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Who Provides Electricity in Orange County
Southern California Edison delivers electricity to most of Orange County. The City of Anaheim runs its own utility, and the southern end of the county, including San Clemente, is San Diego Gas & Electric territory. In three cities, Orange County Power Authority buys the power that SCE delivers. They price electricity very differently, so start with the name on your bill.
Updated September 23, 2026. California Rate Relief is a referral service. We are not a licensed contractor.
How the county splits between providers
The California Energy Commission maps each utility's territory. Laid over the county boundary, its layers (queried September 23, 2026) put about 70% of Orange County's area in SCE territory, about 14% in SDG&E's along the south, and about 6% in the City of Anaheim's own utility. The Commission's community choice layer still shades Huntington Beach as Orange County Power Authority territory, but OCPA's own FAQ names only Buena Park, Fullerton and Irvine as current member cities, with Fountain Valley beginning service soon, and OCPA says its Huntington Beach customers returned to SCE in 2024. SCE still delivers the power and sends the bill in the member cities.
On bills, the Public Advocates Office's June 2026 estimates for SCE customers not on CARE were $152 a month in a cool climate zone where homes use about 385 kWh a month and $254 in a hot one using about 700 kWh; CARE customers averaged $81 and $165. Since November 2025 SCE has added a Base Services Charge of $24.15 a month for customers not on CARE or FERA ($12.08 on FERA, $6.00 on CARE) and lowered its per-kWh prices by about 10%. Current averages for every utility are on the California utility rate tracker. Sources: California Energy Commission, Electric Load Serving Entities; Orange County Power Authority, FAQ; OCPA, Huntington Beach customers return to SCE; CPUC Public Advocates Office, Q2 2026 Electric Rates Report; SCE, Base Services Charge; each fetched September 23, 2026.
Three utilities, three different bills
SCE: Irvine, Santa Ana, Huntington Beach, Westminster
SCE's average residential rate was 34.4¢ per kWh as of June 1, 2026, a bundled average across the whole residential class (CPUC Public Advocates Office, Q2 2026 Electric Rates Report). That covers Irvine, Santa Ana, Huntington Beach and Westminster. The SCE bill guide and the SCE time-of-use guide explain the charges an estimate should start from.
Anaheim Public Utilities: Anaheim
Anaheim's posted domestic rate is an $8.00 monthly charge, 14.00¢ per kWh for the first 10 kWh a day, and 21.49¢ per kWh after that, with a time-of-use option alongside it (Anaheim Public Utilities, Residential Rates, checked September 23, 2026). The page shows no effective date, so confirm the current schedule with the utility. An estimate built on SCE's average does not describe a bill in Anaheim.
SDG&E: San Clemente
SDG&E says it has powered San Diego and southern Orange counties for over 140 years, and San Clemente is inside that territory. SDG&E's average residential rate was 45.5¢ per kWh as of June 1, 2026, a bundled average across the whole residential class (CPUC Public Advocates Office, Q2 2026 Electric Rates Report). The San Diego County guide covers SDG&E and the community choice aggregators on its side of the line.
Where Orange County Power Authority fits
Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) is a community choice aggregator. Its FAQ names Buena Park, Fullerton and Irvine as its current member cities, with Fountain Valley beginning service soon. Huntington Beach joined in 2022 but voted to leave in May 2023, and OCPA returned those customers to SCE in 2024. For solar customers, OCPA says it treats Net Billing Tariff customers' generation as if it were under NEM 2.0, trues up in April and pays 10% more than SCE for excess generation. SCE lists OCPA among the CCAs in its territory and says it keeps providing CCA customers with meter reading, billing, maintenance and outage response.
So an Irvine bill can carry OCPA generation charges next to SCE delivery charges. Ask each bidder which provider the estimate uses for generation, and have both portions modeled from your own bill. For the permit office and generation provider in each city, and what to ask the solar companies bidding there, see comparing solar companies across Orange County.
