A new year means new rates when it comes to running your appliances at home, and San Diegans are already saying their energy bills are higher.
"I got my last bill and it was up quite a bit," Sean Curtis said. "My bill has gone from the high $200s to the mid $300s."
Since January 2021, SDG&E's gas rates have gone up about 25%, while electricity has jumped almost 8% in the last month for the average residential rate. Some customers are saying the timing of these rate hikes could not come at a worse time.
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"Insurance rates have gone up, gas prices certainly have gone up," said Erik Edwards, an SDG&E customer. "The price of a home has gone up, even the price of a car."
In a statement to NBC 7, SDG&E said:
"There is no ideal time to increase rates, especially given the inflationary pressures that are raising the costs of other goods and services. At the same time, our customers expect us to deliver clean, safe and reliable energy to them 24/7/365, and to meet that expectation, we must make ongoing safety, reliability and sustainability investments."
If you are having trouble paying your energy bills, SDG&E does have bill payment assistance programs. You can find more information on their website here.
