It may not lead to the popping of Champagne corks, but according to the most recent monthly data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics , two other metropolitan areas have passed San Diego for having the highest average electricity prices in the country.
The price per kilowatt-hour in urban Hawaii came to 42.8 cents in January, followed by San Francisco at 41.2 cents. San Diego had the third-highest average price at 40.1 cents per kilowatt-hour.
For more than a year, the San Diego metropolitan area has usually finished No. 1 in the monthly reports, with urban Hawaii wresting the top spot on occasion. But San Francisco has experienced a sharp increase recently.
Officials at the Bureau of Labor Statistics don’t specifically mention the utilities or energy providers when it posts that data but the surge in the average price per kilowatt-hour in the San Francisco area aligns with an increase in rates charged by Pacific Gas & Electric , the investor-owned utility whose service territory covers Northern and Central California.