PG&E E-ELEC Rate Plan Explained: Who Qualifies, 2026 Prices, and When It Beats E-TOU-C or EV2-A

E-ELEC, PG&E's "Electric Home" plan, has the lowest winter peak price of any PG&E residential time-of-use plan, $0.32063/kWh, and its winter prices stay under 33 cents at every hour of the day. You qualify if you have an EV, home battery storage, or an electric heat pump as your main source of heating, cooling, or water heating. The trade-offs are no baseline credit and a summer peak price of $0.55214/kWh. In both of our worked examples, E-ELEC beats E-TOU-C over a year. Against EV2-A it's closer: EV2-A usually wins if you charge an EV after midnight, and E-ELEC wins if you use a lot of electricity on winter evenings.

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Key facts

• E-ELEC prices (bundled, effective June 1, 2026): summer (June-September) $0.55214 peak, $0.39026 part-peak, $0.33358 off-peak per kWh. Winter (October-May) $0.32063 peak, $0.29854 part-peak, $0.28468 off-peak (Schedule E-ELEC, Advice 7921-E, D.26-04-036).
• Time periods, every day including weekends and holidays: peak 4-9 p.m., part-peak 3-4 p.m. and 9 p.m.-midnight, off-peak midnight-3 p.m. (same schedule).
• No baseline credit. E-ELEC has one price per time period. E-TOU-C takes $0.08140 off every kWh within your baseline allowance (Schedule E-TOU-C).
• Base Services Charge: $0.79343 a day for most customers (Income Tier 3), $0.39688 for Tier 2 (FERA-level incomes or qualifying affordable housing) and $0.19713 for Tier 1 (CARE-level incomes). That's about $23.80, $11.91 or $5.91 for a 30-day bill. E-TOU-C and EV2-A charge the same amounts, so it doesn't decide which plan is cheaper.
• Who qualifies: a registered battery-electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle charged at home; energy storage that has permission to operate; or an electric heat pump as your primary means of water heating or space heating/cooling. Your home doesn't need to be all-electric, and gas service is fine (PG&E Electric Home plan).
• Solar: customers on the Net Billing Tariff (NEM 3.0, "Solar Billing Plan") must be on E-ELEC and don't need any of the qualifying technologies. NEM 1 and NEM 2 customers can choose it if they have one (Schedule E-ELEC).

Who qualifies for E-ELEC

The tariff lists three qualifying technologies. You need at least one.

1. Electric vehicle charging. A currently registered battery-electric (BEV) or plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicle that you recharge at home. Conventional hybrids, low-speed EVs, electric motorcycles and e-bikes don't count.
2. Energy storage. You must apply for interconnection and receive permission to operate. The battery must be at least 2 kWh if your home used 6,000 kWh or less in the past 12 months (or has less than 12 months of history). Above 6,000 kWh a year, it must be at least 0.05% of your annual usage in kWh.
3. An electric heat pump as your primary means of water heating, or of space heating and/or cooling. A heat pump water heater qualifies on its own; so does a ducted or ductless heat pump that's your main heating or cooling system.

E-ELEC is whole-house service: the EV, battery or heat pump is metered together with the rest of the house, not on a separate meter. Induction cooktops, heat pump dryers and electric resistance heat don't qualify on their own.

E-ELEC vs E-TOU-C vs EV2-A, hour by hour

These are PG&E bundled total prices per kWh. E-TOU-C has no part-peak period, so the 3-4 p.m. and 9 p.m.-midnight rows show its off-peak price. EV2-A prices come from Schedule EV2.

Winter (October 1 to May 31)

Summer (June 1 to September 30)

What the tables show:

1. In winter, E-ELEC beats E-TOU-C at every hour for usage above baseline, by about 7 to 8 cents per kWh. Within baseline, the two are within about a penny of each other.
2. In summer, E-ELEC's peak is the most expensive of the three plans. Within baseline, E-TOU-C is cheaper than E-ELEC at every hour.
3. EV2-A's off-peak price, $0.22558, is the lowest in either season. It costs 5.9 cents less per kWh than E-ELEC in winter and 10.8 cents less in summer. But EV2-A charges about 9 cents more than E-ELEC during winter peak and part-peak.

