After three months of unusually high natural gas bills, the California Public Utilities Commission decided to distribute its California Climate Credit a month early. The credit, which comes from the state's emission allowance program, is handed out to California residents every spring and fall.
Alongside the credit distribution, a significant market price drop and lower customer usage as temperatures rise are contributing to a projected 75 percent decrease in customer bills this month, said PG&E.
The average residential customer bill is expected to be about $37 after the $52.78 climate credit. Last month, the average bill was about $150.
In a statement, Vincent Davis, vice president of PG&E's Customer Operations and Enablement team said: "We supported the California Public Utilities Commission's decision to distribute the statewide Climate Credit earlier than previous years, and we're grateful to pass on that savings to our customers."
He added that PG&E understood that some customers would have difficulty paying their bills, after three months of high natural gas prices and would offer individualized customer support, including payment plans.
