Why is your California electricity bill so high? It may be your neighbor | Opinion

Originally appeared on sacbee.com.

The California Chamber of Commerce has taken an expert look at why electricity in this state costs so much and come to a surprising conclusion. The largest reason may be right next door.

The 1.8 million solar installations on California rooftops are the largest driver of rate increases for the rest of the customers of Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric. Of all the regulations and laws governing the state’s utility industry, the state’s largest business organization has concluded that solar rooftop incentives account for 14% of the cost of a typical ratepayer bill.

This solar program is even more costly than undergrounding transmission lines throughout fire country to prevent future devastating blazes, according to the chamber’s study by Blue Sky Consulting.