California regulators are considering adding a flat $24 fee to utility bills

That would hurt coastal residents in apartments and tiny homes, who don’t use a lot of air conditioning, Loretta Lynch, former president of the CPUC, said at a KQED forum.

“That means almost all the low-income customers in San Francisco and Oakland, and probably beyond — those people are going to pay more,” she said.

However, said Cynthia Martinez, a spokeswoman An alliance of expected powersAmazon, which includes California’s three largest utilities, has argued that a flat rate would lower costs for families struggling to pay their bills.

“For people who live in hotter climates, who have no choice but to run their air conditioning more often, they pay higher costs that go toward maintaining the grid,” Martinez said. She added that separating the costs of using electricity from the cost of maintaining the network is more equitable and “will provide equity.”

There are still questions about the incentive for electrification

Now, in California, if you use too much electricity, you pay more. If you live an energy-efficient lifestyle, you’ll pay less. Sylvie Ashford, Energy Analyst at utility repair network, Or TURN, he said that won’t change.

The group supports the new proposal, which Ashford said would incentivize people to switch to clean energy.

“Consumers cite one of the biggest barriers to purchasing electric vehicles and electric heat pumps is the high cost of electricity,” Ashford said. “When the cost becomes 8% to 10% lower per kilowatt hour, the costs of running your electric vehicle or electric heat pump become more competitive with dirty gas alternatives.”