PG&E B‑10 vs B‑19 vs Option S
Three PG&E rates bill the same factory very differently. Which one is cheapest depends on your load shape, and adding a battery can change the answer.
Which PG&E rate is cheaper for your business?
B-19 tends to suit facilities with steady electricity use. B-10 can suit smaller facilities with short spikes and heavier evening usage. Option S is a storage rate: lower monthly demand charges come with higher energy prices, so adding a battery does not automatically make it the best choice.
Your bill charges for both how much electricity you use (kWh) and how quickly you use it (kW). Running 100 kW of equipment for two hours uses 200 kWh of energy.
A demand peak is your highest average draw from the grid over a measured interval. On these PG&E rates, that interval is 15 minutes. A demand charge puts a price on that peak. It is different from the 4–9 PM peak period, which is a set of hours with its own prices. See how demand peaks set your bill.
Compare example bills with and without a battery
01
B-10 below 500 kW
One demand charge, $20.50/kW on the month's highest 15 minutes at any hour, and high energy prices. It is where most sites under 500 kW start.
02
B-19 above it, or by choice
Cheaper energy, but four demand charges, led by $37.37/kW at any hour and $46.16/kW in the summer 4–9 PM peak. Mandatory after three months over 499 kW; anyone smaller can elect it.
03
Option S, with storage
A B-19 option for sites with a battery of at least 10% of their peak. Monthly demand charges fall to $9.13 and $6.35/kW; the 4–9 PM charge is billed every day instead; energy costs more.
PG&E bundled rates at secondary voltage, effective March 1, 2026 (Advice 7846-E). Last reviewed October 26, 2026.
Compare PG&E rates on an example facility
Start with a day shift, evening production or steady background usage. See a year of electricity bills on all three rates, with and without the same battery. No bill or technical inputs needed.
Start with an example
Choose an operating pattern, then adjust the details below.
Day shift with short spikes
Adjust the example
Change one input to see what moves the bill.
Your busiest 15-minute interval, measured in kW.
What is peak demand?Peaky: short spikesFlat: steady all day
Average usage ÷ peak demand is called load factor.
Share of the peak still running then
With a 100 kW / 200 kWh battery.
Compare annual electricity bills
Same building and operations in both columns. The lowest eligible bill is marked in each column.
| Rate | Without battery | With battery |
|---|---|---|
| B‑10 | ~$402,000 | ~$378,000 |
| B‑19 | ~$369,000Lowest bill | ~$325,000 |
| B‑19 Option S | —Requires a battery | ~$323,000Lowest bill |
B-19 Option S has the lowest annual bill: about 10–15% below B-10, or roughly 1.5–2 months of electricity a year.
The battery cuts the best bill by about 10–15% (roughly 1–1.5 months of electricity a year), and the cheapest rate changes from B-19 to B-19 Option S.
Explore the bill breakdown
B‑10
~$378,000 / year
About 15–20% more
- Customer charge
- $4.1k
- Energy
- $300k
- Demand, any hour
- $74k
- Demand, 2–11 PM windows
- $0
B‑19
~$325,000 / year
Under 5% more
- Customer charge
- $4.1k
- Energy
- $155k
- Demand, any hour
- $135k
- Demand, 2–11 PM windows
- $31k
B‑19 Option S
~$323,000 / year
Cheapest
- Customer charge
- $4.1k
- Energy
- $217k
- Demand, any hour
- $51k
- Demand, 2–11 PM windows
- $51k
Building loadFrom the grid, with the battery
Ready to compare your own facility? Interval data is the record of your electricity use every 15 minutes. It shows when peaks happen and how long they last. Download your PG&E interval data and bills.
Same clock, different meters
All three rates share PG&E's time-of-use periods, every day of the week. What changes is which hours each demand charge watches, and whether it resets monthly or daily.
Summer, June to September
Energy price periods
Off-peakPart-peakPeak
- B-10
Maximum demand, all hours$20.50/kW-month
- B-19
Maximum demand, all hours$37.37/kW-month
Summer peak demand, 4-9 PM$46.16/kW-month
Summer part-peak demand, 2-4 PM and 9-11 PM$10.52/kW-month
- B-19 Option S
Maximum demand, all hours$9.13/kW-month
Maximum demand outside 9 AM-2 PM$6.35/kW-month
Summer daily peak demand, 4-9 PM · every day$1.60/kW-day
Summer daily part-peak demand, 2-4 PM and 9-11 PM · every day$0.08/kW-day
Winter, October to May
Shown for March to May, which adds a 9 AM–2 PM super off-peak price. October to February has no super off-peak.
