California · Investor Owned · serves 210 ZIP codes
San Diego Gas & Electric Co rate plans
4 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 San Diego Gas & Electric cost at a normal month’s usage?
A household using 1,000 kWh a month pays about $5,139 a year on the cheapest of the 10 plans we can price here — TOU-DR-1 Coastal Baseline Region — and $6,248 on the priciest. Same house, same wires.
| A month of | Cheapest, a year | On which plan | Priciest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 kWh | $2,463 | TOU-DR-1 Coastal Baseline Region | $3,124 |
| 1,000 kWh | $5,139 | TOU-DR-1 Coastal Baseline Region | $6,248 |
| 2,000 kWh | $10,371 | EV-TOU-5 | $12,496 |
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 San Diego Gas & Electric Co files in Coastal Baseline Region, and the bill lands anywhere between $3,951 and $4,726 a year. That $776 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 Coastal Baseline Region, 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.
3 of these 4 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.
Watch the fixed charges too. Across these plans they run from $10 to $290 a year before a single kilowatt-hour is counted. For a small household that difference alone can outweigh the per-kWh price, which is why comparing cents per kilowatt-hour on its own quietly misleads.
How San Diego 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 San Diego Gas & Electric comes in 4th cheapest at about $3,951 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 $2,000 here against a state median of $1,831, and the same house with an electric car charging overnight about $5,402 against $4,886. Effective rate, fixed charge included, is 41.8¢ per kilowatt-hour for the family home.
Inside San Diego Gas & Electric itself, the gap between its cheapest and dearest plan for that house is $776 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 San Diego Gas & Electric’s peak hours?
San Diego Gas & Electric’s peak hours are 4pm–9pm, June–October on 13 of its 17 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, DR-SES charges 73.9¢ a kWh; off-peak it is 34.3¢ — 2.2× apart.
| Plan | Peak hours | Peak | Off-peak | Weekends |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-SES (Solar Energy Systems) | 4pm–9pm, June–October | 73.9¢ | 34.3¢ | partly priced |
| EV-TOU | 4pm–9pm, June–October | 85.3¢ | 30.1¢ | partly priced |
| EV-TOU-2 | 4pm–9pm, June–October | 78.0¢ | 24.3¢ | partly priced |
| EV-TOU-5 | 4pm–9pm, June–October | 79.3¢ | 12.1¢ | partly priced |
| TOU-DR-1 Coastal Baseline RegionCoastal Baseline Region | 4pm–9pm, June–October | 57.8¢ | 27.0¢ | partly priced |
| TOU-DR-1 Desert Baseline RegionDesert Baseline Region | 4pm–9pm, June–October | 57.8¢ | 27.0¢ | partly priced |
| TOU-DR-1 Inland Baseline RegionInland Baseline Region | 4pm–9pm, June–October | 57.8¢ | 27.0¢ | partly priced |
| TOU-DR-1 Mountain Baseline RegionMountain Baseline Region | 4pm–9pm, June–October | 57.8¢ | 27.0¢ | partly priced |
| TOU-DR-2 Coastal Baseline RegionCoastal Baseline Region | 4pm–9pm, June–October | 58.2¢ | 31.1¢ | partly priced |
| TOU-DR-2 Desert Baseline RegionDesert Baseline Region | 4pm–9pm, June–October | 58.2¢ | 31.1¢ | partly priced |
| TOU-DR-2 Inland Baseline RegionInland Baseline Region | 4pm–9pm, June–October | 58.2¢ | 31.1¢ | partly priced |
| TOU-DR-2 Mountain Baseline RegionMountain Baseline Region | 4pm–9pm, June–October | 58.2¢ | 31.1¢ | partly priced |
| TOU-ELEC (DOMESTIC TIME-OF-USE FOR HOUSEHOLDS WITH ELECTRIC VEHICLES, ENERGY STORAGE, OR ELECTRIC HEAT PUMPS) | 4pm–9pm, June–October | 71.6¢ | 33.8¢ | partly priced |
| TOU-DR Coastal Baseline RegionCoastal Baseline Region | 4pm–9pm, November–May | 50.3¢ | 33.1¢ | partly priced |
| TOU-DR Desert Baseline RegionDesert Baseline Region | 4pm–9pm, November–May | 50.3¢ | 33.1¢ | partly priced |
| TOU-DR Inland Baseline RegionInland Baseline Region | 4pm–9pm, November–May | 50.3¢ | 33.1¢ | partly priced |
| TOU-DR Mountain Baseline RegionMountain Baseline Region | 4pm–9pm, November–May | 50.3¢ | 33.1¢ | partly priced |
On EV-TOU-5, every kilowatt-hour a day you move from 4pm to midnight is worth about $243 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 3,409 kWh a year. Compare it to the total on your bill and adjust until it’s close.