The heat pump home: where E-ELEC wins

E-ELEC's lowest prices come in winter evenings, when a heat pump does most of its work. To show how that plays out, here's a hypothetical home in baseline Territory X with a heat pump and no EV. Assume it uses 800 kWh in a winter month (40% at peak, 20% part-peak, 40% off-peak) and 600 kWh in a summer month with air conditioning (40% peak, 15% part-peak, 45% off-peak). With heat pump heating, it uses PG&E's all-electric (Code H) baseline: 14.6 kWh a day in winter and 8.5 in summer (Schedule E-1, baseline quantities).

E-ELEC wins for this home by about $175 a year over E-TOU-C and $86 over EV2-A. That's even though E-ELEC loses every summer month, because winter is eight months long and E-ELEC's winter evening prices are much lower. The Base Services Charge is the same on all three plans, so it's left out.

The EV home: where EV2-A usually wins

Now a hypothetical home in Territory X with an EV and basic (Code B) baseline, 9.7 kWh a day in winter and 9.8 in summer. It uses 1,000 kWh in a winter month and 900 in a summer month, with 65% of it off-peak and 25% at peak, because the car charges after midnight.

Here EV2-A comes out about $285 a year ahead of E-ELEC, and both beat E-TOU-C by a wide margin. The EV's off-peak kWh are the reason. Charging 300 kWh a month after midnight costs $67.67 on EV2-A, $85.40 on E-ELEC in winter and $100.07 on E-ELEC in summer.

The rough rule from the winter prices: if more than about 60% of your winter kWh land in the midnight-3 p.m. off-peak window, EV2-A tends to beat E-ELEC. Below that, E-ELEC tends to win. In summer, EV2-A wins for almost any usage pattern. Your own split matters more than any rule of thumb, which is why we run it on your actual usage below.

Both examples are illustrations, not predictions. They price bundled PG&E energy charges only, at current rates. If MCE, EBCE, SVCE, Peninsula Clean Energy or another community choice aggregator supplies your power, your generation price differs; see Community Choice Aggregation Explained. Taxes, the California Climate Credit and CARE/FERA discounts aren't included.

Why choose E-ELEC over EV2-A?

EV2-A is open to EV owners, battery owners (on a pilot capped at 30,000 storage-only customers) and heat pump homes too (Schedule EV2). So why pick E-ELEC? Four reasons come up:

• You use a lot of power on winter evenings. That's heat pump heating from 3 p.m. to midnight, an electric dryer and cooking after work, or a heat pump water heater recovering after evening showers. E-ELEC's winter peak price is $0.32063, versus $0.41099 on EV2-A.
• You're a very heavy user. EV2-A bars customers whose last 12 months exceed 800% of their annual baseline allowance. E-ELEC has no such cap.
• You have NEM 3.0 solar. Net Billing Tariff customers have to be on E-ELEC.
• You can't move much usage to midnight-3 p.m. EV2-A's savings come almost entirely from that window.

Things to know before you switch

• No baseline credit. If you use little electricity and most of it is within baseline, E-TOU-C or tiered E-1 can be cheaper. That's especially true in summer. See PG&E Baseline Allowance Explained.
• Summer evenings are expensive. At $0.55214/kWh, running central air from 4 to 9 p.m. costs more on E-ELEC than on any other plan in this comparison. Pre-cool before 4 p.m. and let the house coast. Our smart thermostat guide covers how.
• Rate changes are limited. PG&E allows two rate changes in your first 12 months on a plan. After the second change, you have to stay on the new rate for 12 months (PG&E EV rate plans).
• NEM solar customers: switching rate plans triggers your NEM true-up balance that month and starts a new 12-month true-up cycle (PG&E Electric Home plan). See PG&E Solar Bill Explained.
• Ask about the all-electric baseline anyway. If a heat pump is your primary heat, PG&E's Code H baseline is larger. It doesn't change E-ELEC prices, but it makes E-TOU-C and E-1 more competitive, so use it when you compare plans.

Make E-ELEC (or EV2-A) work: shift into midnight-3 p.m.

