Learn how electricity is priced and which factors affect your monthly bill.
Electricity, essential yet invisible, can easily fade into the background of everyday life. Then the bill shows up — highlighting what it takes to keep the lights on.
But your charges are far from random, and rates don’t change on a whim.
Buying and generating electricity costs billions of dollars. For investor-owned utilities like Southern California Edison, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) determines how these expenses are spread across all customers. Your share is shaped by multiple factors.
With all these factors in play, SCE can’t just raise rates whenever it wants. Every change goes through a formal process overseen by the CPUC.
When rates need to be adjusted, utilities file a request called a General Rate Case or other applications. These filings explain why more funding is needed — for example, to strengthen the grid against wildfires, upgrade aging equipment or support clean energy goals.
Powering millions of homes and businesses takes a massive system, and your bill reflects the cost of keeping it running. While this means that prices change over time, SCE takes every opportunity to pass cost savings onto customers. The average rate across all SCE customers continues to be lower than those from other investor-owned utilities in California, with bills expected to stay at or below inflation through 2029.
For more information on SCE’s programs and ways to manage your costs, visit sce.com/billhelp.