When I opened my Pacific Gas and Electric (PGE) bill for August of 2024, it was so high that I nearly fell out of my chair.
My typical electric bill here in the San Francisco Bay Area is around $500-600. Bills are usually higher in the Summer, when people use more air conditioning.
But my August 2024 bill was something else entirely. As I read the bill, I was shocked to see the total cost: $1,452.32.
Almost $1,500, just to provide electricity and a trickle of natural gas to my home? That’s insane!
My August bill was abnormally high–almost 300% of my normal charges. And I’m not alone. As our readers recently shared, people all over the Bay Area have been floored by their PGE bills this month.
One local called their bill “criminal.” Residents on fixed incomes are saying that they’ll need to choose between paying their PGE bill and eating this month.
Was your bill insanely high this month, too? Join the discussion with other locals on our Facebook page.
A few caveats about my own bill. I have an electric car, so I tend to use a lot more electricity than the average user. I don’t have a major cost for gasoline, so that does balance out my super-high bill a bit.