Electric companies in Santa Barbara County, California
Santa Barbara County, CA ranks 2nd of 58 California counties for the lowest yearly electricity cost per home ($1,089). Santa Barbara County, CA has 443,975 residents. Santa Barbara County, CA: 2 utilities listed by EIA. Santa Barbara County, CA: home electricity prices of 28.25 to 31.70 cents per kWh.
In Santa Barbara County, community choice aggregators may change the generation charge. See how to compare suppliers.
Santa Barbara County, CA on the map
Santa Barbara County, CA darker: more storm events
Cost of living with electricity in Santa Barbara County, CA
Santa Barbara County, CA: electricity $1,089 a year per home (DOE LEAD), all home energy $1,670, 1.4% of $123,873 income. 148,032 households in Santa Barbara County, CA spend about $161.2 million a year on electricity and $247.2 million on all home energy. Lower-income homes in Santa Barbara County, CA ($23,345 a year) spend 5.0% of income, 3.7 times the all-home figure.
Energy burden in Santa Barbara County, CA
| Santa Barbara County, CA | Homes | Income | Power | Gas | Other | Burden |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Barbara County, CA, all households | 148,032 | $123,873 | $1,089 | $568 | $13 | 1.4% |
| Santa Barbara County, CA, lower income | 38,877 | $23,345 | $806 | $364 | $4 | 5.0% |
| Santa Barbara County, CA, owners | 78,168 | $165,739 | $1,406 | $763 | $20 | 1.3% |
| Santa Barbara County, CA, renters | 69,864 | $77,031 | $734 | $350 | $5 | 1.4% |
ZIP codes in Santa Barbara County, CA
- 93013
- 93067
- 93101
- 93103
- 93105
- 93106
- 93108
- 93109
- 93110
- 93111
- 93117
- 93254
- 93427
- 93429
- 93434
- 93436
- 93437
- 93440
- 93441
- 93454
- 93455
- 93458
- 93460
- 93463
Electric utilities in Santa Barbara County, CA
| Utility listed for Santa Barbara County, CA | Type | Home price ¢/kWh | Yearly bill at 503 kWh | Share of Santa Barbara County, CA median income of $95,977 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern California Edison Co in Santa Barbara County, CA | Investor Owned | 28.25 | $1,706 | 1.78% |
| Pacific Gas & Electric Co. in Santa Barbara County, CA | Investor Owned | 31.70 | $1,914 | 1.99% |
Prices are statewide utility averages, not a county price. Community choice aggregators may change the generation part of your bill.
Facts about Santa Barbara County, CA
- Residents of Santa Barbara County, CA, ACS 2023
- 443,97520 of 58 California counties
- Households in Santa Barbara County, CA
- 148,9602.98 people each
- Owner-occupied homes in Santa Barbara County, CA
- 52.9%78,754 owner and 70,206 renter households
- Median household income in Santa Barbara County, CA
- $95,97718 of 58 California counties
- Housing units in Santa Barbara County, CA
- 159,76610,806 vacant or seasonal, 6.8% of the units
- Homes heated by electricity in Santa Barbara County, CA
- 22.2%33,000 homes, 40 of 58 California counties
- Utilities listed for Santa Barbara County, CA
- 22 with a home price: Southern California Edison Co, Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
- Lowest home price in Santa Barbara County, CA
- 28.25 ¢/kWhSouthern California Edison Co, 10.9% below the highest
- Highest home price in Santa Barbara County, CA
- 31.70 ¢/kWhPacific Gas & Electric Co.
- Monthly bill gap in Santa Barbara County, CA
- $17between the two at 503 kWh, $208 a year, 0.22% of the Santa Barbara County, CA median income
- ZIP areas touching Santa Barbara County, CA
- 2493013 to 93463
- Outage-linked storm events in Santa Barbara County, CA
- 44NWS storm events, 2015 to 2025
- Homes built before 1980 in Santa Barbara County, CA
- 60.8%median year built 1974
- Flood claims in Santa Barbara County, CA
- 404NFIP 2015 to 2025, $23.5M paid
- Home energy burden in Santa Barbara County, CA
- 1.4%$1,089 a year on electricity (DOE LEAD)
Electricity price since 2015 in Santa Barbara County, CA
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. charged Santa Barbara County, CA homes 17.57 ¢/kWh in 2015. Santa Barbara County, CA: 31.70 ¢ in 2024, 80% up. Santa Barbara County, CA: against 88% up for the California average.
