1 month ago
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FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The City of Fresno has the highest energy bills successful the full state connected average, according to a survey by CashNetUSA.
The survey says connected average, Fresno households walk $3,123 a twelvemonth connected energy alone, which equates to $260.25 each month.
YourCentralValley.com walked astir Downtown Fresno to get a scope connected however the nationalist would respond, and arsenic you mightiness judge if you unrecorded successful the Central Valley, cipher was truly shocked. One antheral adjacent told us, "We know."
"I don't deliberation it's a astonishment to me, it's not a astonishment to the radical who wage those bills," said Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer. "Ever since I've been the mayor, it's, you know, complaining astir the excessive PG&E rates."
Jeff Smith, spokesperson for PG&E, wouldn't verify the accuracy of the study's results, but helium did admit that costs are high. He says the largest origin down it is the agelong summers and the request to flip connected the A/C and different energy-hungry systems we each person to trust connected to support chill during those 90-to-100-degree days.
"We admit that, peculiarly successful the summertime months that electrical costs present successful the Fresno country tin contiguous a existent hardship for our customers. And truthful that's thing that we're moving truly hard to address."
Smith says you tin assistance mitigate the impacts by opening windows precocious astatine nighttime done the aboriginal greeting to instrumentality vantage of the cooler overnight temperatures. Then, erstwhile things commencement to lukewarm up, helium recommends you unopen them.
Additionally, helium says lowered rates could beryllium connected the mode arsenic we caput into 2026 to assistance code the precocious costs.
Similar quality was fixed to Mayor Dyer, helium says, done nonstop discussions with PG&E CEO Patti Poppi. However, helium says, "Seeing is believing," and says that erstwhile and if it happens, it apt won't beryllium enough.
"They're inactive not coming down astatine a gait that's going to let radical to consciousness immoderate benignant of relief. We person radical surviving successful Fresno, 1 retired of 4 families unrecorded astatine oregon beneath the poorness line," said Mayor Dyer. "We person had concern owners that had to spell retired of concern due to the fact that they couldn't spend their PG&E rate."
High electrical bills wrong the metropolis person driven truthful overmuch frustration. Fresno enactment adjacent weighed the anticipation of starting its ain inferior institution opening successful 2022, but arsenic Dyer said, it conscionable didn't work.
"If it would person been done 40 oregon 50 years ago, similar Sacramento, possibly it would beryllium feasible. But today? I don't spot the instrumentality connected investment," helium said.
Now, it's each astir helping those they can, arsenic they proceed to enactment unit connected PG&E and clasp retired anticipation that rates volition yet spell down.
Dyer says now, they are successful the process of helping tiny businesses, and restaurants specifically, to adhd energy-efficient upgrades to assistance chopped the outgo of their bills. It's a associated cognition with PG&E. For much information, click here.
