California · Investor Owned · serves 1,140 ZIP codes
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. rate plans
3 residential plans are currently open to new customers that we can price side by side. Some charge different prices depending on the hour — which is where most of the savings hide.
What does Pacific Gas & Electric cost at a normal month’s usage?
A household using 1,000 kWh a month pays about $4,292 a year on the cheapest of the 8 plans we can price here — E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region P (All Electric Service) — and $4,824 on the priciest. Same house, same wires.
| A month of | Cheapest, a year | On which plan | Priciest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 kWh | $2,228 | E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region P (All Electric Service) | $2,438 |
| 1,000 kWh | $4,292 | E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region P (All Electric Service) | $4,824 |
| 2,000 kWh | $8,335 | Electric Vehicle EV2 (Sch) | $9,710 |
The cheapest plan here changes with how much you use. That happens where tiers reward a small household and a big fixed charge rewards a large one — so the right answer depends on your own bill, not on an average. Estimates from the filed tariff, priced hour by hour on a household with central air — not a quote.
How much does the plan you pick actually matter here?
Run the same three-bedroom house with central air through every plan Pacific Gas & Electric Co. files in Baseline Region P, and the bill lands anywhere between $3,505 and $3,786 a year. That $280 spread is not a difference in electricity — it is the same kilowatt-hours, from the same wires, priced under different rules. Nobody sends you a letter when you are on the wrong side of it.
Those figures describe Baseline Region P, because comparing across zones would be misleading: your zone is set by where you live, not by anything you can choose. The plan lists further down are grouped the same way, so compare inside your own group — your bill names it.
2 of these 3 plans price by the hour. Those are the ones where moving laundry, dishes, or car charging into the cheap window changes the bill; on the rest, the clock is irrelevant and only the total matters. Which camp you belong in is the first question worth settling, because it decides whether shifting your day is worth anything at all.
How Pacific Gas & Electric compares across California
Run the same three-bedroom house with central air through its default plan at each of the 5 California utilities we cover, and Pacific Gas & Electric comes in 3rd cheapest at about $3,505 a year; the state median is $3,505. The range runs from $1,672 at City of Riverside to $4,157 at Southern California Edison, and since the utility is set by the address, the part of that gap you can act on is the plan, not the company.
The other two households tell the same story in different sizes: a small apartment pays about $1,831 here against a state median of $1,831, and the same house with an electric car charging overnight about $4,886 against $4,886. Effective rate, fixed charge included, is 37.1¢ per kilowatt-hour for the family home.
Inside Pacific Gas & Electric itself, the gap between its cheapest and dearest plan for that house is $280 a year — less than the $2,486 between California's cheapest and dearest utilities. Here the address decides most of the bill; the plan decides the rest.
Every California utility we cover, priced for the same three households →
When are Pacific Gas & Electric’s peak hours?
Pacific Gas & Electric’s peak hours are 4pm–9pm, June–September on 22 of its 24 time-of-use plans — the rest use different windows, below. Everything outside those hours is off-peak, apart from a mid-priced shoulder period.
At peak, E-ELEC Residential Time of Use charges 55.2¢ a kWh; off-peak it is 28.5¢ — 1.9× apart.