Santa Barbara County, CA: a 503 kWh month at that price. Santa Barbara County, CA: $88 in 2015, $160 in 2024. Santa Barbara County, CA: $1,914 a year, 2.0% of the $95,977 median income.
Santa Barbara: 10 yearly prices
| Year | Pacific Gas & Electric Co., Santa Barbara County, CA | Santa Barbara: Gap to California average | Santa Barbara: Gap to U.S. average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015, Santa Barbara | 17.57 | +0.58 | +4.92 |
| 2016, Santa Barbara | 19.46 | +2.07 | +6.91 |
| 2017, Santa Barbara | 20.22 | +1.91 | +7.33 |
| 2018, Santa Barbara | 20.37 | +1.53 | +7.50 |
| 2019, Santa Barbara | 18.64 | -0.51 | +5.63 |
| 2020, Santa Barbara | 19.70 | -0.75 | +6.55 |
| 2021, Santa Barbara | 22.47 | -0.35 | +8.81 |
| 2022, Santa Barbara | 24.66 | -1.18 | +9.62 |
| 2023, Santa Barbara | 25.96 | -3.55 | +9.96 |
| 2024, Santa Barbara | 31.70 | -0.27 | +15.22 |
Santa Barbara County, CA: EIA-861 home prices, 2015 to 2024, not a Santa Barbara County, CA price.
CSVHousing and heating in Santa Barbara County, CA
Santa Barbara County, CA: 97,171 of 159,766 homes were built before 1980 and 23,115 in 2000 or later. Santa Barbara County, CA has 90,492 detached houses, 34,932 homes in 5+ unit buildings, 7,427 mobile homes, and 70,206 of 148,960 households rent.
Age of homes in Santa Barbara County, CA
% of homes by decade built, Santa Barbara County, CA
- 8pre-40
- 440s
- 1250s
- 1960s
- 1870s
- 1680s
- 990s
- 900s
- 510s
- 020+
Heating fuel in Santa Barbara County, CA
| Santa Barbara County, CA | Value | State median | Gap | Rank (1 = highest) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Barbara County, CA, median year built | 1974 | 1980 | -6 years | 49 of 58 |
| Santa Barbara County, CA, built before 1980 | 60.8% | 49.4% | +11.4 points | 8 of 58 |
| Santa Barbara County, CA, built 2000 or later | 14.5% | 18.7% | -4.2 points | 45 of 58 |
| Santa Barbara County, CA, detached houses | 56.6% | 69.9% | -13.3 points | 50 of 58 |
| Santa Barbara County, CA, apartments in 5+ unit buildings | 21.9% | 11.4% | +10.5 points | 11 of 58 |
| Santa Barbara County, CA, mobile homes | 4.6% | 6.1% | -1.5 points | 36 of 58 |
| Santa Barbara County, CA, renter households | 47.1% | 36.9% | +10.3 points | 4 of 58 |
| Santa Barbara County, CA, median home value | $735,700 | $453,950 | +$281,750 | 16 of 58 |
| Santa Barbara County, CA, median gross rent a month | $2,050 | $1,528 | +$522 | 14 of 57 |
| Santa Barbara County, CA, people per household | 2.83 | 2.74 | +0.09 | 24 of 58 |
Outage risk in Santa Barbara County, CA
Santa Barbara County, CA, NWS storm events 2015 to 2025: 44 in all, 9.9 per 100,000 residents of 443,975, rank 42 of 56 California counties. Property damage in Santa Barbara County, CA: $22K, with 3 direct injuries or deaths.
