San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E): price per kWh and bills
SDG&E's 284,416 default-service customers in California paid an average of 45.77¢ per kWh in 2025, for an average bill of $167.87 a month on 367 kWh.1 Over the last 12 months (Sep 2025–Aug 2026) the average was 47.56¢, and 48.12¢ in August 2026.2 Another 1,094,049 homes on its wires (79.4%) buy their supply elsewhere and pay SDG&E delivery charges averaging 27.33¢ per kWh, plus their supplier's price.
EIA-861 2025 final (released October 7, 2026) and EIA's monthly utility survey through August 2026 (preliminary); next monthly update expected November 24, 2026. Averages are revenue divided by kWh, all charges included: not the rate printed in a tariff.
2 of 58 California counties served (EIA-861 2025)
No large US utility reported a higher residential average than SDG&E: its full-service homes paid 45.77¢ per kWh in 2025, the highest of 177 large US utilities, and 47.56¢ per kWh2 over the last 12 months. Its homes also used the least electricity of California's big utilities, so the average bill, $167.87, was not the state's highest. And 79.4%1 of the homes on SDG&E's wires bought their power from a community choice aggregator or another supplier.
The price per kWh, period by period
SDG&E is the investor-owned utility serving homes in San Diego County and part of Orange County. EIA reports three averages for its bundled residential customers, the homes that buy both electricity and delivery from SDG&E:
- Calendar 2025 (Form EIA-861, every utility): 45.77¢ per kWh, up from 43.63¢ per kWh3 in 2024 (+4.9%1).
- Last 12 months, September 2025 to August 2026 (Form EIA-861M, a monthly sample): 47.56¢ per kWh.
- Latest month, August 20264: 48.12¢ per kWh, +9.9%2 on the same month a year earlier. Months since January 2026 are preliminary.
Each one is average revenue per kWh: what those homes paid in total, divided by the kWh they used. It includes the time-of-use energy prices, monthly charges and credits, so it is not a line from SDG&E's rate schedule, and households on different plans pay different amounts per kWh.
The 2025 average was the highest of the 25 California utilities with 10,000 or more bundled residential customers, 46.0% above the California average and 157.4% above the national average for investor-owned utilities. The state's averages also split by ownership: California's investor-owned utilities together averaged 33.91¢ per kWh that year, its public power utilities 22.74¢ per kWh1.
Source: EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2025 final. Bundled (full-service) residential revenue divided by kWh, summed over every utility of each type (EIA-861 2025). Small utilities filing the short form report no residential split and are not included.
Show the numbers
| Type | ¢/kWh | Residential customers |
|---|---|---|
| Investor-owned utilities | 33.91¢ | 5,389,278 |
| Electric cooperatives | 13.51¢ | 2,800 |
| Public power (municipal, districts, state) | 22.74¢ | 3,039,122 |
Among the 177 US utilities with 100,000 or more residential customers it ranked the highest of 177, ahead of Hawaiian Electric (Hawaii) at 40.54¢ per kWh; the median utility in that group averaged 15.07¢ per kWh1.
Source: EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2025 final. EIA-861 2025 final. Average revenue per kWh is all charges divided by kWh; it is not a tariff rate.
Show the numbers
| Utility | average residential price (bundled customers) |
|---|---|
| United Illuminating (CT) | 35.40¢ |
| Con Edison (NY) | 36.74¢ |
| PG&E (CA) | 37.52¢ |
| Hawaiian Electric (HI) | 40.54¢ |
| SDG&E (CA) | 45.77¢ |
What EIA's 2026 monthly data show
In EIA's monthly sample, SDG&E's latest year-on-year change was larger than that of the other two investor-owned utilities. In August 20264, SDG&E's bundled homes paid 48.12¢ per kWh, +9.9% on a year earlier. In the same month PG&E's average changed −30.0% and Southern California Edison's +2.2%. Over the last 12 months SDG&E averaged 47.56¢ per kWh, against 34.74¢ per kWh at PG&E and 31.64¢ per kWh2 at SCE.
