Southern California Edison customers can expect to pay 5 percent more on their electric bill. The utility had requested a 16.6-percent increase. SCE officials described the state regulators' approval of the scaled-back rate increase as "constructive."
Residential customers can expect their bills to climb, on average, about $7 a month starting in January.
The increase is expected to generate close to nearly $840 million over three years, which Edison says will pay for infrastructure improvements.
The CPUC ordered Edison to try harder to cut costs, and the commission disallowed some of what it called "non-essential" projects. The ruling will force the utility to cut operations and maintenance expenses by about $258 million and spending on capital projects by $756 million.
City News Service contributed to this report.