Events by year in Santa Barbara County, CA
events a year, Santa Barbara County, CA
- 0'15
- 0'16
- 3'17
- 0'18
- 0'19
- 0'20
- 4'21
- 3'22
- 15'23
- 12'24
- 7'25
Events by type
| Santa Barbara County, CA | FEMA | Score | Rank | Events | Peak | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Barbara County, CA, thunderstorm and high wind | Very Low | 13.0 | 23 of 58 | 37 | 2023 (11) | $22K |
| Santa Barbara County, CA, tornado | Very Low | 5.4 | 49 of 58 | 1 | 2023 (1) | $0 |
| Santa Barbara County, CA, hurricane and tropical storm | No Rating | 0.0 | 4 of 8 | 0 | none | $0 |
| Santa Barbara County, CA, winter storm and heavy snow | Very Low | 1.4 | 54 of 58 | 3 | 2023 (3) | $0 |
| Santa Barbara County, CA, heat wave | Relatively Low | 75.4 | 37 of 58 | 0 | none | $0 |
Santa Barbara County, CA, no score or events: ice storm.
Flood claims and flood insurance in Santa Barbara County, CA
Santa Barbara County, CA: 404 NFIP flood claims in 2015 to 2025, $23.5M paid, median paid claim $36,347.
2,383 of 123,022 residential structures in Santa Barbara County, CA carry an NFIP contract. 3,808 NFIP policies of any type were in force in Santa Barbara County, CA on 8 Sep 2026. Santa Barbara County, CA lists 88 repetitive-loss properties.
Santa Barbara County, CA: claims history, not an outage count.
Flood claims by year in Santa Barbara County, CA
flood claims a year, Santa Barbara County, CA
- 0'15
- 10'16
- 20'17
- 183'18
- 22'19
- 0'20
- <5'21
- 10'22
- 128'23
- 20'24
- 8'25
| Santa Barbara County, CA | Value | Median county | Rank (1 = highest) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Barbara County, CA, claims 2015-2025 | 404 | — | 5 of 50 |
| Santa Barbara County, CA, paid 2015-2025 | $23.5M | — | 3 of 50 |
| Santa Barbara County, CA, median paid claim | $36,347 | — | — |
| Santa Barbara County, CA, claims per 1,000 homes | 3.3 | 0.8 | 7 of 50 |
| Santa Barbara County, CA, homes with flood insurance | 1.9% | 1.0% | 13 of 56 |
| Santa Barbara County, CA, policies in force | 3,808 | — | — |
| Santa Barbara County, CA, repetitive-loss properties | 88 | — | — |
Santa Barbara County, CA: OpenFEMA NFIP, claims as of 8 Sep 2026, insured share as of 3 Aug 2026; counts under 5 are hidden.
Santa Barbara County, CA: flood claims by state, flood hub.
Climate and electric heating in Santa Barbara County, CA
Santa Barbara County, CA totals 2,705 heating degree days and 495 cooling degree days a year (1991-2020 normal).
For heating, Santa Barbara County, CA is the 40th coldest of 58 counties in California: 2,705 against a median of 3,018. For cooling, Santa Barbara County, CA is the 42nd hottest: 495 against a median of 838.
Santa Barbara County, CA is mild both ways, with neither season past 2,705 degree days.
Santa Barbara County, CA: 2,549 heating degree days in 2016-2025, 2,705 on the normal, 6% under.
In Santa Barbara County, CA, 22.2% of 148,960 homes heat with electricity; the other 77.8% use another main heating fuel.
| Santa Barbara County, CA | Value | CA median county | Santa Barbara County, CA, rank (1 = highest) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Barbara County, CA, heating degree days, 1991-2020 normal | 2,705 | 3,018 | 40 of 58 |
| Santa Barbara County, CA, heating degree days, 2016-2025 mean | 2,549 | 2,872 | 41 of 58 |
| Santa Barbara County, CA, cooling degree days, 1991-2020 normal | 495 | 838 | 42 of 58 |
| Santa Barbara County, CA, cooling degree days, 2016-2025 mean | 614 | 1,022 | 42 of 58 |
| Santa Barbara County, CA, electric heating, ACS 2019-2023 | 22.2% | 26.8% | 40 of 58 |
Santa Barbara County, CA: ACS B25040, 148,960 homes; NOAA nClimDiv, retrieved 7 Oct 2026.
