PG&E Lowers Residential Electricity Rates for Humboldt County Customers

Pacific Gas & Electric implemented a roughly 5 percent cut to residential electricity rates effective Jan. 1, 2026 for customers who take both supply and delivery from the utility, the company said on Jan. 2. The company characterized the reduction as its fourth rate cut in two years and attributed the move to completed safety and reliability projects and other factors that have reduced overall costs. Low-income customers enrolled in the California Alternate Rates for Energy program will receive slightly larger proportional decreases.

The utility estimated a typical residential customer will see about $7 less on their monthly bill because of the electric rate adjustment. That decline implies a typical prior monthly electric bill near $140 for affected customers, based on the 5 percent change. PG&E also noted that natural gas rates are lower, offering additional savings for households that heat with gas during Humboldt County’s colder months.

Not all Humboldt customers will see the same change. Residents who purchase power from third-party suppliers, community choice aggregators, or who take only delivery service from PG&E may not benefit from the company's supply-related reduction. Local renters and homeowners on PG&E’s bundled service are the most directly affected group.

For households and small businesses in Humboldt County, the reduction provides modest but concrete budget relief at a time when energy costs remain an important component of household spending. A $7 monthly decrease is small relative to total household budgets, but it reduces pressure on low- and fixed-income households and can lower demand for emergency utility assistance. For local governments and service providers, slightly lower utility costs can ease operating budgets and the cost of providing heated spaces and other services.

The broader trend of multiple rate cuts over the past two years reflects a shift from the period when utilities increased capital spending on wildfire mitigation, vegetation management, and grid hardening—cost drivers that previously pushed rates higher. PG&E attributed the latest reduction to completion of some of those projects and other cost declines, but future rate trajectories will depend on continued capital needs, wholesale energy markets, and regulatory decisions. State regulators set final rates and will weigh the utility’s financial needs against customer impacts going forward.

Humboldt residents should check their PG&E statements and account settings to confirm whether the supply-and-delivery rate change applies to them and to see the precise dollar impact on their monthly bills.