$700 Million in power bill refunds coming to Californians next month

CALIFORNIA – Governor Newsom announced September 24 that 11.5 million California households will get automatic October electric bill refunds through the Climate Credit.

The average bill credit will be $61 per customer on electricity bills.

“Up to $60 billion will go back in your pockets, cutting your electric bills while we keep our historic momentum transitioning away from polluting fossil fuels,” Newsom said.

Under legislation signed last week, Climate Credit refunds are set to increase next year and continue through 2045.

With April and October credits, most Californians will receive an average of $198 in bill refunds this year.

Refund amount depends on utility provider

In October, the state will issue over $700 million to residential customers and $60 million to eligible small businesses. Customers already received an identical electric credit earlier this year in April.

Refunds range from $35 to $259, depending on the utility provider:

PG&E: $58.23
SCE: $56.00
SDG&E: $81.38
Bear Valley: $34.91
Liberty: $63.71
Pacific Power: $259.36

Californians do not need to take any action to receive the refund.

The California Climate Credit is funded by the state’s Cap-and-Invest Program, managed by the California Air Resources Board. The bill refund reflects consumers’ share of the program’s payments.

Cap-and-Invest program has created more than 120,000 jobs

Beyond refunds, the Cap-and-Invest program has funded $33 billion in climate projects, creating over 120,000 jobs and cutting millions of tons of emissions.

Investments include affordable housing near job centers, the state’s high-speed rail project, and zero-emission transit in underserved communities.