The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) Board of Directors conducted a public hearing on January 16 to discuss proposed rate adjustments for residential and nonresidential customers, set to take effect in 2025. The adjustments aim to address rising operational costs, regulatory compliance, and infrastructure modernization while ensuring IID remains financially stable.
The proposed updates include significant increases across customer classes. Residential rates are slated to rise from 11.69¢ per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to 19.76¢ in 2025, with further incremental increases to 24.38¢ by 2027. Mobile home (master-metered) rates will increase from 10.93¢ to 18.84¢ in 2025, while small general service customers will see tiered rates rise to 19.60¢ for the first 1,000 kWh in 2025. Other categories, including municipal, agricultural, and wholesale services, will experience similar increases.
This is IID’s first base rate adjustment since 2015, following only an 8.15% overall rate increase since 1994, despite inflation rising by 117% over the same period. IID officials emphasized the necessity of these changes to modernize infrastructure, meet state renewable energy mandates, and support the regional economy.
Projected impacts on customers’ monthly bills will vary. For residential customers with an average usage of 1,070 kWh, bills are expected to increase by approximately $29.81 in 2025. Despite the adjustments, IID rates will remain among the lowest in California, estimated to be 39% lower than Southern California Edison and 52% lower than San Diego Gas & Electric.
For many in the audience, this argument was not valid since the Imperial Valley could not be compared to bigger cities with higher incomes.
“We have to ensure reliability compliance, maintain reserve margins, and meet all the requirements dictated by the state of California and the federal government,” said IID General Manager Jaime Asbury addressing those criticims. “We don’t get waivers because of where we live or the income level of our community—we still have to provide those services and comply with the law. I want to emphasize that we are not unsympathetic. We see every day what is happening, and we’re doing everything we can while ensuring compliance. From a utility perspective, we’re talking apples to apples when we make these comparisons.”
El Centro resident and downtown business owner Bill Caldwell expressed deep concern over the proposed rate increases. ‘I will close my business if these rates go up, because based on what you’re telling us and my numbers, they’re going to double. Small business owners cannot survive with these rate increases,’ he said. ‘Forget about me—I can take care of myself. But what about grandma living on Social Security, raising three grandkids? She’ll have to choose between buying food, paying rent, or turning off the AC during the summer. We’ve seen the tragic consequences—645 died in Phoenix, 41 in Tucson, 145 in New Arizona, and 70 others. It’s unacceptable.’”
In response to Caldwell’s concerns, Asbury acknowledged the difficult balance the district faces. “We have two choices: we can pay what it takes to provide what you need in the summertime, or we cannot provide that service,” Asbury explained. “We’re struggling to fix our generators to gain control over costs, hedge gas effectively, and reduce exposure to the market. But I have to be honest—living in California, your power bills are not going to go down. State policies, electrification mandates, and low-carbon fuel requirements make it impossible to maintain the efficiency of the older generators we’d like to keep. Maintaining our 7,000 miles of wire across tough terrain is a challenge compounded by regulations, workforce issues, and past underinvestment. We don’t love making these decisions, and we are sympathetic, but this is the bare minimum IID needs to invest to get the system where it needs to be. Public power remains your best option, but we’re operating under the least desirable circumstances.”
IID reaffirmed its commitment to assisting low-income households through its Residential Energy Assistance Program (REAP) and providing energy-saving tools and resources.