As a residential customer, you have two different rate options: the Standard Residential Rate and the Time-of-Use Residential Rate.
To view actual rate costs for each rate, go to Schedule R-1 – Residential Service.
Electric Rates Ordinances
The rates charged and collected by the LADWP for electrical energy distributed and for service supplied to its customers are approved by City of Los Angeles ordinances.
The current rates include the costs from (1) Electric Rate Ordinance plus the costs from (2) Final Incremental Electric Rate Ordinance. The total of the two Ordinances are summarized in (3) Electric Rate Summary.
(1)
(2)
(3)
For residential customers, there are several options under the residential rate. You may qualify for Low Income, Lifeline, electric vehicle discounts, or solar/ wind generation. For more details and eligibility, go to Schedule R-1 – Residential Service.
This rate schedule applies to services for single-family residences, single-family with guest house, and individually metered accommodations. This rate also applies to separately metered common areas of condominiums and cooperatives devoted primarily to residential uses and whose energy and capacity requirements do not exceed those for Schedule A-1 – Small General Service. Battery chargers, motors, and appliances which conform in capacities to applicable electrical codes, and meet requirements of LADWP's Rules, may be served under this schedule. This rate is not applicable to single-family residential customers with an on-site transformer dedicated solely to that individual customer. For more information, go to Schedule A-1 – Small General Service.
For master metered multi-family facilities and mobile home parks (one master meter with owner owned submeters to each dwelling), go to Schedule R-3 – Residential Multifamily Service.
Standard Residential Rate (R-1A)
The standard residential electric rate is based on the following criteria:
- Location: Zone 1 or Zone 2
- Season: High season (June – September) or Low season (October – May)
- Consumption: Amount of electricity used in each tier
If your billing read dates cross over from low season to high season, or from high to low, your tiers and consumption will be prorated or divided based on the number of billing days in each season. For example, if you use 100 kilowatt hours (kWh) from September 16 to October 15 (15 days in the high season and 15 days in the low season), your consumption will be divided into the two seasons – 50 kWh in the high season and 50 kWh in the low season. Your tier allotments will also be prorated across the seasons.
What are tiers?
Your electric costs are made up of Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 charges that appear on your bill. During the summer high-demand months, this three-tier system is used as an incentive for residential customers to conserve energy.
Tier 1 is the amount of power needed for services such as basic lighting, heating, and refrigeration. Beyond Tier 1 are two more tiers, each with a slightly higher rate. The more energy you are able to conserve, the more you will save on your bill. During the winter months, when demand is lower, Tiers 2 and 3 are billed at the same rate.
Hotter temperatures cause refrigerators and other electrical appliances to work harder and use more energy. Based on that and recommendations from the California Energy Commission, the LADWP has divided Los Angeles into two temperature zones to ensure basic energy use for our customers. People who live in the hotter parts of the city, Zone 2, are allowed a little more energy in Tier 1 than people who live in the cooler areas of Zone 1.
|
Zone 1 |
Zone 2 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Monthly |
Bi-Monthly |
Monthly |
Bi-Monthly |
|
| Tier 1 |
First 350 kWh |
First 700 kWh |
First 500 kWh |
First 1,000 kWh |
| Tier 2 |
Next 700 kWh |
Next 1,400 kWh |
Next 1,000 kWh |
Next 2,000 kWh |
| Tier 3 |
Above 1,050 kWh |
Above 2,100 kWh |
Above 1,500 kWh |
Above 3,000 kWh |
What is the Power Access Charge?
The Power Access Charge (PAC) is a monthly fixed charge tied to your highest level of energy use over the last year. You can lower your charge each year by adjusting your energy use. The PAC is also determined by tier and zone, and is the same as the energy use tiers shown in the table above. For example, if you live in Zone 1 and your highest monthly energy use was 600 kWh, then your PAC would be based on a Tier 2 charge. Every October 1st, your PAC will be based on the highest usage in the past 12 months.
Time-of-Use Residential Rate (R-1B)
If your bi-monthly bill consistently has Tier 3 usage, or you are a solar residential customer and you are consistently banking solar credits, then you may be a good candidate for the TOU rate.
This chart is located under the itemized portion of the electric bill.
Time-of-Use (TOU) rates are based on the time of day and season that you use electricity. There are three time periods: High Peak, Low Peak, and Base. The highest cost of usage is during the high peak, followed by low peak, with the lowest cost for usage in the base period.
|
High Peak Period |
Monday through Friday |
|---|---|
|
Low Peak Period |
Monday through Friday |
|
Base Period |
Monday through Friday All day Saturday and Sunday |
If you choose our TOU rate you can save more by shifting the time when you use the following equipment to 8 pm – 10 am, Monday - Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday:
- a filtered swimming pool, spa, or fish pond
- a central air conditioning system
- an electric space heating
Please use this Time of Use Application to apply online. To mail in or fax your application, please use this Time of Use Application.
For more information regarding TOU Rates, please contact the LADWP Rates Group at (213) 367-4718.
Power Adjustment Billing Factors
In addition to tiered energy charges, there are other components that may be included in your electric charges, including power rate adjustments.
CEC Load Management Standards
The California Energy Commission (CEC) Load Management Standards require California’s large electric utilities and community choice aggregators to provide residential and commercial customers access to time-dependent electricity rates and programs designed to better align electricity demand with the availability of renewable energy resources. Learn more on Load Management Standards.