# Pacific Power California Rate Increase: 57% Asked for 2027

> Pacific Power rate increase in California: the utility asked regulators for a 57% increase from Jan. 1, 2027, partly offset by a 14% decrease. Not approved.

- URL: https://solarexaminer.com/posts/pacific-power-california-rate-increase-2027/
- Site: Solar Examiner (https://solarexaminer.com/)
- Category: News
- Published: 2026-11-08
- Last verified: 2026-11-08
- Author: John Marshall

## Key takeaways

- Pacific Power has asked the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for a 57% increase in customer rates, to take effect Jan. 1, 2027. It is a request, not an approved increase.
- The company says a 14% decrease in rates taking effect Jan. 1, 2027 will partly offset the increase. It does not say what that decrease is or publish a combined net figure.
- Pacific Power names three drivers: wildfire prevention investments, higher insurance costs tied to wildfire risk, and inflation.
- News reports of the Nov. 6, 2026 filing put the request at $103.4 million and say company testimony shows the average residential Schedule D bill rising $121.15 a month. We could not open the filing to confirm those figures.
- A separate Pacific Power application filed Feb. 27, 2026 seeks to recover about $340.5 million in costs from the 2020 Slater and 2022 McKinney fires. Its proposed schedule ends with a final decision on March 25, 2027.



**Pacific Power has asked California regulators for a 57% increase in customer rates starting Jan. 1, 2027.** The company says a 14% decrease in rates on the same date will partly offset it. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has not ruled, and the company says the review "could take several months."

Pacific Power is the trade name of PacifiCorp, which serves far northern California. This article covers its California customers only. For the statewide picture at PG&E, Southern California Edison and SDG&E, see our [California electric rates and solar page](/posts/california-electricity-rate-changes-2026/). For the separate Oregon case, see [Pacific Power's 2027 Oregon settlement](/posts/pacific-power-rate-increase-2027/).

## What Pacific Power Asked For

On its California rate changes page, checked Nov. 8, 2026, Pacific Power says it submitted a general rate case to the CPUC in November 2026 and that "the filing proposes a 57% increase in customer rates," which "will be partially offset by a 14% decrease in rates that will take effect January 1, 2027." The page does not say what the 14% decrease is.

The status is **requested, not approved**. The company says it "has requested that the new rates take effect on January 1, 2027" and that the CPUC review could take several months.

| | What we know | Source and status |
|---|---|---|
| Requested increase | 57% in customer rates | Pacific Power California rate page (verified) |
| Offset | A 14% decrease, also Jan. 1, 2027 | Pacific Power (verified); the page does not say what the decrease is or give a net figure |
| Requested effective date | Jan. 1, 2027 | Pacific Power (verified) |
| Revenue requested | $103.4 million; base revenue requirement up $82.8 million, or 56.8% | News reports of the filing (qualified) |
| Increase by customer class | 56.9% for residential; 57.0% overall | News reports of the filing (qualified) |
| Average residential bill | Up $121.15 a month, Schedule D, per company testimony | News reports of the filing (qualified) |
| Filing date | Nov. 6, 2026 | News reports (qualified) |
| CPUC case number | Not yet assigned, according to news reports | (qualified) |

The dollar figures come from a Nov. 7, 2026 report by 24/7 Wall St., which says a company pricing director testified that "the average residential Schedule D bill would rise $121.15 a month." Seeking Alpha reported the same request with a $120-a-month increase for a typical residential bill, and a Benzinga headline used the same $120 figure. Seeking Alpha described $103 million a year as the base revenue increase, which differs from 24/7 Wall St.'s $82.8 million. We could not find the filing itself in CPUC search results on Nov. 8, so treat those numbers as reported, not confirmed. 24/7 Wall St. also notes it is unclear whether the $121.15 accounts for the 14% decrease.

## Why Pacific Power Says It Needs the Money

Pacific Power lists three drivers on its rate page: wildfire prevention investments, higher insurance costs tied to wildfire risk, and inflation.

Seeking Alpha cites company president Ryan Flynn, speaking to the Wall Street Journal, as saying the company is replacing wooden poles with steel and fiberglass structures and replacing bare wire with insulated, fire-resistant conductor.

**A second request is pending.** Separately, PacifiCorp filed an application with the CPUC on Feb. 27, 2026 "to recover costs relating to the 2020 Slater fire and the 2022 McKinney fire." It seeks about $340.5 million of roughly $637.4 million in claims costs paid and legal expenses. Its proposed schedule calls for a proposed decision on Feb. 26, 2027 and a final decision on March 25, 2027. The application points to separate exhibits for bill impacts, so we have not estimated what that case would add.

## What It Could Mean for Your Bill

For now, three numbers matter, and two are confirmed by the company's own page:

1. **57%** is the requested increase in customer rates (Pacific Power).
2. **14%** is a decrease the company says partly offsets it on the same date (Pacific Power). The company has not said how the two combine for a typical home.
3. **$121.15 a month** is the reported average residential increase from company testimony, before any CPUC changes. We have not seen the kWh or starting bill behind it.

