Pacific Gas & Electric says it will be increasing electric rates by 4.5 percent in October.
The increase means a typical PG&E customer using 550 kilowatt-hours of electricity a month will pay about 95 cents more a month for electricity.
Then in January, PG&E says that electricity rates will go up another 2 percent. That increase will add another 35 cents to the bill of the typical customer.
The utility says it needs to increase rates because of the rising cost of natural gas and increased demand for electricity.
