An expected 10% energy rate hike has Southern California residents up in arms and looking for alternatives.
Under a plan expected to be approved by the California Public Utilities Commission, Southern California Edison will be allowed to increase its customers’ rates by 10%. As the Los Angeles Times reported, this is just one of several hikes Edison wants approved within the next year.
With this hike, the average residential energy bill would increase by roughly $17 a month, or $200 per year.
The proposal has drawn plenty of outrage, particularly from residents who say they have experienced more outages in recent years.
“This is the very definition of unreliable service,” Rovana resident William Pilling wrote to the commission, per the Times. “We are now being asked to pay more per unit for a lower quality good.”
Edison said the hike is necessary so that it can have enough money to upgrade its service and prevent accidents that spark wildfires.
California isn’t alone in this rate hike. Because of new government policies that promote fossil fuels and take funding away from renewable energy projects, energy prices are expected to soar across the United States.
One analysis showed that residents of 10 states are expecting increases of at least $400 per year. That’s just one reason why so many people are choosing to take energy into their own hands by installing solar panels.
Solar energy is one of the cleanest and least-expensive types of energy our planet has. By combining solar panels with a battery-storage system, you can reduce your reliance on the grid, lessen the amount of dirty energy you burn, and bring your monthly electricity bills way down — sometimes to nearly zero.
The cost of getting solar panels, however, can be prohibitive, which can make leasing them a viable option. Palmetto’s LightReach program allows homeowners to lease their own panels, providing all the benefits of solar energy with little or no upfront cost.
The best way to take control of your energy and avoid costly utility price increases is to go solar.
If leasing solar panels through Palmetto doesn’t seem like the right option for you, buying them could be. If you are considering buying solar panels, EnergySage’s free tools make it easy to receive and compare multiple quotes from local, verified installers.
And if you’re torn between leasing and buying solar panels, check out this handy list with the pros and cons of each.