Source: EIA-861M monthly sales and revenue by utility; EIA, Electric Power Monthly / EIA-861M sales and revenue by state. Residential revenue divided by kWh in each month, as reported to EIA's monthly survey (EIA-861M; months since January 2026 preliminary). Bundled (default-service) customers only.
Show the numbers
| Month | SDG&E (¢/kWh) | kWh per customer | Bill per customer |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 2025 | 37.50¢ | 468 | $175.59 |
| February 2025 | 37.86¢ | 337 | $127.60 |
| March 2025 | 39.30¢ | 322 | $126.60 |
| April 2025 | 59.38¢ | 260 | $154.54 |
| May 2025 | 52.98¢ | 267 | $141.67 |
| June 2025 | 44.38¢ | 298 | $132.28 |
| July 2025 | 45.83¢ | 360 | $164.90 |
| August 2025 | 43.79¢ | 388 | $169.93 |
| September 2025 | 41.00¢ | 542 | $222.38 |
| October 2025 | 67.38¢ | 438 | $295.38 |
| November 2025 | 46.32¢ | 306 | $141.51 |
| December 2025 | 39.12¢ | 413 | $161.60 |
| January 2026 | 40.39¢ | 440 | $177.71 |
| February 2026 | 44.84¢ | 318 | $142.74 |
| March 2026 | 47.08¢ | 329 | $154.89 |
| April 2026 | 49.95¢ | 305 | $152.20 |
| May 2026 | 53.16¢ | 236 | $125.18 |
| June 2026 | 51.64¢ | 285 | $146.95 |
| July 2026 | 46.01¢ | 408 | $187.49 |
| August 2026 | 48.12¢ | 588 | $282.73 |
Read the August 20264 figure with the calendar in mind. A CPUC decision announced in April 2026 schedules the residential Climate Credit of the three investor-owned utilities, SDG&E included, for August and September. Any credit cuts the revenue counted for the month it appears on bills, and the timing of credits can differ from one year to the next, so a year-on-year comparison of one month can mislead. Twelve months of data, all preliminary for 2026, give the steadier reading.
Any future SDG&E increase goes through the California Public Utilities Commission, which decides the utility's general rate cases and its separate requests to recover specific costs; the guide to rate cases follows a request from filing to bill. EIA's figures record what was paid, not why. For the why, a January 2025 Legislative Analyst's Office report points to several cost drivers behind higher investor-owned utility rates across California, including wildfire spending, grid costs collected per kWh, programs funded through rates and the shift of costs from older rooftop-solar arrangements, while cautioning that their individual size is not precisely known.
Low use keeps the bill below the price ranking
SDG&E's bundled homes bought 367 kWh a month on average in 2025, less than PG&E's 464 kWh or SCE's 474 kWh, in the state with the lowest use per home (494 kWh). The average bill was $167.87: higher than SCE's $149.07 and the US average of $150.685, but below PG&E's $173.951, even though SDG&E's price per kWh was the higher of the two.
Source: EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2025 final. EIA-861 2025 final. Average revenue per kWh is all charges divided by kWh; it is not a tariff rate.
Show the numbers
| Utility | average monthly residential use |
|---|---|
| SDG&E (CA) | 367 |
| PG&E (CA) | 464 |
| LADWP (CA) | 469 |
| Southern California Edison (CA) | 474 |
| SMUD (CA) | 663 |
From 2024 to 2025 use barely moved (365 kWh to 367 kWh), so the bill tracked the price: it rose from $159.103 to $167.87 (+5.5%1). Over the last 12 months (September 2025 to August 2026) the average bill was $182.56 for 384 kWh2.
EIA counts only the kWh SDG&E sells. Power that rooftop panels produce and use on site never appears in those figures, and SDG&E's territory has many such panels (see below).
Spring lows, late-summer peaks
Over the last 12 months (September 2025 to August 2026), SDG&E's bundled homes used 236 kWh in May 2026 and 588 kWh in August 2026; the average bills in those two months were $125.18 and $282.73. The peak is lower than SCE's (1,159 kWh2 in its own peak month), but it still sets the year's largest bills.
