PG&E, which stands for Pacific Gas and Electric, serves commercial customers across Northern and Central California. Many of these businesses are experiencing rising electricity costs driven by complex rate structures and demand charges. While solar panels are often promoted as the solution, most PG&E customers can achieve meaningful savings without solar, without construction, and without upfront investment.
Energy management focuses on how your business uses electricity under PG&E rate structures and identifies waste that directly increases monthly energy costs.
Why PG&E Energy Bills Are So High for Businesses
PG&E commercial bills are heavily impacted by time of use pricing and demand charges. Even short periods of high usage during peak windows can drive costs for the entire billing cycle.
Common PG&E cost drivers include:
- Demand spikes during peak and partial peak hours
- Equipment running simultaneously during high rate periods
- HVAC systems operating inefficiently during warm afternoons
- Limited visibility into usage patterns across facilities
Solar panels offset energy consumption, but they do not eliminate demand charges or fix inefficient usage patterns.
What Energy Management Looks Like for PG&E Customers
Energy management for PG&E businesses uses monitoring software and lightweight metering hardware to track energy usage in real time. This allows businesses to understand exactly how energy is consumed during PG&E peak periods.
Energy management typically includes:
- Real time monitoring of electrical usage
- Identification of peak demand and usage trends
- Optimization of equipment schedules and operational behavior
These improvements reduce waste without changing the physical structure of the building.
How PG&E Businesses Save 10 to 50 Percent
Savings come from targeting the factors that most influence PG&E billing. Because demand and time of use pricing drive a large portion of costs, optimization can produce meaningful results quickly.
Typical savings strategies include:
- Reducing peak demand during high cost periods
- Shifting discretionary loads to lower cost hours
- Improving HVAC control during peak windows
- Eliminating unnecessary after hours energy use
These changes directly reduce the charges that make PG&E bills unpredictable and expensive.
No Construction and No Capital Investment
Energy management does not require construction or major equipment upgrades. Monitoring hardware is non intrusive and installed quickly with no interruption to operations.
Most cost reduction comes from smarter usage, scheduling, and operational adjustments rather than new infrastructure. This makes energy management suitable for offices, warehouses, manufacturing facilities, retail centers, and multi location businesses.
How No Upfront Cost Energy Management Works
Many PG&E businesses hesitate to invest in energy solutions due to uncertainty around payback. Energy management can be implemented using a shared savings model.
Under this approach, the provider pays for the software, monitoring, and implementation. The business pays nothing upfront and shares a portion of the verified savings over time.
In most cases, the system is fully paid for within approximately two years, after which the business keeps the majority of ongoing savings.
Why Batteries Often Do Not Make Sense for PG&E Businesses
Battery storage can appear attractive, but for many PG&E commercial customers, batteries are expensive and complex to operate effectively. Incentives, rate alignment, and operational constraints often limit their return on investment.
Energy management delivers more predictable savings by addressing demand and usage behavior directly, without adding operational complexity or capital risk.
Energy Management Before Solar Improves Outcomes
For PG&E businesses considering solar in the future, energy management is the smarter first step. By reducing waste and optimizing usage first, any future solar system can be smaller, less expensive, and better aligned with actual energy needs.
Many businesses find that energy management alone reduces costs enough that solar is no longer urgent.
Who Is a Good Fit Under PG&E
Energy management is ideal for PG&E customers with significant energy usage, demand charges, or multiple facilities.
This includes commercial offices, industrial sites, warehouses, retail properties, medical facilities, and manufacturing operations throughout PG&E territory.
If your PG&E bills feel high, volatile, or disconnected from your daily operations, energy management is likely a strong fit.
Get Your Free Energy Savings QuickStart Guide – Instant Access
If you are a PG&E business looking to reduce energy costs without solar panels, without construction, and without upfront investment, energy management is the fastest way to start saving.
The Free Energy Savings QuickStart Guide explains how PG&E businesses identify waste, reduce demand charges, and improve energy efficiency using proven management strategies.
Instant access is available with no obligation. Understanding how your PG&E energy costs are calculated is the first step toward controlling them.