Energy price periods
Off-peakSuper off-peakPeak
- B-10
Maximum demand, all hours$20.50/kW-month
- B-19
Maximum demand, all hours$37.37/kW-month
Winter peak demand, 4-9 PM$2.31/kW-month
- B-19 Option S
Maximum demand, all hours$9.13/kW-month
Maximum demand outside 9 AM-2 PM$6.35/kW-month
Winter daily peak demand, 4-9 PM · every day$1.22/kW-day
Why the wrong combination quietly costs money
Nothing on the bill says you are on the wrong rate. The cost shows up only when the same year is billed every eligible way.
01
Cheap demand, expensive energy
Option S cuts the all-hours demand charges by about 59%, but summer 4–9 PM energy costs $0.43568/kWh against $0.18648 on standard B-19. A plant that runs into the evening can pay more on Option S, battery or not.
02
A month at risk, or a day
On B-10 and standard B-19, one missed spike sets the demand charge for the whole month. On Option S the 4–9 PM charge resets daily: a miss costs that day's $1.60/kW in summer, plus the monthly $9.13 + $6.35/kW if it is the month's highest. To earn the daily rate, the battery has to cover that window every single day.
03
Rules that move the answer
B-10 stops at 499 kW. Option S needs storage rated at 10% of the past 12 months' peak and has a 50 MW enrollment cap per schedule: 24.17 MW was left on B-19 and 30.88 MW on voluntary B-19 as of October 12, 2026. And if billed demand stays at or below 499 kW for 12 consecutive months (for example with a battery), the account moves to the $11.37/day customer charge instead of $58.63.
Rate choice and battery dispatch have to be decided together: the battery that pays best on standard B-19 is run differently from one on Option S. EQORE bills a full year of your interval data on every rate you qualify for, with and without storage, before recommending a rate and a system.
As a first pass, facilities that fit typically save about 1–4 months of their electricity spend a year. It varies widely from site to site, and the real number takes a full analysis of your interval data.
Once you understand the rate, the next question is how much battery to install. Explore how battery size changes cost and savings.
How peak shaving works: why the battery's target has to move
The demand charge moves too
PG&E resets B-19 rates by advice letter, often several times a year. The summer demand charges peaked in March 2025 and have fallen since, to $83.53 per kW-month. A rate that was the right choice two years ago may not be now.
Summer demand charges on B-19, per kW-month
Maximum demand plus the 4–9 PM summer peak charge, secondary voltage, at every rate change.
B-19 summer demand charges at secondary voltage went from $46.66 per kW-month in Jan 2020 to a high of $96.66 in Mar 2025, then fell to $83.53 in Mar 2026: 14% below the high, 79% above 2020.
| Effective | Maximum demand | Summer peak | Summer total | Winter peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2020 | $21.08 | $25.58 | $46.66 | $1.79 |
| May 2020 | $21.44 | $25.79 | $47.23 | $1.77 |
| Oct 2020 | $21.64 | $25.95 | $47.59 | $1.77 |
| Jan 2021 | $21.40 | $25.12 | $46.52 | $1.69 |
| Mar 2021 | $22.77 | $26.56 | $49.33 | $1.72 |
| Aug 2021 | $22.98 | $26.69 | $49.67 | $1.72 |
| Jan 2022 | $26.03 | $27.46 | $53.49 | $1.72 |
| Mar 2022 | $25.59 | $31.45 | $57.04 | $2.24 |
| Jun 2022 | $26.07 | $32.90 | $58.97 | $2.22 |
| Jan 2023 | $26.46 | $35.21 | $61.67 | $2.53 |
| Mar 2023 | $28.17 | $36.83 | $65.00 | $2.53 |
| Jun 2023 | $27.10 | $35.81 | $62.91 | $2.53 |
| Jul 2023 | $30.20 | $38.75 | $68.95 | $2.53 |
| Sep 2023 | $31.13 | $39.63 | $70.76 | $2.53 |
| Jan 2024 | $37.85 | $51.60 | $89.45 | $3.02 |
| Mar 2024 | $37.99 | $51.88 | $89.87 | $3.02 |
| Apr 2024 | $39.16 | $52.98 | $92.14 | $3.02 |
| Jul 2024 | $36.35 | $47.26 | $83.61 | $2.65 |
| Sep 2024 | $36.94 | $47.82 | $84.76 | $2.65 |
| Oct 2024 | $38.91 | $49.68 | $88.59 | $2.65 |
| Jan 2025 | $40.57 | $55.45 | $96.02 | $3.20 |
| Mar 2025 | $40.90 | $55.76 | $96.66 | $3.20 |
| Sep 2025 | $39.22 | $54.17 | $93.39 | $3.20 |
| Jan 2026 | $38.50 | $47.24 | $85.74 | $2.31 |
| Mar 2026 | $37.37 | $46.16 | $83.53 | $2.31 |
PG&E Schedule B-19, secondary voltage, bundled totals per kW-month, every rate change from January 2020 to March 2026. Compiled from PG&E's historical commercial rate tables; 2024 onward cross-checked against the filed advice letters (rates database), March 2026 against the tariff sheet. Source: PG&E, historical electric rates (Commercial B-19 rate tables) (opens in a new tab).
