Average electric bill in California (CA)

Nobody pays the average

The dearest month costs $69 more than the cheapest — 52% higher and it is air conditioning that does it. California runs about 1,200 cooling degree days a year, so the summer bill is where any efficiency gain shows up.

Why the bill is what it is

A bill is a rate multiplied by a quantity, and in California the price per kilowatt hour is doing most of the work. Comparing your own bill to this figure only tells you something once you know which of the two you could actually change — the rate is largely fixed, the quantity is not.

Heating and cooling are usually the largest movable part. Whether that means a heat pump, a more efficient air conditioner, or neither depends on California's prices rather than on general advice.