PG&E customers may find next month’s bill a little lower than usual. The utility is one of several in the state giving its customers a “California Climate Credit.”
PG&E electric customers will see a credit for $39.42. Gas customers will receive $29.85. If you get both services with PG&E, you will get both credits. You do not need to do anything to claim it, it should just appear on your October bill.
The “California Climate Credit” is part of the state’s cap and trade program. Utilities get allowances as part of the program. The law then requires investor-owned utilities to return the proceeds from those allowances back to their customers.
This program has been in place since 2014, so you may have received the credit before, even if you were not aware of it. This year, for the first time, the California Public Utilities Commission sent an email about the program to customers through the utility. That has caught the attention of more people.
Starting in 2019, electric customers will get the credit in April and October, gas customers will get it in April.
I don’t have PG&E, what about me?
The credit is given to all residential and certain small business customers of PG&E, SDG&E, SCE Pacific Power, Liberty Utilities, SoCalGas and Southwest Gas. These are all investor-owned utilities.
Municipal utility companies, like SMUD, are not part of the program.
Each utility does offer a different credit amount, to learn more, visit cpuc.ca.gov/climatecredit.