Source: EIA-861M monthly sales and revenue by utility. kWh per residential customer in each month (EIA-861M; months since January 2026 preliminary). The table adds the average bill and price for the month.
Show the numbers
| Month | kWh per customer | Bill per customer | ¢/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 2025 | 542 | $222.38 | 41.00¢ |
| October 2025 | 438 | $295.38 | 67.38¢ |
| November 2025 | 306 | $141.51 | 46.32¢ |
| December 2025 | 413 | $161.60 | 39.12¢ |
| January 2026 | 440 | $177.71 | 40.39¢ |
| February 2026 | 318 | $142.74 | 44.84¢ |
| March 2026 | 329 | $154.89 | 47.08¢ |
| April 2026 | 305 | $152.20 | 49.95¢ |
| May 2026 | 236 | $125.18 | 53.16¢ |
| June 2026 | 285 | $146.95 | 51.64¢ |
| July 2026 | 408 | $187.49 | 46.01¢ |
| August 2026 | 588 | $282.73 | 48.12¢ |
Most homes on SDG&E's wires buy power from a CCA
SDG&E delivered electricity to 1,378,465 residential customers in 2025, but sold it to only 284,416 of them. The other 1,094,049, or 79.4%, bought their supply from a community choice aggregator (CCA) or another supplier. The CPUC's community choice program lets local governments buy power for the homes in their area by default; SDG&E's poles, wires and meters still carry it. That share was higher than PG&E's 65.6% and SCE's 29.5%1.
The headline price on this page is therefore the experience of a minority of SDG&E homes (284,4161 accounts). The rest receive two bills' worth of charges that EIA measures in different places, and the two figures must stay apart:
- SDG&E's delivery charges: 27.33¢ per kWh on average in 2025 (28.12¢ per kWh3 in 2024, −2.8%), about $75.80 a month at 277 kWh.
- The electricity itself, from the CCA or supplier: not reported by utility area. The statewide average for all California CCA and supplier customers was 14.48¢ per kWh1 in 2025.
The delivery average fell while the bundled average rose 4.9%. It was also the highest of the three investor-owned utilities: PG&E's delivery-only homes paid 24.60¢ per kWh and SCE's 19.19¢ per kWh. The delivery-only group used less per home (277 kWh) than bundled customers (367 kWh1), so the two groups' bills are not comparable either. This page lists no CCA rates; the California retail choice guide explains who supplies what.
Source: EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2025 final. Delivery charges only: what the utility billed customers who buy supply elsewhere, divided by their kWh. Not comparable with bundled prices.
Show the numbers
| Utility | delivery-only revenue per kWh (residential) |
|---|---|
| Southern California Edison (CA) | 19.19¢ |
| PG&E (CA) | 24.60¢ |
| SDG&E (CA) | 27.33¢ |
Time-of-use is the default experience
Advanced meters made up 99.8% of SDG&E's residential meters in 2025, and 1,200,084 residential customers, 87.1% of all homes on the wires, were enrolled in time-of-use, variable peak pricing and critical peak pricing. California as a whole had 35.9% of homes on time-varying rates. Of the state's other big utilities, SMUD reported a higher share (97.0%); SCE reported 57.9% and PG&E 13.0%6. For most SDG&E homes, the price paid depends on the hour as well as the amount used. The plans' peak hours are in SDG&E's rate schedules, and the time-of-use guide shows how such plans change a bill.
Rooftop solar is common: SDG&E reported 340,500 net-metered residential installations with 1,888.8 megawatts of capacity, 247.0 per 1,000 residential customers, against 156.0 per 1,000 across California, which ranked 2nd highest6 among the states.
Outages well under the state average
SDG&E customers were without power for 130 minutes on average in 2025, including major event days, fewer than the California average of 345 minutes. Excluding major event days the figure was 68 minutes, against 135 minutes statewide. Customers had 0.54 interruptions on average, against 1.277 for California. All three use the IEEE 1366 definitions.
