Electricity rates going up for California residents, again

Most residential customers in California will see their electricity bills increase.

Public utilities commissioners Friday unanimously approved a new residential rate structure that raises rates on more efficient users. Big energy users will see a break in their electricity bills.

This is the first overhaul of the rate system since brownouts roiled California 15 years ago. Lawmakers at the time expanded the number of tiers and froze the lowest tiers to protect homeowners.

In 2013, legislators lifted those restrictions.

Ratepayer and environmental advocates supported an alternate proposal that would have greater rewarded efficiency.

This latest hike comes on the heals of the San Bruno disaster that played a role in Pacific Gas and Electric’s request for you to pay up to make sure its lines are safer. The extra needed for repairs was $5.25 billion and that increase would raised your electric rates in late 2014 and 2015. By 2016 that incident will have raised PG&E customer’s bill by 15.6 percent.