last much longer).
Based on these numbers, it would take you about 6 years for your monthly savings to exceed the $10,000 you initially paid for your solar installation. This is a fairly accurate payback period – especially in a region like San Diego that has tons of sunshine and crazy expensive utility rates. And the payback period only shrinks as utility rates go up.
That you’re also saving the planet is simply icing on the cake.
It’s a pretty sweet deal.
Give us a call today and we’ll help make your average electric bill $0 a month (for the next 25 – 40 years).
If you are looking for a reputable solar company in San Diego, contact us today. We can help you get started with your solar project or answer any question you may have.
Lower bill indeed! I bought a fixer upper that was built in 1975 in the Rancho Bernardo area. After all of the remodeling we were ready to move in. Our utility bill was super high taking into account all of our appliances and pool, so I started doing research to educate myself on photovoltaic systems and other types of solar technologies. I found myself wanting some Qcells and stared looking for a company that would carry them. I found plenty of them but we choose Sunline. After our solar consultation we decided on the LG solar panels instead, simply because it fit more of our needs and usage. The system size is 6.73 kW with 33 panels not sure on what inverters we have but so far they work great. With all of the rebates and federal tax credits the whole system cost was only about $25,000. Just the tax credit made it so worth it. My sdge bill is only $20 during the summer and with the AC on, during the winter it has been $0. We are planning on expanding the system by adding 3 powerwalls, 1 would be enough but if we deal with power outages we rather have everything working. Which by the way I should mention that solar batteries also qualify for the tax credit. I see a lot of people talking bad about solar, but I feel like many don’t understand so maybe me sharing this story can help those who are on the fence. One more thing, we did consider leasing but after reading up on it, DON’T DO IT! It’s not worth it. Find yourself a good company and buy your solar system.
I was looking into powewalls but I wanted to ask someone who actually has them. Where did they install them? Can you pick when you want to get any energy from the battery storage or do you have to go through a power outage for it to happen. How big are they?
Hi Johnny! They installed them inside my garage. Their dimensions are L 45.3″ x W 29.6″x D 5.75″ they don’t take up too much space. You have to download the tesla app and you can program it whenever you want. I usually have it set up for them to run when the sun goes down. I don’t want to pay anything to SDGE. You can’t tell when it switches over and they are pretty quite.
Got mine installed last year and I’m pretty happy with it! I was paying about $250 and the payment is about $25 bucks. I paid for the whole system out of pocket so I own the system. The federal tax credit was a pretty awesome too.