Why Is My SDG&E Bill So High? The 2026 Prices, the Long Summer and What to Check on Your Bill

SDG&E bills run high mainly because its prices are the highest of California's three big utilities: 45.5 cents per kWh on average in June 2026, against about 34 cents at PG&E and SCE. On top of that, SDG&E's summer pricing lasts until October 31, its 4-to-9 p.m. peak applies every day, and a $24 monthly Base Services Charge applies however little you use.

Those are the structural causes. The one that changed your bill this month is usually more specific: more days in the billing period, more air conditioning, more use in peak hours, or usage past your baseline. The checks below use SDG&E's own rate tables effective August 1, 2026 and the CPUC Public Advocates Office's reports, checked September 23, 2026. For the statewide picture, see why California electric bills are high.

Start with two bills from comparable periods

A bill total alone does not identify the cause. Pull the current bill and the same month last year. Record the billing days, total kWh, rate plan and generation provider. Divide kWh by days: if kWh per day rose, you used more; if it held steady and the bill still rose, prices or the plan did the work.

1. SDG&E's prices are the highest of the big three

The CPUC Public Advocates Office puts SDG&E's residential average at 45.5 cents per kWh in June 2026, excluding the Climate Credit, against 34.4 cents at SCE and 33.7 cents at PG&E. It is up 5% over three years, 42% since January 2021 and 97% since January 2016. The biggest recent step was January 1, 2026, when the office reports the average rose about 11.4%. The largest driver was generation: SDG&E's 2026 fuel and purchased-power forecast added $613.8 million, including $621.0 million to recover a 2025 under-collection because SDG&E's market revenues came in lower than forecast. The June 1, 2026 change cut about 2.0% after a federal transmission decision. The full history is in SDG&E's rate increase history.

2. Summer lasts five months

SDG&E's summer season runs June 1 to October 31, and winter November 1 to May 31. That is one month longer than PG&E's and SCE's summers, which end September 30. On TOU-DR1, the on-peak price is 69.135 cents in summer against 61.471 cents in winter, so an October heat wave is billed at summer peak prices. If your bill spiked in September or October, the calendar is part of the answer.

3. The 4-to-9 p.m. peak runs seven days a week

Unlike some plans elsewhere in California, SDG&E keeps 4 to 9 p.m. as on-peak on weekends and holidays. A household that runs air conditioning, cooking and laundry through a summer weekend evening pays nearly twice the super off-peak price for all of it. Our own arithmetic: 10 kWh a day moved from 6 p.m. to noon on TOU-DR1 in summer saves about $3.17 a day. The full plan menu, including TOU-DR2 and the flat DR plan, is in SDG&E time-of-use rates and peak hours.

4. Usage past your baseline loses its credit

SDG&E sets a monthly baseline allowance that it says covers 50% to 60% of what the average residential customer uses. On TOU-DR1 and TOU-DR2, usage up to 130% of baseline gets a 10.702-cent credit per kWh; usage above that pays full price. On the flat DR plan, the first tier costs 41.299 cents and everything above 130% of baseline costs 52.000 cents. So a hot month that pushes you well past baseline raises the price of the extra kWh, not just the count.

5. The Base Services Charge

Since October 2025, every SDG&E residential plan except the separately metered EV-TOU carries a Base Services Charge of $0.79343 a day, about $24 a month, or $0.39688 for FERA customers and qualifying deed-restricted affordable housing. It is billed alongside the per-kWh prices above, so its effect on a total depends on usage; in a low-usage apartment it can be a large share of the bill. SDG&E's plan pages leave it out of the listed prices, so it is easy to miss when comparing plans.

6. The Climate Credit moved to late summer

The CPUC says the 2026 electric California Climate Credit goes out in high-bill months. SDG&E electric customers receive $49.36 on the August bill and $49.36 on the September bill. A bill from another month will not have that credit, which can make it look higher by comparison.

7. A community choice provider or solar changes how the bill reads

If your account is enrolled with a community choice provider, the provider's generation charge replaces SDG&E's and SDG&E still bills delivery; compare the generation line, not the whole bill, with SDG&E's rate. If the home has solar, read the imports, exports and credits separately: on the Solar Billing Plan the bill is due monthly and export credits cannot pay the Base Services Charge and other non-nettable charges. Our guide to reading an SDG&E bill, with or without solar shows where each line sits, and how a California true-up bill works covers the annual settlement.

What to do, in order

1. Compare kWh per day with the same month last year before comparing dollars.
2. Check the Electricity Dashboard for your highest-usage hour; if it is between 4 and 9 p.m., start there.
3. Confirm your plan in My Energy Center and compare it with your usage; most plans lock for 12 months once you switch.
4. If money is tight, ask SDG&E about payment arrangements and income-qualified programs early. The Public Advocates Office counts 253,820 SDG&E customers, about 18%, behind on their bills, owing $501 on average.
5. Only then compare solar or a battery, using a proposal that shows your remaining bill on EV-TOU-5, the rate new solar customers are placed on.

For solar specifically, see SDG&E and solar; for local project checks, the city guides for San Diego, Escondido and Chula Vista. Other utilities: why PG&E and SCE bills run high.