States › California › City of Palo Alto
municipal utility · EIA utility 14401
City of Palo Alto
Average price is revenue divided by sales for the sector and year; it is not a tariff rate. Reliability figures are as reported by utilities to EIA on Form 861 and may use different calculation methods. Annual figures: Form EIA-861 for 2024, final release. Monthly state figures run to July 2026.
City of Palo Alto is a municipal utility that reported 26,249 residential customers in California on Form EIA-861 for 2024, with a service territory that touches 1 county.
Its average residential price that year was 20.67¢ per kilowatthour, 35% below the California average of 31.97¢ and 25% above the US average of 16.48¢. The figure is residential revenue divided by residential sales, so it folds in fixed charges, riders and every rate schedule the utility bills under.
That works out to an average residential bill of $103.58 a month on average use of 501 kWh a month. Across California the average bill was $160.86 on 503 kWh, so a bill gap reflects how much power households use as well as what each kilowatthour costs.
For reliability it reported a SAIDI of 134.7 minutes per customer with major event days included, calculated under IEEE 1366 standard. The median among California utilities reporting was 74.0 minutes with major event days; this utility's figure is 82% above that median.
The average price is up 29.5% on 2019, against up 66.9% for California as a whole, and up 2.3% on 2023.
Compared with California, the US and other municipal utilities
| Measure, 2024 | This utility | Municipal utilities, US median | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average residential price per kWh | 20.67¢ | 12.45¢ | 31.97¢ | 16.48¢ |
| Average monthly residential bill | $103.58 | $113.02 | $160.86 | $142.26 |
| Average monthly use, kWh | 501 | 905 | 503 | 863 |
| Residential price change, 1 year | +2.3% | — | +8.3% | +3.0% |
| Residential price change, 5 years | +29.5% | — | +66.9% | +26.7% |
| SAIDI, all events (minutes) | 134.7 | 64.4 | 74.0 median | 184.5 median |
| SAIDI, without major event days | — | 40.3 | 50.4 median | 99.8 median |
State and US prices, bills and use are EIA's own averages over every customer. The ownership column and the reliability columns are medians across utilities with at least 1,000 residential customers, computed on this site from the final 2024 file. Among the 19 filings by municipal utilities in California, the median price was 20.44¢. In California this utility's price ranks 16 of 30, counting from the highest.
Average price by year
City of Palo AltoCalifornia averageUS average
Year by year
| Year | ¢ per kWh | California ¢ | Monthly bill | kWh a month | Residential customers | All sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 20.67¢ | 31.97¢ | $103.58 | 501 | 26,249 | 892.3 GWh |
| 2023 | 20.21¢ | 29.51¢ | $101.64 | 503 | 26,220 | 822.1 GWh |
| 2022 | 17.42¢ | 25.84¢ | $88.69 | 509 | 25,761 | 827.5 GWh |
| 2021 | 16.23¢ | 22.82¢ | $81.20 | 500 | 25,882 | 800 GWh |
| 2020 | 16.37¢ | 20.45¢ | $88.00 | 538 | 25,083 | 825.5 GWh |
| 2019 | 15.96¢ | 19.15¢ | $79.43 | 498 | 25,811 | 888.1 GWh |
| 2018 | 15.32¢ | 18.84¢ | $73.69 | 481 | 25,461 | 888 GWh |
| 2017 | 14.28¢ | 18.31¢ | $70.14 | 491 | 25,579 | 912.6 GWh |
| 2016 | 12.69¢ | 17.39¢ | $60.73 | 479 | 25,520 | 914.7 GWh |
| 2015 | 12.02¢ | 16.99¢ | $58.36 | 486 | 25,299 | 932.9 GWh |
| 2014 | 12.09¢ | 16.25¢ | $59.49 | 492 | 25,321 | 953.4 GWh |
| 2013 | 12.45¢ | 16.23¢ | $64.40 | 517 | 25,438 | 953.2 GWh |
Bundled residential service only in the price, bill and use columns. Bill = residential revenue ÷ customers ÷ 12; use = residential sales ÷ customers ÷ 12.
Sales by sector, 2024
| Sector | Customers | Sales | Share of sales | Revenue | ¢ per kWh, bundled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | 26,249 | 157.9 GWh | 18% | $32,625,000 | 20.67¢ |
| Commercial | 3,526 | 619.3 GWh | 69% | $105,108,000 | 16.97¢ |
| Industrial | 58 | 115.1 GWh | 13% | $21,843,000 | 18.98¢ |
Customers, sales and revenue count every service type the utility reported (bundled, energy-only and delivery-only). The price column uses bundled service alone, because part-bill revenue would understate it. Sources of energy: 924.1 GWh in total, of which 0% was its own net generation and 924.1 GWh was bought wholesale; summer peak demand 184 MW.
