by Mish Shedlock, Mish Talk:
Please consider PG&E Monthly Bills Could Jump Due to New State Law.
PG&E, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric, the three major California utilities whose services include electricity, have filed a joint proposal with the state Public Utilities Commission that sketches out proposed changes in monthly bills.
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At present, those bills are primarily based on how much electricity and gas customers consume.
A new proposal would add a fixed monthly charge that would be based on the household income levels of the respective customers.
“This proposal aims to help lower bills for those who need it most and improves billing transparency and predictability for all customers,” said Marlene Santos, PG&E’s chief customer officer.
Predictable Charges
- Households earning less than $28,000 a year would pay a fixed charge of $15 a month on their electric bills.
- Households with annual income from $28,000 to $69,000 would pay $30 a month.
- Households earning from $69,000 to $180,000 would pay $51 a month.
- Those with incomes above $180,000 would pay $92 a month.
Whether a household uses any electricity or not, if household income was over $180,000 then the household would pay $1,104 a year.
The fixed and variable percentages were not even disclosed.
This would especially hit vacation homes. It would also hit high income cities like San Francisco.
Quick Facts San Francisco
According to Quick Facts San Francisco from the US Census Department, the median household income in San Francisco (in 2021 dollars), for 2017-2021 is $126,187.
Thus, at least half of San Francisco households would pay the second-highest rate no matter how little electricity they used.
PG&E says many customers would ultimately pay less for electricity. Since “many” might mean 10 percent, the statement is likely true.
In practice, I suspect between 75 and 90 percent of the households would pay much more and the beneficiaries a little less.
Income Verification
Note that the process incurs news costs of verifying income.
“The proposal recommends a qualified, independent state agency or third party be responsible for verifying customers’ total household incomes,” PG&E said in an emailed statement.
This is scary enough in and of itself.
Masking New Green Energy Mandates
The state wants to phase out gasoline by 2035. That will put increasing pressure on utilities to increase electrical output.
Prices are guaranteed going up. Adding capacity is not free.
During the 12 months that ended in February, electric utility bills — essentially arising from what PG&E charges its customers — rocketed higher by 13.6% in the Bay Area, according to a report released in March by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
This proposal is a ploy to mask inane carbon policies in California, and it won’t stop there.
Understanding Marxism: From Each According to His Ability
Charging people for energy they do not even use for the benefit of those who allegedly need free energy is inherently Marxist.
