Full service
18.93¢
per kWh, 2025 average revenue
$125.42 / month at 663 kWh
Price +5.9% from 2024
Political Subdivision · 601,275 residential customers · California
Why is my SMUD electric bill so high?
EIA respondent: Sacramento Municipal Util Dist. Reviewed October 14, 2026.
In 2025, SMUD reported 601,275 residential full service customers under the EIA name Sacramento Municipal Util Dist. Average revenue was 18.93¢ per kWh. The average monthly bill in that filing was $125.42 for 663 kWh.
18.93¢ is below California's 2025 statewide residential average of 31.35¢. In July 2026 the state residential price was 33.61¢, versus 32.66¢ a year earlier (+2.9%). The utility number is a 2025 annual average. The state number is one later month. They answer different questions.
From 2024 to 2025, the average monthly bill for full service changed −0.1%. Average use changed −5.7% and average price changed +5.9%. Holding the 2024 price fixed, the usage change accounts for −$7.11 a month. The price change, applied to 2025 usage, accounts for $6.99.
EIA Form 861, 2025 final · Reviewed October 14, 2026
EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A · Reviewed October 14, 2026
The rate on the record
This looks like a public utility district or similar agency. Who sets the rate needs verification. Average revenue per kilowatt-hour is total residential revenue divided by residential sales. It is not a tariff schedule.
| Service | Customers | Price | Monthly use | Monthly bill | Vs 2024 price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full service | 601,275 | 18.93¢ | 663 kWh | $125.42 | +5.9% |
EIA-861 sales to ultimate customers, 2025 final, compared with 2024 · Reviewed October 14, 2026
Audit the full service average
Revenue 904,939.8 thousand dollars. Sales 4,781,689 MWh. Customers 601,275. Cents per kWh = revenue ÷ megawatt-hours × 100. Monthly bill = revenue × 1,000 ÷ customers ÷ 12.
Why a SMUD bill moved
The average bill fell, and the price piece is separate
SMUD reported a full service average of $125.42 a month in 2025, −0.1% from $125.54 in 2024. Holding the 2024 price fixed, the usage change of −5.7% is worth −$7.11 a month. The price change of +5.9%, from 17.87¢ to 18.93¢, is worth $6.99 on 2025 usage.
Below the California average
18.93¢ per kWh is below California's 2025 residential average of 31.35¢. July 2026 in the state was 33.61¢, versus 32.66¢ a year earlier (+2.9%). The utility figure is a full year of average revenue. The state figure is one later month. A household that uses more than 663 kWh will not land on $125.42.
Not a typical investor-owned rate case
SMUD is political subdivision in the EIA filing, so retail rates are often set by a public board rather than a state commission docket. The 2025 full-service average was 18.93¢ per kWh. Which board adopted the current tariff needs verification unless a decision is cited below.
Needs verification
Season
SMUD customers in California average 663 kWh a month across the whole year, against a statewide residential average of 494 kWh. Summer afternoons do not look like that average. An air conditioner, a pool pump, or a hotter month can move the bill before any rider does.
Time-of-use is already on the EIA schedule
EIA's 2025 dynamic-pricing file shows residential time-of-use activity at SMUD, with 583,470 residential customers enrolled in dynamic pricing. The expensive window is in the tariff, not in that enrollment count. Shifting a dishwasher or an EV charger only helps if you are actually on that schedule.
EIA-861 2025 and 2024 residential sales · Reviewed October 14, 2026
Rate cases and hikes
Needs verification No rate case for SMUD has been reviewed for this page. Orders and pending dockets are public at California Public Utilities Commission. The CPUC sets rates for the large investor-owned utilities. Municipal utilities such as LADWP and SMUD are governed locally. Community choice aggregators bill energy on top of utility delivery. Which one applies to an address needs verification.
California Public Utilities Commission · Reviewed October 14, 2026
Assistance
LIHEAP is the federal bill program, and the state contact list is the place to start. A SMUD income discount, medical baseline, or budget-billing rule was not retrieved from California Public Utilities Commission. That offer needs verification.
LIHEAP program · State and territory contacts · SMUD site
The company homepage is linked for navigation. Program rules on that site were not reviewed. Needs verification.
LIHEAP · Reviewed October 14, 2026
How to lower the bill
- Read the kilowatt-hours against this filing's average of 663 kWh a month. If your use is the thing that moved, the dollar total can rise on an unchanged rate.
- On the statement, separate the base energy charge from fuel or rider lines. A rider can move the total in a month when no new base-rate order exists.
- In California, the expensive hours are late afternoon and early evening in summer. Raise the cooling setpoint when you are out, and run the dryer, the dishwasher, and any pool pump outside those hours if your tariff charges more then.
- Start with LIHEAP for California (https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ocs/map/liheap-map-state-and-territory-contact-listing). A SMUD discount beyond that program needs verification.
- 583,470 residential customers were already on a dynamic price in the 2025 EIA file. If you are one of them, the window on the tariff is the lever. If you are not, calling the utility to discuss the schedule is the first step, not shifting load you are not being charged extra for.
- If the read is marked estimated, the next actual read can true the account up or down. The tariff rule for that true-up needs verification.
Full service at the 2025 average price
| Monthly use | Estimated bill |
|---|---|
| 500 kWh | $94.65 |
| 750 kWh | $141.98 |
| 1,000 kWh | $189.30 |
| 1,500 kWh | $283.95 |
| 2,000 kWh | $378.60 |
Usage times the average price. At very low use, a real bill is often higher because a fixed customer charge does not shrink. The tariff needs verification.
Questions people ask
Why is my SMUD electric bill so high?
In 2025, SMUD reported 601,275 residential full service customers under the EIA name Sacramento Municipal Util Dist. Average revenue was 18.93¢ per kWh. The average monthly bill in that filing was $125.42 for 663 kWh. 18.93¢ is below California's 2025 statewide residential average of 31.35¢. In July 2026 the state residential price was 33.61¢, versus 32.66¢ a year earlier (+2.9%). The utility number is a 2025 annual average. The state number is one later month. They answer different questions. From 2024 to 2025, the average monthly bill for full service changed −0.1%. Average use changed −5.7% and average price changed +5.9%. Holding the 2024 price fixed, the usage change accounts for −$7.11 a month. The price change, applied to 2025 usage, accounts for $6.99.
What was SMUD's average residential rate?
Using 2025 EIA-861 revenue and sales, the full service average was 18.93¢ per kWh. Average use was 663 kWh a month and the average bill was $125.42. This folds in whatever customer charges and riders the utility reported. It is not the marginal rate on your tariff.
Did SMUD raise rates?
The full service average price changed +5.9% from 2024 to 2025, from 17.87¢ to 18.93¢. That is average revenue per kilowatt-hour, not a commission order. No 2025–2026 order for this utility was retrieved for this page. A separate rider can still move a single month.
What bill assistance can SMUD customers ask about?
LIHEAP is the federal program for home energy bills (https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ocs/programs/liheap). SMUD may also offer an income-qualified discount, budget billing, or a medical baseline. The current offer, income cutoff, and how to apply need verification on the utility site and with the state LIHEAP office and California Public Utilities Commission.
Are data centers why this bill went up?
Large computing load is raising U.S. electricity demand, and regulators can later recover new generation and wires costs from customers. EIA has not published a dollar line that isolates data centers on this utility's residential bill. That pass-through needs verification.