California households get summer electricity credits as state returns $886 million

Millions of California households received a sweet surprise in their electricity bills for the months of August and September. Under a new schedule designed to place relief in the hottest, highest-use months, homes received automatic credit. Governor Gavin Newsom's office said on Tuesday that customers of Pacific Gas and Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric will receive a combined $886 million in California Climate Credits this year, averaging about $75 per household across the three large utilities.Interestingly, the credits require no application. They appear automatically on eligible residential bills and are funded with proceeds from California’s Cap-and-Invest program, which requires large greenhouse-gas emitters to buy allowances. A portion of those proceeds is returned directly to utility customers rather than retained for other climate investments. The governor’s announcement distinguishes the $886 million going through the three largest electric utilities from the broader electric-credit program.The exact household amounts vary by provider. The California Public Utilities Commission’s 2026 schedule listed two credits of $36.18 for PG&E ...