On either plan, the savings come from moving flexible loads out of the 3 p.m.-midnight window. Three tools do that automatically:

• Emporia Level 2 EV Charger (48A, hardwired, J1772). Its Amazon listing says it's ENERGY STAR certified and its app lets you schedule charging sessions around utility rates. Set it to start after midnight so the car charges at off-peak prices on either plan. The listing recommends professional installation. Emporia sells NEMA 14-50 plug-in and NACS (Tesla) versions too.
• ChargePoint Home Flex Level 2 EV Charger (NEMA 14-50 plug, J1772). Its listing says it can connect to your utility's rate plan to charge when rates are lowest. It requires a 40A or 50A circuit, and Tesla owners need an adapter. Many EVs can also schedule charging from the car itself, so check that before you buy a smart charger only for scheduling.
• ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium. For a heat pump home, the thermostat decides how much of your heating and cooling lands in the peak. Its listing says it works with most 24-volt systems, including heat pumps. Use ecobee's compatibility checker first.
• Emporia Vue 3 home energy monitor with 16 circuit sensors. Clamped on your EV, heat pump and water heater circuits, it shows hour by hour how much of each lands at peak. That's the number that decides E-ELEC vs EV2-A. Emporia's listing says a professional electrician is highly recommended for installation.

If you have a heat pump water heater, PG&E also points to its WatterSaver program, which heats water automatically during the least expensive times of day (PG&E Electric Home plan). Our heat pump water heater guide and heat pump vs. gas furnace comparison show what E-ELEC does to those running costs.

Check your own numbers

Which plan wins depends on your actual peak share, baseline territory and season mix, not on averages. Upload your PG&E bill to My Big Bill for a free audit: it reads your current plan, baseline and usage pattern, and it won't claim savings your bill doesn't support. For an hour-by-hour answer, download your Green Button file from PG&E and run it through the PG&E usage analyzer, which reprices a year of your usage on E-ELEC, E-TOU-C, EV2-A and the other plans. Also see PG&E Rate Plans Compared, EV2-A vs E-TOU-C and PG&E Time-of-Use Rates Explained.

Frequently asked questions

What is PG&E's E-ELEC rate plan?

E-ELEC, also called the Electric Home rate plan, is an optional PG&E time-of-use plan for homes with an EV, battery storage, or an electric heat pump as the primary heating, cooling, or water heating. Peak is 4-9 p.m. every day, part-peak is 3-4 p.m. and 9 p.m.-midnight, and off-peak is midnight-3 p.m. It has no baseline credit.

What are the E-ELEC rates in 2026?

Bundled prices effective June 1, 2026 are $0.55214 peak, $0.39026 part-peak and $0.33358 off-peak per kWh in summer (June-September), and $0.32063, $0.29854 and $0.28468 in winter (October-May). Most customers also pay a Base Services Charge of $0.79343 a day; income Tiers 1 and 2 pay $0.19713 and $0.39688 (Schedule E-ELEC).

Do I need an all-electric home to qualify for E-ELEC?

No. You can keep gas service. You need at least one qualifying technology: a registered EV or plug-in hybrid charged at home, energy storage with permission to operate, or an electric heat pump used as your primary water heating or space heating or cooling.

Is E-ELEC cheaper than E-TOU-C?

In winter, E-ELEC costs about 7 to 8 cents per kWh less than E-TOU-C at every hour for usage above baseline. In summer, E-ELEC's peak is higher, and within baseline E-TOU-C is cheaper at every hour. Homes with a heat pump or EV and usage well above baseline usually come out ahead on E-ELEC over a full year.

Is E-ELEC or EV2-A better for EV charging?

For charging after midnight, EV2-A is cheaper: $0.22558 per kWh off-peak year-round, versus $0.28468 in winter and $0.33358 in summer on E-ELEC. E-ELEC is cheaper during winter peak and part-peak. As a rough rule, if more than about 60% of your winter usage falls in the midnight-3 p.m. off-peak window, EV2-A tends to win.

Do solar customers have to be on E-ELEC?

Customers on the Net Billing Tariff (NEM 3.0, the "Solar Billing Plan") must be on E-ELEC. NEM 1 and NEM 2 customers can choose it if they also have an EV, battery storage, or a qualifying heat pump. Switching triggers a NEM true-up and starts a new 12-month cycle.