Critics, including many California residents, say that it will eat into progress on energy efficiency and that it is unfair to those who are conserving energy. California is becoming hotter and drier, raising the risk of wildfires sparked by aging, failing power lines. In the past 10 years, Freedman explained, non-discounted electricity rates at PG&E have increased 84 percent; SDG&E rates have gone up 137 percent. Some households are disconnecting in Hawaii, where electricity rates are even higher than in California. And if high-income residents leave the grid, they will leave behind low-income consumers who will continue to struggle to pay higher and higher electricity rates.

Source: Washington Post June 01, 2023 20:25 UTC