If you live in Fresno, Clovis, Madera, or anywhere else in PG&E territory, your electricity bill went up again in 2026. PG&E filed its General Rate Case decision in late 2025 and rates rose roughly 7-9% across the board — the fifth straight year of increases that size.
This is what those rates actually look like in 2026, what they mean for a typical Central Valley home, and where solar fits in.
PG&E's Three Main Residential Rate Plans
PG&E offers Fresno homeowners three primary residential rate structures. Picking the right one matters whether you have solar or not.
E-1 (Tiered Rate Plan)
The old default. Rate goes up as you use more electricity in a billing period.
- Tier 1 (up to baseline): roughly $0.38/kWh
- Tier 2 (above baseline): roughly $0.48/kWh
E-1 is being phased out for most new residential customers. If you are still on it, you almost certainly save by switching to E-TOU-C.
E-TOU-C (Time-of-Use Plan)
The current default for most Fresno residential customers. Rate depends on time of day, not how much you use.
- Off-peak (12 AM – 4 PM and 9 PM – midnight): roughly $0.40/kWh
- Peak (4 PM – 9 PM, every day including weekends): roughly $0.50/kWh
The 4-9 PM peak window is the punisher. That is when most Fresno homes run the AC the hardest, kids are home, dinner is cooking, and the laundry is going.
EV2-A (EV-Focused Time-of-Use)
Whole-home time-of-use plan optimized for households with an electric vehicle.
- Off-peak (12 AM – 3 PM): roughly $0.30/kWh
- Mid-peak (3 PM – 4 PM and 9 PM – midnight): roughly $0.43/kWh
- Peak (4 PM – 9 PM): roughly $0.57/kWh
Cheap overnight charging for the EV, but the peak window punches harder than E-TOU-C. Only worth it if you can shift most non-EV use out of 4-9 PM (battery storage makes this easy).
What This Looks Like on a Real Fresno Bill
Typical 2,200 sq ft Clovis home, family of four, no pool, single AC unit, no EV. Annual usage: ~12,000 kWh.
On E-TOU-C with no solar:
- Off-peak portion (~7,800 kWh): ~$3,120
- Peak portion (~4,200 kWh): ~$2,100
- Fixed monthly charges + taxes + climate credit reconciliation: ~$240
- Annual total: ~$5,460
That works out to about $455/month. Five years ago the same usage profile would have cost ~$3,200/year. That is what an 8% annual increase compounds to.
Where Solar Plus Battery Beats These Rates
Under PG&E's NEM 3.0 / Net Billing Tariff (effective April 2023 for new solar interconnections), exporting solar to the grid pays only $0.05 to $0.08/kWh. That is a fraction of the retail rate you would otherwise pay.
The play is no longer to size solar for grid exports. The play is to self-consume every kWh of solar you produce — or store it in a battery and discharge during the 4-9 PM peak.
For the same Clovis family above:
- 8 kW solar array + 1 Powerwall 3
- Annual production: ~12,500 kWh
- Self-consumed (direct or via battery): ~92%
- Annual PG&E bill: ~$240 (minimum service charge)
- Annual savings: ~$5,220
The math: solar plus battery turns a $5,460 PG&E bill into a $240 PG&E bill plus a fixed solar payment. If you pay cash, your payback is roughly 7-8 years. If you finance $0-down through Mosaic or GoodLeap, your monthly loan payment typically runs less than what you were paying PG&E, even before factoring in PG&E's annual rate increases.
What About the Climate Credit and Other Adders?
PG&E bills include several adjustments that confuse first-time readers:
- California Climate Credit: A semi-annual credit (April and October) of roughly $35-$70 per residential customer.
- Wildfire Hardening Charge: A monthly surcharge tied to PG&E's grid wildfire mitigation work.
- Public Purpose Programs surcharge: Roughly 1.5% of total bill, funds low-income programs.
- Department of Water Resources Bond Charge: Roughly $0.005/kWh.
These do not change the basic math. Solar offsets all of them proportionally.
Will PG&E Rates Keep Climbing?
Probably yes. PG&E filed its 2024-2026 General Rate Case in 2023, and the CPUC's decision authorized rate increases through 2026. Future rate cases are expected to continue at similar levels. Underlying drivers:
- Wildfire mitigation infrastructure (estimated $20B+ over the decade)
- Grid reliability and substation upgrades
- Transitioning gas-distribution costs as customers electrify
These costs do not go away. They get spread across the rate base. Solar plus battery is one of the few ways for a Fresno homeowner to step partially out of that cost-recovery cycle.
Getting Real Numbers for Your Home
Generic rate analysis tells you the shape of the bill. Real savings depend on your actual usage curve, your rate plan, your roof, and your tax situation. We pull your PG&E Share My Data export on the first call and model your specific numbers — no hand-waving estimates. Schedule a free consultation here.