Analyst note on Santa Barbara County, CA
Santa Barbara County, CA touches 24 ZIP areas, 93013 to 93463, about 18,499 residents each. Santa Barbara County, CA counts 443,975 residents in 148,960 households. Household income in Santa Barbara County, CA is $95,977; 78,754 of its 148,960 households own.
33,000 of the 148,960 homes in Santa Barbara County, CA heat with electricity. Santa Barbara County, CA has 159,766 housing units, 10,806 (6.8%) vacant or seasonal, and 70,206 rented homes. Santa Barbara County, CA logged 44 storm events for its 443,975 residents.
The median home in Santa Barbara County, CA dates from 1974. Homes in Santa Barbara County, CA pay $1,089 a year for electricity. Santa Barbara County, CA home electricity prices run Southern California Edison Co to Pacific Gas & Electric Co., $17 a month apart at 503 kWh.
Bill and heat pump calculator, Santa Barbara County, CA
Compare Santa Barbara County, CA with its neighbours
- San Luis Obispo County sits 44 miles northwest of Santa Barbara County, CA, with 281,486 residents against 443,975 there, 42 storm events against 44, median home built 1983 against 1974, energy burden 1.6% against 1.4%, income $93,398 against $95,977.
- Ventura County sits 65 miles southeast of Santa Barbara County, CA, with 838,259 residents against 443,975 there, 64 storm events against 44, median home built 1977 against 1974, energy burden 1.6% against 1.4%, income $107,327 against $95,977.
- Kern County sits 81 miles northeast of Santa Barbara County, CA, with 910,433 residents against 443,975 there, 1,149 storm events against 44, median home built 1984 against 1974, energy burden 2.9% against 1.4%, income $67,660 against $95,977.
- Kings County sits 102 miles north of Santa Barbara County, CA, with 152,830 residents against 443,975 there, 180 storm events against 44, median home built 1986 against 1974, energy burden 3.0% against 1.4%, income $68,750 against $95,977.
- Los Angeles County sits 114 miles southeast of Santa Barbara County, CA, with 9,848,406 residents against 443,975 there, 184 storm events against 44, median home built 1965 against 1974, energy burden 1.7% against 1.4%, income $87,760 against $95,977.
Cities in Santa Barbara County, CA
- Santa Maria electricity rates109,880 residents
- Santa Barbara electricity rates88,024 residents
- Lompoc electricity rates43,819 residents
- Goleta electricity rates32,693 residents
- Orcutt electricity rates31,284 residents
California: home prices since 2001, planned plants.
Questions on Santa Barbara County, CA
Santa Barbara County, CA: what do homes pay for electricity?
Santa Barbara County, CA homes paid 28.25 to 31.70 cents per kWh in 2024 across 2 listed utilities: $142 to $160 a month at 503 kWh, 1.78% to 1.99% of Santa Barbara County, CA income. In Santa Barbara County, CA, community choice aggregators may change the generation charge.
Santa Barbara County, CA: how many homes heat with electricity?
Santa Barbara County, CA: 33,000 of 148,960 occupied homes, 22.2%, rank 40 of 58.
Santa Barbara County, CA: median household income?
$95,977 in Santa Barbara County, CA, rank 18 of 58; 443,975 residents, 148,960 households.
Santa Barbara County, CA: outage-linked storms since 2015?
Santa Barbara County, CA: 44 NWS events, peak year 2023.
Santa Barbara County, CA: flood insurance claims since 2015?
Santa Barbara County, CA: 404 NFIP flood claims, $23.5M paid, 3.3 per 1,000 homes, 1.9% of homes insured.
How old are the homes in Santa Barbara County, CA?
Santa Barbara County, CA: median home built 1974; 60.8% predate 1980, 56.6% detached, 21.9% in 5+ unit buildings.
Santa Barbara County, CA: share of income for energy?
Santa Barbara County, CA homes spend $1,089 a year on electricity, $1,670 on all energy: 1.4% of $123,873; 5.0% for lower incomes.