How the increase would be split between per-kWh and fixed charges is not yet public, but households that use more electricity, such as those with electric heat, would generally see larger dollar changes than average. The CPUC can approve the full request, part of it or none of it. Our explainer on [how electric rate cases work](/posts/how-electric-rate-cases-work/) covers what usually happens between a filing and a decision.

If you need help with bills, Pacific Power's rate page points California customers to its CARE discount program and to the CPUC's public comment process.

## What It Means for Solar

Pacific Power stopped taking new customers on traditional net energy metering in California in 2020, after hitting the capacity cap in state law. Its customer FAQ (updated Feb. 5, 2020) says customers who applied before March 1, 2020 and connected by March 1, 2023 can stay on legacy NEM until March 1, 2040. Newer solar customers are on Net Billing, which pays "export credits for all energy that they export to the grid" at on-peak and off-peak rates set in Schedule NB-136.

That split matters if rates rise sharply:

- **Power you use yourself** avoids the per-kWh charges you would otherwise pay, so it gains value as those charges rise.
- **Power you export** earns the Schedule NB-136 export credit rates, so a retail increase may not raise those credits by the same amount. We did not find current NB-136 credit values.

For a household weighing solar or a battery, the practical step is to size the system to cover daytime use and run the math with your own rate. Our [solar payback guide](/posts/solar-payback-period-without-federal-tax-credit/) shows how.

## What Happens Next

The CPUC will assign a case number, and the request will go through review that Pacific Power says could take several months. Pacific Power's page says customers can submit comments to the CPUC and take part in public hearings. We will update this article when the filing is posted, when hearings are set and when the commission rules.

## Sources and verification

| Important claim | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|
| General rate case filed November 2026; 57% requested increase; 14% offsetting decrease Jan. 1, 2027; requested Jan. 1, 2027 effective date; review could take several months; drivers; CARE and comment links | [Pacific Power, California Rate Changes](https://www.pacificpower.net/about/rates-regulation/california-rate-changes.html) | Verified |
| Filed Nov. 6, 2026; $103.4 million; $82.8 million (56.8%) base revenue; 56.9% residential, 57.0% overall; $121.15 a month Schedule D; no case number yet; about 46,000 customers in Siskiyou, Modoc, Shasta and Del Norte counties | [24/7 Wall St., Nov. 7, 2026](https://247wallst.com/investing/2026/11/07/berkshire-hathaways-utility-is-asking-for-a-historic-rate-hike-in-california/) | Qualified (news report of filing) |
| About $120 a month for a typical residential bill; $103 million a year in base revenue (differs from 24/7's $82.8 million); pole and conductor replacement (Flynn, via WSJ) | [Seeking Alpha via TradingView](https://tradingview.com/news/seekingalpha:19e1b02a8094b:0-berkshire-hathaway-utility-asks-california-regulators-for-57-rate-increase/?mobileapp_new=true) | Qualified (news) |
| Slater and McKinney fire cost application filed Feb. 27, 2026; about $340.5 million of about $637.4 million; proposed decision Feb. 26, 2027, final March 25, 2027 | [PacifiCorp application to the CPUC](https://www.pacificpower.net/content/dam/pcorp/documents/en/pacificpower/rates-regulation/california/filings/docket-a-26-02-___-/0_Application.pdf) | Verified |
| NEM closed in 2020; legacy NEM to March 1, 2040; Net Billing export credits under Schedule NB-136 | [Pacific Power California customer generation FAQ](https://www.pacificpower.net/content/dam/pcorp/documents/en/pacificpower/savings-energy-choices/customer-generation/FrequentlyAskedQuestions_California.pdf) | Verified (FAQ dated Feb. 5, 2020) |

We did not open the Nov. 6 filing or its testimony; dollar figures come from news reports of it. All figures are requested and subject to CPUC review.

## Frequently asked questions

### How much is Pacific Power raising rates in California?

Pacific Power has asked the CPUC for a 57% increase in customer rates starting Jan. 1, 2027, partly offset by a 14% decrease that also takes effect Jan. 1. The CPUC has not approved it and can approve less.

### How much will my Pacific Power bill go up?

Pacific Power's California rate page does not give a dollar figure. News reports of the filing say company testimony shows the average residential Schedule D bill rising $121.15 a month, but it is unclear whether that figure includes the 14% decrease. Your change depends on your usage and on what the CPUC approves.

### When would new Pacific Power rates start in California?

Pacific Power asked for Jan. 1, 2027. The company says the CPUC review could take several months, so the timing and amount can change.

### Who does Pacific Power serve in California?

Pacific Power, the trade name of PacifiCorp, serves far northern California. News reports of the filing put it at about 46,000 electricity customers, in a territory covering Siskiyou, Modoc, Shasta and Del Norte counties.

### Does a bigger rate make solar worth more for Pacific Power customers?

It raises the value of solar power you use yourself, because each kWh you do not buy avoids the per-kWh charges on your bill. New Pacific Power solar customers in California are on Net Billing, where exports earn separate export credit rates, so the gain is mostly on self-used power.


Image credit: Photo by Peter Robbins on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/a-view-of-a-mountain-range-with-power-lines-in-the-foreground-TI8WK_sDYPY?utm_source=solarexaminer&utm_medium=referral)