| Plan | Peak hours | Peak | Off-peak | Weekends |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-ELEC Residential Time of Use (Electric Home) | 4pm–9pm, June–September | 55.2¢ | 28.5¢ | partly priced |
| E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region PBaseline Region P | 4pm–9pm, June–September | 44.1¢ | 28.6¢ | partly priced |
| E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region P (All Electric Service)Baseline Region P | 4pm–9pm, June–September | 44.1¢ | 28.6¢ | partly priced |
| E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region QBaseline Region Q | 4pm–9pm, June–September | 44.1¢ | 28.6¢ | partly priced |
| E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region Q (All Electric Service)Baseline Region Q | 4pm–9pm, June–September | 44.1¢ | 28.6¢ | partly priced |
| E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region RBaseline Region R | 4pm–9pm, June–September | 44.1¢ | 28.6¢ | partly priced |
| E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region R (All Electric Service)Baseline Region R | 4pm–9pm, June–September | 44.1¢ | 28.6¢ | partly priced |
| E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region SBaseline Region S | 4pm–9pm, June–September | 44.1¢ | 28.6¢ | partly priced |
| E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region S (All Electric Service)Baseline Region S | 4pm–9pm, June–September | 44.1¢ | 28.6¢ | partly priced |
| E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region TBaseline Region T | 4pm–9pm, June–September | 44.1¢ | 28.6¢ | partly priced |
| E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region T (All Electric Service)Baseline Region T | 4pm–9pm, June–September | 44.1¢ | 28.6¢ | partly priced |
| E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region VBaseline Region V | 4pm–9pm, June–September | 44.1¢ | 28.6¢ | partly priced |
| E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region V (All Electric Service)Baseline Region V | 4pm–9pm, June–September | 44.1¢ | 28.6¢ | partly priced |
| E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region WBaseline Region W | 4pm–9pm, June–September | 44.1¢ | 28.6¢ | partly priced |
| E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region W (All Electric Service)Baseline Region W | 4pm–9pm, June–September | 44.1¢ | 28.6¢ | partly priced |
| E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region XBaseline Region X | 4pm–9pm, June–September | 44.1¢ | 28.6¢ | partly priced |
| E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region X (All Electric Service)Baseline Region X | 4pm–9pm, June–September | 44.1¢ | 28.6¢ | partly priced |
| E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region YBaseline Region Y | 4pm–9pm, June–September | 44.1¢ | 28.6¢ | partly priced |
| E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region Y (All Electric Service)Baseline Region Y | 4pm–9pm, June–September | 44.1¢ | 28.6¢ | partly priced |
| E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region ZBaseline Region Z | 4pm–9pm, June–September | 44.1¢ | 28.6¢ | partly priced |
| E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region Z (All Electric Service)Baseline Region Z | 4pm–9pm, June–September | 44.1¢ | 28.6¢ | partly priced |
| Electric Vehicle EV2 (Sch) | 4pm–9pm, June–September | 53.8¢ | 22.6¢ | partly priced |
| E-TOU-D Residential Time of Use | 5pm–8pm, June–September | 47.7¢ | 34.2¢ | partly priced |
| Electric Vehicle EV (Sch) | 2pm–9pm, 3pm–7pm, May–October | 62.1¢ | 23.5¢ | partly priced |
On Electric Vehicle EV, every kilowatt-hour a day you move from 2pm to midnight is worth about $130 a year in the month the gap is widest — an electric car or a water heater on a timer is the kind of load that actually moves. When to charge an electric car →
Which plan would cost you least?
No bill upload, no sign-up. Tell us roughly what a month costs you and what runs on electricity — we price every plan against the same household and show you the gap.
That adds up to 4,262 kWh a year. Compare it to the total on your bill and adjust until it’s close.
Same usage, different plan
$192a year
That is the gap between the cheapest plan you could be on — Electric Vehicle EV (Sch) — and the priciest. Not by using less power. By being billed differently for the same power.
| Plan | Per year | Vs best |
|---|---|---|
| Electric Vehicle EV (Sch)Peak hits 2pm–9pm every day, all year. | $1,618 | — |
| E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region PPeak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year. | $1,639 | +$20 |
| E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region P (All Electric Service)Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year. | $1,639 | +$20 |
| E-1 -Residential Service Baseline Region P (All Electric Service)The hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak October–May. | $1,676 | +$58 |
| E-1 -Residential Service Baseline Region PThe hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak October–May. | $1,689 | +$71 |
| Electric Vehicle EV2 (Sch)Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year. | $1,693 | +$75 |
| E-ELEC Residential Time of Use (Electric Home)Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year. | $1,730 | +$111 |
| E-TOU-D Residential Time of UsePeak hits 5pm–8pm every day, all year. | $1,811 | +$192 |
An estimate, not a quote. Supply charges move month to month, and your real usage pattern is not exactly this one. What it does show reliably is the gap between plans — both are priced off the same assumptions.
Before you switch anything
- What is a time-of-use electricity rate?
The same kilowatt-hour, priced differently depending on when you use it.
- Should you switch to a time-of-use electricity plan?
