San Diego Gas and Electric is sending thousands of letters and emails about pending rate increases scheduled to happen this fall.
Roughly 350,000 residential and business customers, about a quarter of SDG&E’s customers, are receiving the notification this week. Those customers live mainly in warmer, inland areas of San Diego, according to company spokesperson Stephanie Donovan.
The company said it is using these letters to alert customers before prices go up on Sept. 1.
Donovan said the rate increase will be the same, but the bill impact will be different based on each customer's usage. The example within the letter stated that the impact will be $15 more for a bill typically costing $100, and $75 more for a bill normally costing $250.
The closure of San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station has “created an untimely reduction in our region’s energy resources," explained SDG&E in the letter.
California Public Utility Commission's pending approval of the SDG&E General Rate Case (GRC) is part of the reason for the bill impact. Donovan stated the issues that prompted the rate increase are: "Higher costs of renewable power, more stringent environmental mandates and enhancements to SDG&E's electrical infrastructure related to infrastructure, reliability and cybersecurity."
She also said the bill impact is 30-50 percent greater than what it would have been if the General Rate Case had been approved last year.
SDG&E said that will give customers time to reduce their energy use and make homes more energy efficient to save money, which is why they sent the notification in June.
For more information on the rate increase, visit the SDG&E 2013 Rates website.