Electricity bills were already going up another 2% for PG and E customers this month. But many may see even higher bills. Utility spokesperson Brandi Merlo says a new and previously-announced rate system also goes into effect this month. She says a five-tier system, established during the energy crisis in 2001, was reduced to three in 2014. And now it’s been reduced to two…

click to listen to Brandi Merlo

Merlo says bills will be about 11% higher, on average, for low-usage customers, especially those who live in the more temperate regions, like along the coast. But it’ll be about 4% lower for high-usage customers, including those who need to use air conditioning a lot during the hot months. But PG and E is also introducing a High Usage surcharge…

click to listen to Brandi Merlo

Merlo says customers can also sign up for what’s called a “bill forecast alert”. Customers can establish an electricity use threshhold and when they are getting close to it they’ll receive a text, email, or phone call. Between December 2015 and December of 2016, PGE raised rates 21% to help cover the costs of infrastructure upgrades.