The charges, side by side
| Charge | B‑10 | B‑19 | Option S |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customer charge (per day) | $11.36882 | $11.36882 voluntary · $58.62824 mandatory | Same as B-19 |
| Maximum demand, any hour | $20.50/kW-month | $37.37/kW-month | $9.13/kW-month |
| Maximum demand outside 9 AM–2 PM | None | None | $6.35/kW-month |
| Summer peak demand, 4–9 PM | None | $46.16/kW-month | $1.60/kW-day |
| Summer part-peak demand, 2–4 and 9–11 PM | None | $10.52/kW-month | $0.08/kW-day |
| Winter peak demand, 4–9 PM | None | $2.31/kW-month | $1.22/kW-day |
| Summer energy, peak / off-peak (per kWh) | $0.33947 / $0.24522 | $0.18648 / $0.12037 | $0.43568 / $0.19137 |
| Spring super off-peak energy, 9 AM–2 PM | $0.19139 | $0.06442 | $0.10462 |
Effective March 1, 2026. Last reviewed October 26, 2026.
PG&E changes these rates by advice letter, often more than once a year. Check the current schedule before relying on a figure.
Questions about PG&E B-19
What is load factor on an electricity bill?
Load factor compares average electricity demand with peak demand over the same period. If your average demand is 200 kW and your peak is 400 kW, your load factor is 50%. A higher load factor means steadier use; a lower one means bigger spikes relative to your average. This matters when comparing energy prices with demand charges. You do not need to know yours to explore the examples on this page.
What is the difference between PG&E B-10 and B-19?
B-10 has one demand charge ($20.50/kW on the highest 15 minutes of the month at any hour) and higher energy prices. B-19 has lower energy prices but four demand charges: $37.37/kW at any hour, $46.16/kW in the summer 4–9 PM peak, $10.52/kW in the summer part-peak and $2.31/kW in the winter 4–9 PM peak. Rates at secondary voltage, effective March 1, 2026.
Is B-19 cheaper than B-10?
It depends on the load shape. B-19 tends to win for sites that use a lot of energy relative to their peak (a flat, steady load), because its energy is much cheaper. B-10 tends to win for peaky sites with evening load, because it has no 4–9 PM demand charge. A site under 500 kW can choose voluntary B-19 and must then stay at least 12 months.
What is PG&E Option S?
A rate option on B-19 (mandatory or voluntary) and B-20 for sites with storage rated at least 10% of their peak demand over the previous 12 months. It replaces the monthly peak and part-peak demand charges with daily ones, lowers the monthly maximum-demand charges to $9.13/kW (any hour) plus $6.35/kW (outside 9 AM–2 PM), and raises energy prices. Enrollment is capped at 50 MW per schedule.
Is Option S always cheaper with a battery?
No. Its energy prices are much higher, especially from 4 to 9 PM in summer, and its daily demand charges reward a battery that covers the evening window every day. Sites with a midday peak and little evening load tend to gain most; sites that run hard into the evening can do better on standard B-19.
How do I know which PG&E rate is right for my facility?
Bill a full year of your 15-minute interval data on every rate you are eligible for, with and without the battery you are considering, using the battery dispatch you would actually run. Rate choice and dispatch interact, so they have to be decided together. That is part of every EQORE savings assessment.
Put your rate in context
Sources (4)· Last reviewed October 26, 2026
- PG&E Electric Schedule B-19: rates Sheet 4 (Cal. P.U.C. 61071-E), Option S rates Sheet 11 (61078-E), time periods Sheet 15 (57123-E), Option S terms Section 20, Sheet 23 (57131-E). Advice 7846-E, effective March 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- PG&E Electric Schedule B-10: rates Sheet 3 (Cal. P.U.C. 61068-E), Advice 7846-E, effective March 1, 2026; applicability Sheet 1 (59574-E) (opens in a new tab)
- PG&E, Commercial battery storage: Option S enrollment cap table, last updated October 12, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- PG&E, historical electric rates (Commercial B-19 rate tables) (opens in a new tab), B-19 rate history since 2020
Take control of your power
Find out which rate your facility should be on
Send a recent PG&E bill. We bill a year of your interval data on every rate you qualify for, with and without storage, and show what each combination would have cost.