Sources, each checked September 23, 2026: Anaheim Public Utilities, Residential Rates; SDG&E, About Us; Orange County Power Authority; OCPA, Solar/Net Energy Metering; SCE, Community Choice Aggregation.
Solar in Orange County Cities
Anaheim
Orange County
Anaheim Public Utilities service area
Huntington Beach
Orange County
SCE service area
Irvine
Orange County
SCE service area
Newport Beach
Orange County
SCE service area
San Clemente
Orange County
SDG&E service area
Santa Ana
Orange County
SCE service area
Westminster
Orange County
SCE service area
Solar cost in Orange County cities
What owners in each Orange County city reported paying per watt for solar (CPUC DG Stats, January 2025 to May 2026), with the city’s utility, its community choice aggregator and its permit fee. Where fewer than 30 owners reported, the figure is the county’s or wider, as labeled. Reported costs, not quotes.
| City | Utility | CCA | Median reported cost | Permit fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anaheim | APU | None recorded | $4.02/W county, 2,990 reports | Only a dated schedule |
| Huntington Beach | SCE | None recorded | $4.25/W city, 141 reports | No figure published |
| Irvine | SCE | Orange County Power Authority | $3.66/W city, 472 reports | $679.99(above $450) |
| Mission Viejo | SCE; part of the city: SDG&E | None recorded | $4.63/W city, 134 reports | $450 |
| San Clemente | SDG&E | None recorded | $5.04/W city, 168 reports | Two figures published |
| Santa Ana | SCE | None recorded | $3.80/W city, 158 reports | No figure published |
Every California city with a cost page is listed by county on one index.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the electricity provider in Orange County, California?
Southern California Edison serves most of the county, about 70% of its area on the California Energy Commission map. San Diego Gas & Electric serves the southern end, including San Clemente, and the City of Anaheim runs its own utility. In Irvine, Buena Park and Fullerton, Orange County Power Authority supplies the generation while SCE delivers it. Huntington Beach left OCPA, and its customers returned to SCE in 2024.
What is the average electric bill in Orange County?
No source publishes one figure for the county. For SCE customers, the CPUC Public Advocates Office estimated June 2026 average bills for customers not on CARE at $152 a month in a cool climate zone where homes use about 385 kWh a month, and $254 in a hot zone using about 700 kWh. Your own twelve months of bills are the figure to use.
What are electricity rates in Orange County?
SCE's residential average rate was 34.4 cents per kWh as of June 1, 2026 (CPUC Public Advocates Office), plus a Base Services Charge of $24.15 a month for customers not on CARE or FERA. Anaheim posts its own tiered domestic rate, and SDG&E's average was 45.5 cents.
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California Rate Relief is a referral service. We are not a licensed contractor. California Rate Relief is compensated by a solar provider when a homeowner we refer signs an agreement. How we make money
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Primary trusted sources
Government, research, and standards bodies we routinely cite. We link out so readers can verify our claims at the source.
- California Contractors State License Board (CSLB)Public license records for every contractor in California. Used to verify C-46 solar license status, bond filings, disciplinary actions.
- CSLB License LookupDirect license search; confirms active status, bond, classification, and any disciplinary actions on file.
- California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)NEM 3 / Net Billing Tariff documents, IOU rate filings, solar interconnection rules.
- CPUC Net Billing Tariff (NEM 3)Authoritative source for NEM 3 / NBT compensation rules and updates.
- DSIRE — Database of State IncentivesComprehensive database of federal, state, and utility incentives for renewable energy. Maintained by NC Clean Energy Technology Center.
- IRS — Residential Clean Energy Credit (Form 5695)IRS guidance on the residential clean energy credit (Section 25D), which does not apply to expenditures made after December 31, 2025.
- NREL — National Renewable Energy LaboratoryUS Department of Energy lab. Source of solar resource maps, panel efficiency data, and benchmark solar cost reports.