A wide peak-to-off-peak gap is a lever, not a saving. Levers need something to move.
- How to compare electricity plans without getting it wrong
Six things that break a comparison, and the order to check them in.
Every plan, in detail
Hour-by-hour schedules, tier thresholds, and the tariff each one comes from.
Baseline Region P
- E-1 -Residential Service Baseline Region Pflat
The hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak October–May.
32.6–40.7¢ - E-1 -Residential Service Baseline Region P (All Electric Service)flat
The hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak October–May.
32.6–40.7¢ - E-ELEC Residential Time of Use (Electric Home)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
28.5–55.2¢ - E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region Ptime-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
28.6–52.2¢ - E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region P (All Electric Service)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
28.6–52.2¢ - E-TOU-D Residential Time of Usetime-of-use
Peak hits 5pm–8pm every day, all year.
34.2–47.7¢ - Electric Vehicle EV (Sch)time-of-use
Peak hits 2pm–9pm every day, all year.
23.5–62.1¢ - Electric Vehicle EV2 (Sch)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
22.6–53.8¢
Baseline Region Q
- E-1 -Residential Service Baseline Region Qflat
The hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak October–May.
32.6–40.7¢ - E-1 -Residential Service Baseline Region Q (All Electric Service)flat
The hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak October–May.
32.6–40.7¢ - E-ELEC Residential Time of Use (Electric Home)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
28.5–55.2¢ - E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region Qtime-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
28.6–52.2¢ - E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region Q (All Electric Service)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
28.6–52.2¢ - E-TOU-D Residential Time of Usetime-of-use
Peak hits 5pm–8pm every day, all year.
34.2–47.7¢ - Electric Vehicle EV (Sch)time-of-use
Peak hits 2pm–9pm every day, all year.
23.5–62.1¢ - Electric Vehicle EV2 (Sch)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
22.6–53.8¢
Baseline Region R
- E-1 -Residential Service Baseline Region Rflat
The hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak October–May.
32.6–40.7¢ - E-1 -Residential Service Baseline Region R (All Electric Service)flat
The hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak October–May.
32.6–40.7¢ - E-ELEC Residential Time of Use (Electric Home)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
28.5–55.2¢ - E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region Rtime-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
28.6–52.2¢ - E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region R (All Electric Service)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
28.6–52.2¢ - E-TOU-D Residential Time of Usetime-of-use
Peak hits 5pm–8pm every day, all year.
34.2–47.7¢ - Electric Vehicle EV (Sch)time-of-use
Peak hits 2pm–9pm every day, all year.
23.5–62.1¢ - Electric Vehicle EV2 (Sch)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
22.6–53.8¢
Baseline Region S
- E-1 -Residential Service Baseline Region Sflat
The hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak October–May.
32.6–40.7¢ - E-1 -Residential Service Baseline Region S (All Electric Service)flat
The hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak October–May.
32.6–40.7¢ - E-ELEC Residential Time of Use (Electric Home)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
28.5–55.2¢ - E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region Stime-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
28.6–52.2¢ - E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region S (All Electric Service)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
28.6–52.2¢ - E-TOU-D Residential Time of Usetime-of-use
Peak hits 5pm–8pm every day, all year.
34.2–47.7¢ - Electric Vehicle EV (Sch)time-of-use
Peak hits 2pm–9pm every day, all year.
23.5–62.1¢ - Electric Vehicle EV2 (Sch)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
22.6–53.8¢
Baseline Region T
- E-1 -Residential Service Baseline Region Tflat
The hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak October–May.
32.6–40.7¢ - E-1 -Residential Service Baseline Region T (All Electric Service)flat
The hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak October–May.
32.6–40.7¢ - E-ELEC Residential Time of Use (Electric Home)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
28.5–55.2¢ - E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region Ttime-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
28.6–52.2¢ - E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region T (All Electric Service)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
28.6–52.2¢ - E-TOU-D Residential Time of Usetime-of-use
Peak hits 5pm–8pm every day, all year.
34.2–47.7¢ - Electric Vehicle EV (Sch)time-of-use
Peak hits 2pm–9pm every day, all year.
