California’s ratepayer advocate says the bill of the average Pacific Gas and Electric customer could climb $37 a month, or 16%, in 2027 if the utility gets everything it has asked for. The projection comes from the Public Advocates Office, the state office that represents utility customers, and it adds up several pending requests rather than one.
None of the increases is final. The California Public Utilities Commission has not ruled on them, and its own estimate for the largest single request is much smaller than the advocate’s combined total.
Where does the $37 a month come from?
The Public Advocates Office, in a fact sheet on PG&E’s revenue requests, says that together the requests could increase the average customer bill by $37 a month (16%) in 2027 and by $70 a month (30%) in 2030. The office published the sheet on March 5, 2026, and updated it June 24.
The office’s landing page on the full bill impact describes the same 16% rise for 2027.
Which requests are stacked together?
The 2027 general rate case, the main request, is only the start. The fact sheet counts nine other items asked for outside that process:
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- Energization and healthcare costs, 2027 through 2030
- Diablo Canyon Power Plant costs, 2027 through 2030
- Wildfire liability costs from the Dixie and Kincade fires, 2027 through 2030
- A billing system upgrade, 2027 through 2030
- Distribution undergrounding costs, 2028 through 2030
- A Wildfire and Gas Safety application, 2027
- Recovery of 2024 wildfire-related costs, 2027
- Future wildfire-related cost recovery applications, 2029 and 2030
- Outstanding memorandum account balances, 2028
Each one is separate, each has its own timing, and the advocate’s number is what they would add up to on the average bill if all were granted in full.
What does the general rate case alone mean for a bill?
The commission’s own fact sheet on the PG&E 2027 general rate case puts that one request at a $10.64 monthly rise, or 3.6%, for a typical combined electric and gas bill. The sheet’s example is a non-CARE household using 500 kilowatt-hours of electricity and 31 therms of gas a month, whose bill goes from $298.79 to $309.43 compared with 2025.
CARE is California’s discount program for lower-income households, so that example leaves out customers who get the discount. The commission says it expects to authorize new rates in May 2027.
How big is the revenue behind the numbers?
The Public Advocates Office puts PG&E’s rate case revenue alone at $14.8 billion in 2026, rising to $19.9 billion, or 34%, by 2030. With the other requests added, expected revenue goes from $15.4 billion in 2026 to $22.2 billion, or 44%, by 2030. Total expected revenue rises 23% in 2027.
Revenue is not the same as a household’s bill, because it is spread across millions of customers and across electric and gas service. That is why the advocate states the effect per average customer: $37 a month in 2027 and $70 a month in 2030.
What can customers on a fixed income do while the cases play out?
Households that already get the CARE discount are not the group in the commission’s example, and the advocate’s projection is an average across customers. A retiree’s own bill depends on how much electricity and gas the home uses, which is why heating, cooling and weatherization help matter as much as the rate decision itself.
The California Public Utilities Commission hosts the proceedings and posts decisions as they come. The first big answer is expected in May 2027. The advocate’s $37 assumes every pending request is granted, and the open question for each household is how much of it will reach the bill.
How much of the $37 will reach the PG&E bill, and what help applies?
The Public Advocates Office projects $37 more a month in 2027 and $70 more by 2030, and a household that does not know which bill-help programs it can use pays the full amount while the cases are decided.
The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit covers heating, cooling and home-repair help for older homeowners, and it includes an application log and renewal calendar for tracking each program’s dates. Part 5, “Utilities and Home Costs,” is the section on power and heat bills.
Get the PG&E bill-help guide and renewal calendar for 2027 →
More Financial Reading
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- 21 Ways Retirees Can Raise $1,000 Fast Without a Job
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
