How is WattPayoff different from PG&E's rate comparison tool?
Both compare PG&E rate plans using your past usage. PG&E's tool is included with your PG&E account, looks back about a year, and PG&E sends an annual comparison. WattPayoff re-checks every month on its own and notifies you, with custom date ranges, itemized bills, solar import and export, and EV and Powerwall scenarios in one app.
Is PG&E's rate comparison tool accurate?
PG&E's rate comparison tool is a reasonable estimate of past costs, with limits. It prices about a year of your past usage, so it can't show how a change you're about to make (a new EV, a battery, shifting laundry to the morning) would play out.
PG&E's rate comparison page calls its estimate an example that doesn't necessarily show your best rate, and PG&E's rate-plan pricing sheet says its graphs and comparisons are for illustration only. Three limits, as stated on the comparison page:
- It uses today's PG&E bundled rate prices on your past usage, not the rates in effect at that time.
- It may not match your historical billed charges.
- It may not include all fees, such as local taxes or surcharges.
The same page's estimate cards say they are based on 12 months of data, while a note on the page says the Rate Plan Analyzer uses 6 months of data to predict your cost.
- Source: PG&E's rate comparison page in a signed-in customer account (Rate Enrollment, "Select your rate plan"), checked 2026-10-16. One account's screen; the plans shown depend on the account.
- Source: PG&E residential rate plan pricing, prices effective 2026-03-01
- PG&E sends eligible customers an annual comparison in their service-anniversary month (PG&E, 2025-07-09).
What does each one do?
| Feature | PG&E's rate comparison | WattPayoff |
|---|---|---|
| Compares plans with your past usage | Yes, once you have at least nine months of service at the address | Yes, last 365 days or any range |
| Re-checks automatically and notifies you | Once a year, in your service-anniversary month | Every month |
| Usage behind the numbers | The comparison page shows an estimated annual cost for each plan, not your usage by hour or day; your usage is on separate pages in your PG&E account (Energy Usage Details) | Your usage at the detail you choose, next to the costs |
| Period compared | One period of about a year, with no start or end date to choose: PG&E's estimate cards say 12 months of data, and a note on the same page says 6 months | Any range you choose, with exact start and end dates, from a single day to your whole history in the app |
| Rates used | Today's PG&E bundled rate prices, not the rates in effect at the time | Today's prices for current plans; for earlier date ranges, the schedules that applied then (such as E-6) |
| Rate programs included | Your currently enrolled rate programs | Medical Baseline, CARE and FERA, settings you turn on |
| Itemized bill browser | In your PG&E account | Yes, alongside the comparison |
| Solar energy in and out | In your PG&E account (Energy Usage Details) | Yes |
| Powerwall scenarios | PG&E's separate Clean Energy Calculator covers battery storage; it is not a comparison of rate plans on your past meter data | One or two Powerwalls |
| Community choice generation (MCE, SVCE…) | PG&E publishes joint rate comparisons with each community choice provider, based on typical rates and average monthly charges. PG&E's account estimate uses PG&E bundled prices | Not included |
| Price | Included with your PG&E online account | 14-day free trial, then $4.99 a month |
Every row is a claim about another product. Checked against PG&E's published materials and a signed-in PG&E account screen on 2026-10-16.
Does PG&E's tool account for charging my new EV at midnight?
No. PG&E's comparison page prices one period of about a year of your past usage, with no start or end date to choose (checked 2026-10-16), so a change from a few weeks ago is mixed in with months of usage from before it.
WattPayoff doesn't model an EV before it arrives either. Once something changes, such as a new EV, air conditioner or heat pump, or a new habit like charging at night or running the washer off-peak, choose a custom range that starts on that day and compare every plan on just those weeks instead of waiting a year. The data is as recent as PG&E provides, usually one to two days behind. A few weeks can't show both summer and winter prices, so treat it as an early read; the monthly check includes more of the change each month.
Is it worth paying for an app when PG&E's tool comes with your account?
WattPayoff is worth paying for if your usage is changing or you want to be told rather than remember to check. If your usage never changes, PG&E's annual comparison may be enough.
PG&E limits how often you can change plans in a year. PG&E's rate enrollment page says you may change your rate plan 2 times every 12 months (checked 2026-10-16). PG&E's tariff words the limit more strictly, so confirm with PG&E before you rely on it. The timing of a change matters; a monthly check helps you pick a good moment, though the app doesn't track when you last switched, so check that yourself before you change.
Frequently asked questions about comparing PG&E rate plans
Does PG&E recommend WattPayoff?
No. WattPayoff is made by an independent company and carries no PG&E recommendation or endorsement. Who makes the app, and how it relates to PG&E, is on the about page.
Will both tools give the same answer?
Both tools often give the same answer for the same period and plans. Differences can come from the period compared, from which charges and discounts each includes, and from rates that changed during the year.
PG&E's estimates price your usage at today's rates and include the rate programs you are enrolled in, so differences are expected for older periods, and when the program settings in the app don't match your enrollment.
The app includes the Base Services Charge (since March 2026), part-peak periods, and Medical Baseline, CARE and FERA when you turn those settings on. It does not include community choice generation.
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