23.5–62.1¢ - Electric Vehicle EV2 (Sch)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
22.6–53.8¢
Baseline Region V
- E-1 -Residential Service Baseline Region Vflat
The hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak October–May.
32.6–40.7¢ - E-1 -Residential Service Baseline Region V (All Electric Service)flat
The hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak October–May.
32.6–40.7¢ - E-ELEC Residential Time of Use (Electric Home)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
28.5–55.2¢ - E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region Vtime-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
28.6–52.2¢ - E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region V (All Electric Service)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
28.6–52.2¢ - E-TOU-D Residential Time of Usetime-of-use
Peak hits 5pm–8pm every day, all year.
34.2–47.7¢ - Electric Vehicle EV (Sch)time-of-use
Peak hits 2pm–9pm every day, all year.
23.5–62.1¢ - Electric Vehicle EV2 (Sch)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
22.6–53.8¢
Baseline Region W
- E-1 -Residential Service Baseline Region Wflat
The hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak October–May.
32.6–40.7¢ - E-1 -Residential Service Baseline Region W (All Electric Service)flat
The hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak October–May.
32.6–40.7¢ - E-ELEC Residential Time of Use (Electric Home)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
28.5–55.2¢ - E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region Wtime-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
28.6–52.2¢ - E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region W (All Electric Service)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
28.6–52.2¢ - E-TOU-D Residential Time of Usetime-of-use
Peak hits 5pm–8pm every day, all year.
34.2–47.7¢ - Electric Vehicle EV (Sch)time-of-use
Peak hits 2pm–9pm every day, all year.
23.5–62.1¢ - Electric Vehicle EV2 (Sch)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
22.6–53.8¢
Baseline Region X
- E-1 -Residential Service Baseline Region Xflat
The hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak October–May.
32.6–40.7¢ - E-1 -Residential Service Baseline Region X (All Electric Service)flat
The hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak October–May.
32.6–40.7¢ - E-ELEC Residential Time of Use (Electric Home)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
28.5–55.2¢ - E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region Xtime-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
28.6–52.2¢ - E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region X (All Electric Service)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
28.6–52.2¢ - E-TOU-D Residential Time of Usetime-of-use
Peak hits 5pm–8pm every day, all year.
34.2–47.7¢ - Electric Vehicle EV (Sch)time-of-use
Peak hits 2pm–9pm every day, all year.
23.5–62.1¢ - Electric Vehicle EV2 (Sch)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
22.6–53.8¢
Baseline Region Y
- E-1 -Residential Service Baseline Region Yflat
The hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak October–May.
32.6–40.7¢ - E-1 -Residential Service Baseline Region Y (All Electric Service)flat
The hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak October–May.
32.6–40.7¢ - E-ELEC Residential Time of Use (Electric Home)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
28.5–55.2¢ - E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region Ytime-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
28.6–52.2¢ - E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region Y (All Electric Service)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
28.6–52.2¢ - E-TOU-D Residential Time of Usetime-of-use
Peak hits 5pm–8pm every day, all year.
34.2–47.7¢ - Electric Vehicle EV (Sch)time-of-use
Peak hits 2pm–9pm every day, all year.
23.5–62.1¢ - Electric Vehicle EV2 (Sch)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
22.6–53.8¢
Baseline Region Z
- E-1 -Residential Service Baseline Region Zflat
The hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak October–May.
32.6–40.7¢ - E-1 -Residential Service Baseline Region Z (All Electric Service)flat
The hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak October–May.
32.6–40.7¢ - E-ELEC Residential Time of Use (Electric Home)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
28.5–55.2¢ - E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region Ztime-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
28.6–52.2¢ - E-TOU-C Residential Time of Use Baseline Region Z (All Electric Service)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
28.6–52.2¢ - E-TOU-D Residential Time of Usetime-of-use
Peak hits 5pm–8pm every day, all year.
34.2–47.7¢ - Electric Vehicle EV (Sch)time-of-use
Peak hits 2pm–9pm every day, all year.
23.5–62.1¢ - Electric Vehicle EV2 (Sch)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
22.6–53.8¢