The Edmund G. “Pat” Brown State Office Building, San Francisco. The primary tenant of this building is the California Public Utilities Commission. Photographed by Wikipedia user Coolcaesar on August 31, 2006.
SAN FRANCISCO — Today, the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) voted 4-0 to lower volumetric (per-usage) rates and implement three tiers of monthly electric fixed charges:
- Tier 1 – $6 Fixed Charge – For CARE households, i.e. households earning below 200% of the federal poverty line and those who qualify for certain income-based assistance programs. This tier accounts for approximately a quarter of households.
- Tier 2 – $12.08 Fixed Charge – For FERA households, i.e. households earning between 200 and 250% of the federal poverty line, and those in 80% area median income qualifying affordable housing.
- Everyone Else – $24.15 Fixed Charge
This proposal comes two years after the passage of AB 205, which required regulators to implement income-graduated fixed charges (IGFCs) for Californians’ electric bills.