Same usage, different plan
$419a year
That is the gap between the cheapest plan you could be on — TOU-DR-1 Coastal Baseline Region — and the priciest. Not by using less power. By being billed differently for the same power.
| Plan | Per year | Vs best |
|---|---|---|
| TOU-DR-1 Coastal Baseline RegionPeak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year. | $1,403 | — |
| DR-LI - Coastal Baseline RegionThe hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak November–May. | $1,454 | +$51 |
| TOU-DR-2 Coastal Baseline RegionPeak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year. | $1,675 | +$272 |
| EV-TOU-5Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year. | $1,684 | +$281 |
| TOU-DR Coastal Baseline RegionPeak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year. | $1,685 | +$283 |
| DR - Coastal Baseline RegionThe hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak November–May. | $1,691 | +$289 |
| EV-TOUPeak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year. | $1,738 | +$335 |
| TOU-ELEC (DOMESTIC TIME-OF-USE FOR HOUSEHOLDS WITH ELECTRIC VEHICLES, ENERGY STORAGE, OR ELECTRIC HEAT PUMPS)Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year. | $1,777 | +$374 |
| EV-TOU-2Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year. | $1,795 | +$393 |
| DR-SES (Solar Energy Systems)Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year. | $1,822 | +$419 |
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.
Coastal Baseline Region
- DR - Coastal Baseline Regionflat
The hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak November–May.
41.1–51.8¢ - DR-LI - Coastal Baseline Regionflat
The hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak November–May.
40.6–51.2¢ - DR-SES (Solar Energy Systems)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
34.3–73.9¢ - EV-TOUtime-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
30.1–85.3¢ - EV-TOU-2time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
24.3–78.0¢ - EV-TOU-5time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
12.1–79.3¢ - TOU-DR Coastal Baseline Regiontime-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
33.1–61.0¢ - TOU-DR-1 Coastal Baseline Regiontime-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
27.0–68.5¢ - TOU-DR-2 Coastal Baseline Regiontime-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
31.1–68.9¢ - TOU-ELEC (DOMESTIC TIME-OF-USE FOR HOUSEHOLDS WITH ELECTRIC VEHICLES, ENERGY STORAGE, OR ELECTRIC HEAT PUMPS)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
33.8–71.6¢
Desert Baseline Region
- DR - Desert Baseline Regionflat
The hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak November–May.
41.1–51.8¢ - DR-LI - Desert Baseline Regionflat
The hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak November–May.
40.6–51.2¢ - DR-SES (Solar Energy Systems)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
34.3–73.9¢ - EV-TOUtime-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
30.1–85.3¢ - EV-TOU-2time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
24.3–78.0¢ - EV-TOU-5time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
12.1–79.3¢ - TOU-DR Desert Baseline Regiontime-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
33.1–61.0¢ - TOU-DR-1 Desert Baseline Regiontime-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
27.0–68.5¢ - TOU-DR-2 Desert Baseline Regiontime-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
31.1–68.9¢ - TOU-ELEC (DOMESTIC TIME-OF-USE FOR HOUSEHOLDS WITH ELECTRIC VEHICLES, ENERGY STORAGE, OR ELECTRIC HEAT PUMPS)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
33.8–71.6¢
Inland Baseline Region
- DR - Inland Baseline Regionflat
The hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak November–May.
41.1–51.8¢ - DR-LI - Inland Baseline Regionflat
The hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak November–May.
40.6–51.2¢ - DR-SES (Solar Energy Systems)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
34.3–73.9¢ - EV-TOUtime-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
30.1–85.3¢ - EV-TOU-2time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
24.3–78.0¢ - EV-TOU-5time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
12.1–79.3¢ - TOU-DR Inland Baseline Regiontime-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
33.1–61.0¢ - TOU-DR-1 Inland Baseline Regiontime-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
27.0–68.5¢ - TOU-DR-2 Inland Baseline Regiontime-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
31.1–68.9¢ - TOU-ELEC (DOMESTIC TIME-OF-USE FOR HOUSEHOLDS WITH ELECTRIC VEHICLES, ENERGY STORAGE, OR ELECTRIC HEAT PUMPS)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
33.8–71.6¢
Mountain Baseline Region
- DR - Mountain Baseline Regionflat
The hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak November–May.
41.1–51.8¢ - DR-LI - Mountain Baseline Regionflat
The hour never matters here — only the season. Rates peak November–May.
40.6–51.2¢ - DR-SES (Solar Energy Systems)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
34.3–73.9¢ - EV-TOUtime-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
30.1–85.3¢ - EV-TOU-2time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
24.3–78.0¢ - EV-TOU-5time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
12.1–79.3¢ - TOU-DR Mountain Baseline Regiontime-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
33.1–61.0¢ - TOU-DR-1 Mountain Baseline Regiontime-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
27.0–68.5¢ - TOU-DR-2 Mountain Baseline Regiontime-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
31.1–68.9¢ - TOU-ELEC (DOMESTIC TIME-OF-USE FOR HOUSEHOLDS WITH ELECTRIC VEHICLES, ENERGY STORAGE, OR ELECTRIC HEAT PUMPS)time-of-use
Peak hits 4pm–9pm every day, all year.
33.8–71.6¢