CONCORD, CALIFORNIA – With gas and electric bills up over 400% in the last few years, every time you open a PG&E bill, you probably wince a bit.
We got a short reprieve with the mild weather in September and October. Now, though, that’s over.
Residents and readers across the 925 are telling us that their PG&E bills surged in December. My own bill went up by about $200 versus the month before.
Shockingly, reader Ron H of Parkwood Estates said his bill hit $3,100.
In a Concord Nextdoor post shared this week, one resident said their friend’s bill reportedly climbed from $199 to $457 in a single month (despite living alone and having a broken heater), and said their own bill rose to $370. Comments called the rise “outrageous.”
That kind of whiplash is exactly the sort of thing that sends people looking for answers: is it the weather, rates, a billing glitch, or something inside the house quietly chewing through gas and electricity?
What’s driving the December bill shock
A big piece of the story is simple: December got cold, and cold snaps drive heating use way up.
ABC7 reported in mid-December that PG&E bills were estimated to run higher than the same time last year during the Bay Area’s December chill, with PG&E pointing to increased heating use during cold snaps and noting that natural gas prices were rising nationally.
Now, that estimated bump is coming to fruition. With record-setting color in December, lots of people are seeing billing spikes.
When it’s cold out, your heater runs more often, using gas and electric. Your water heater will also struggle more to keep the water hot, which also uses gas, electric, or both.
And to make the pain even worse, lots of locals stayed home this holiday season and cooked festive meals for family. The result? More time at home means more power and gas usage, as does cooking. That all adds costs.
The twist: bills are dropping in January 2026, but December still hurt
Adding to the frustration is timing. Multiple outlets reported that starting January 1, 2026, PG&E customers should see modest bill reductions on average (with variations by customer and usage).
PG&E has also said it projected lower residential electric rates and average combined bills in 2026, in part because certain cost-recovery components were expiring. Those are pretty minimal, though.
In total, we should see bills decrease by about 6-7% in the New Year. That does not retroactively fix a painful December bill, but it helps explain why people can feel squeezed even when headlines say things are improving.
Did your bill spike in December? Email tom@bayareatelegraph.com to let us know. And make sure to join our free 925 News newsletter, so we can keep you posted as the new billing changes go into effect.