Business customers
SDG&E's bundled commercial customers paid 39.12¢ per kWh on average in 2025, below the residential 45.77¢ per kWh, and its 1,493 bundled industrial accounts 28.41¢ per kWh. Across all bundled customers the average was 40.08¢ per kWh. Businesses shop for supply too: SDG&E billed 124,852 delivery-only commercial customers an average of 17.69¢ per kWh for delivery, against 31,8181 bundled commercial customers.
Service area and help with bills
SDG&E reports residential customers in two counties, San Diego and Orange, and in both at least one other distribution utility also reports service. A city name or ZIP code is therefore not proof of who delivers to a home; SDG&E's own service-area map decides by address.
Source: EIA-861 2025, service territory; Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file, counties. EIA-861 2025 service territory: 2 counties. Counts whole counties even where the utility serves only part of one; check the utility's own service-area map for an address.
Show the numbers
| County | Other utilities reporting service |
|---|---|
| Orange County | Southern California Edison, Anaheim Public Utilities |
| San Diego County | PG&E, Southern California Edison, Imperial Irrigation District, City of Escondido |
Households under the income limits of the CPUC's CARE and FERA programs receive a percentage off their electric bill. Federal LIHEAP funding for California came to $242.1 million10 in fiscal year 2026. For the statewide picture, see electricity in California.
SDG&E rates: common questions
How much does SDG&E charge per kWh?
SDG&E's bundled residential customers paid an average of 47.56¢ per kWh2 over the last 12 months (September 2025 to August 2026, EIA-861M, 2026 months preliminary) and 45.77¢ per kWh1 in calendar 2025. That is total residential revenue divided by kWh, so it blends every rate schedule, time-of-use period, fixed charge and credit. SDG&E's rate schedules list separate prices by plan, season and hour, and none of them will match the average exactly.
Did SDG&E rates go up in 2026?
The average did. In August 20264, the latest month EIA has published, SDG&E's bundled residential customers paid 48.12¢ per kWh, +9.9% against the same month a year earlier (preliminary), and the 12-month average of 47.56¢ per kWh2 was above the 2025 figure of 45.77¢ per kWh1. Future rate changes are decided by the California Public Utilities Commission.
What is the average SDG&E electric bill?
$167.87 a month in 2025 for bundled residential customers using 367 kWh, and $182.56 over the last 12 months (September 2025 to August 2026). In August 2026, the month of highest use, the average was $282.732. Customers of a community choice aggregator pay SDG&E only for delivery, $75.801 a month on average in 2025, plus the aggregator's own charge.
How many SDG&E customers are on time-of-use?
1,200,084 residential customers, 87.1%6 of all homes on SDG&E's wires, were enrolled in time-varying pricing in EIA's 2025 count. The peak hours and prices of each plan are in SDG&E's rate schedules.
Related pages
Sources
- EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2025 final; table Sales_Ult_Cust_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA-861M monthly sales and revenue by utility; table sales_ult_cust_2025 and _2026; released October 23, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2024 final; table Sales_Ult_Cust_2024; 2024, final (file updated December 3, 2025); released December 3, 2025. www.eia.gov
- EIA, Electric Power Monthly / EIA-861M sales and revenue by state; table sales_revenue.xlsx (EPM Table 5.6.A); January 2001 to 2026-08; months since January 2026 preliminary; released October 23, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA-861 2025, average monthly bill by state; table Average_Bill_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA-861 2025, advanced meters, dynamic pricing and net metering; table Advanced_Meters, Dynamic_Pricing, Net_Metering 2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA-861 2025, reliability; table Reliability_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA-861 2025, service territory; table Service_Territory_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file, counties; table cb_2025_us_county_5m; cb_2021_us_county_5m; 2025 (2021 for Connecticut). www.census.gov
- HHS, LIHEAP funding releases to states; table FY2027 first release; FY2026 final; FY2027 first release (October 9, 2026); FY2026 total; released October 9, 2026. acf.gov
How every figure is built: methodology. Found an error? Write to [email protected]; corrections are listed on the updates page.