LADWP Customers Will Only Receive Gas Portion of California Climate Credit in April

Some relief is on the way for many California utility customers this April, but for most Angelenos—who get their electricity from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP)—the break will only apply to natural gas bills, not electricity.

If you are a SoCalGas customer, you’ll see an $86.60 credit automatically applied to your gas bill during the April billing cycle. However, you will not receive the $56 electricity credit that Southern California Edison customers are getting.

As a customer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), you will not receive the California Climate Credit, as the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) does not regulate public utilities like LADWP, and therefore, the credit does not apply to them.

These credits are part of the California Climate Credit, a statewide program administered by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). It is funded by the state’s cap and trade program, which requires power plants and major polluters to buy permits for the carbon emissions they produce.

The revenue from those permits is returned to utility customers as credits:

• SoCalGas customers will receive $86.60 in April (once per year)

• Southern California Edison customers will receive $56 in April and another $56 in October

Electricity customers served by public utilities like LADWP are not eligible for the electricity credit, because those utilities are not regulated by the CPUC.

Gov. Gavin Newsom highlighted the climate credit program, saying:

“We’re holding polluters accountable to clean the air while also giving money back on utility bills.”

He also noted that the program has helped fund $28 billion in climate investments across the state since 2014.