San Diego Gas & Electric said Thursday its residential customers will receive a break on their utility bills of up to $171.40 under California’s cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gases.
In April, natural gas customers will see their bills reduced by $43.06 — more than double last year’s credit.
In both August and September, electricity customers will see their bills offset by $64.17 in climate credits for a total of $128.34 — also almost double last year’s amount.
The electric climate credits are applied to bills during the typically hottest months in the year, when energy use tends to be higher due to air-conditioning.
The California Climate Credit, administered by the California Public Utilities Commission, is part of the state’s efforts to fight climate change.
It comes under the cap-and-trade program that requires power plants, natural gas providers, and other large industries that emit greenhouse gases to buy carbon pollution permits. The credits on customers’ bills represent their share of the payments from the state’s program and provide customers an increased opportunity to invest in energy-saving products.
There is no action required to receive the credit. All residential natural gas customers will automatically receive this credit from SDG&E on their April bill.
All electricity customers, including community choice aggregation customers, will automatically receive the credit on their August and September billing cycles.
The credits come amid rising energy prices because of the war in Ukraine and sanctions on Russian oil and gas.