Reliability
Minutes of sustained interruption per customer in 2024, as the utility reported them under IEEE 1366 standard. SAIFI: 0.88 interruptions per customer with major event days; CAIDI 153.0 minutes per interruption. EIA's California total across all reporting utilities was 279.6 minutes with major event days and 158.2 without. Major event days are storms and similar events that a utility's chosen method sets apart; methods differ, so treat comparisons as approximate. What SAIDI and SAIFI mean.
| Year | SAIDI, all events | SAIDI, no major events | SAIFI, all events | SAIFI, no major events | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 134.7 | — | 0.88 | — | IEEE 1366 |
| 2023 | 171.9 | — | 1.56 | — | IEEE 1366 |
| 2022 | 97.1 | — | 0.82 | — | IEEE 1366 |
| 2021 | 81.7 | — | 0.54 | — | IEEE 1366 |
| 2020 | 35.6 | — | 0.49 | — | IEEE 1366 |
| 2019 | 136.1 | — | 1.09 | — | IEEE 1366 |
| 2018 | 77.6 | — | 0.50 | — | IEEE 1366 |
| 2017 | 66.7 | — | 0.51 | — | IEEE 1366 |
| 2016 | 40.0 | — | 0.35 | — | IEEE 1366 |
| 2015 | 68.5 | — | 0.29 | — | IEEE 1366 |
| 2014 | 7.9 | — | 0.25 | — | IEEE 1366 |
| 2013 | 19.0 | — | 0.19 | — | IEEE 1366 |
Counties in its service territory
Counties the utility listed on Form EIA-861 for 2024. Listing a county does not mean the utility serves all of it.
Other utilities in California
| Utility | Ownership | Residential customers | ¢ per kWh | Monthly bill | SAIDI, all events | SAIDI, no major events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Lodi | Municipal | 23,751 | 22.47¢ | $136.82 | 16.6 | 16.6 |
| Alameda Municipal Power | Municipal | 33,174 | 22.98¢ | $80.66 | 54.9 | 54.9 |
| City of Redding | Municipal | 38,170 | 17.85¢ | $151.57 | 34.1 | 34.1 |
| City of Colton | Municipal | 17,472 | 24.85¢ | $133.37 | 50.4 | 50.4 |
| City of Azusa | Municipal | 15,599 | 19.08¢ | $90.88 | — | 11.5 |
| City of Burbank Water and Power | Municipal | 46,157 | 19.25¢ | $89.90 | 23.2 | 23.2 |
| City of Santa Clara | Municipal | 50,949 | 16.88¢ | $71.80 | 208.7 | 161.7 |
| City of Pasadena | Municipal | 58,551 | 25.98¢ | $123.59 | 42.9 | 42.9 |
All California utilities · Municipal utilities nationwide
Questions and answers
How much does electricity cost from City of Palo Alto?
Residential customers paid an average of 20.67¢ per kilowatthour in 2024. EIA derives this by dividing residential revenue by residential sales; it is an average across all rate schedules and charges, not a tariff rate.
How does that compare with California?
The California average residential price in 2024 was 31.97¢ and the US average 16.48¢; City of Palo Alto was 35% below the state figure. Among 30 utility filings with a bundled residential price in California, it had the 16th highest.
What is the average City of Palo Alto bill?
$103.58 a month in 2024, on average residential use of 501 kWh a month (annual revenue and sales divided by customers and by twelve). The California average was $160.86 on 503 kWh.
How reliable is City of Palo Alto service?
It reported 134.7 minutes of interruption per customer (SAIDI) including major event days, with 0.88 interruptions per customer (SAIFI) in 2024. Utilities calculate these under differing methods, so comparisons are approximate.
Is the City of Palo Alto price rising?
The average residential price was up 2.3% in 2024 compared with 2023 and up 29.5% compared with 2019.
Which counties does City of Palo Alto serve?
Its Form EIA-861 service territory lists 1 county: Santa Clara County, CA. A county can appear in several utilities' territories.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration. Annual figures are from Form EIA-861 (sales to ultimate customers, reliability, operational data and service territory files), final release for 2024, respondent "City of Palo Alto - (CA)", utility number 14401. State and US averages are from the Form EIA-861M sales and revenue workbook, published through July 2026. All are US government works in the public domain. Page built 30 Sep 2026. Errors in processing are corrected at the next build; see corrections. For tariffs and rate schedules, consult the utility or the state utility commission.