Home energy use is spiking in Sonoma County during the coronavirus pandemic, likely impacting utility bills

With most people cooped up at home bingeing Netflix, taking Zoom meetings or helping their kids with online classwork, home energy use in Sonoma County is spiking.

According to Sonoma Clean Power, which serves almost 90% of eligible customers in Sonoma and Mendocino counties, residential electricity use jumped 15% in the weeks after local governments ordered that most residents stay home to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

But while consumer demand for electricity has increased, total usage in the area actually fell around 9%.

“Electric use in our territory has dropped, and the reason is there are a lot of businesses that are just not open,” said Geof Syphers, CEO of the nonprofit agency.

Total water usage in Sonoma County, meanwhile, has remained steady compared to the same time last year, according to data from Sonoma Water, the county’s water agency. It’s too early to know the exact reason, but it’s possible that an increase in home water use is offsetting a dip in demand from businesses, said Jennifer Burke, director of Santa Rosa Water, the city’s water agency.

“It doesn’t appear that we’ve had much change. That could reflect a shift in how the water is being used,” she said.

While it’s unclear how residents’ water bills will be impacted going forward, those stuck at home can expect their electric and gas payments to increase by 15% to 30% over the next few months, according to Edward Randolph, deputy executive director for the California Public Utility Commission, which oversees PG&E and other utility companies.

In addition to a spike in home electricity use, Randolph said, residential demand for natural gas surged 55% for all of California during the two weeks following the statewide shelter-in-place order. But as the weather warms, that increase is expected to flatten out, he added.

To help offset rising energy costs, the CPUC is expected to move up one of its planned rate discounts to this spring. The change could ultimately save consumers up to $120 at a time when many are struggling to cover their basic expenses.

“This is the most direct way to help customers now without creating longer-term problems with rate structures down the road,” Randolph said.

Each year, the commission issues two credits - worth between $20 and $60 this year - using revenue from the state’s cap-and-trade program to regulate carbon emissions. The first credit is already set to apply to ratepayers’ upcoming April bill. Under the commission’s plan, the second credit, originally scheduled for this fall, would be split over two bills in May and June.

The credits will be applied automatically to all customers’ bills whether they get electricity from Sonoma Clean Power or directly from PG&E. (Sonoma Clean Power buys electricity to sell to local consumers and transmits it over PG&E’s electric grid.)

The CPUC is also encouraging those who have recently lost work to contact their utility company to see if they’re eligible for the state’s CARE Rate Discount Program, which provides a 20% to 35% discount on utility bills.

In addition, the commission last month ordered public utilities to halt all power shut-offs for nonpayment.

The relief comes as PG&E is asking the CPUC to fast-track approval of nearly $900 million in rate increases for wildfire mitigation. If approved, the increases would raise rates by an average of $5.70 a month starting in August and continue through 2021. However, the money could be refunded if found not to be necessary by the commission.

Energy consumer advocates have argued that a nationwide emergency is not the time to raise rates, and that even if the money is refunded, it would amount to effectively an extremely low-interest loan from ratepayers to PG&E.

Randolph said the commission will balance the need for essential fire season preparation and the impact on consumer bills when making its decision.

“The commission is already very concerned about rate impacts going forward,” he said. “Any rate impacts from COVID-19 only put an exclamation point on the need for the commission, the utility and the Legislature to look for ways to reduce costs and the need for rate increases in the future.”

One way that consumers can reduce costs is by conserving energy at home: unplugging appliances when not in use, switching screens to power-save mode, turning off lights when leaving a room and setting the thermostat to 68 degrees or lower.

Syphers with Sonoma Clean Power had another tip. “Electricity between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. is significantly more expensive than any other time of the day,” he said. “If there are things you can do in the morning or late at night - running the dishes or doing laundry - that can really help cut your bill.”

You can reach Staff Writer Ethan Varian at 707-521-5412 or ethan.varian@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ethanvarian.