IID Board approves summer bill credits to customers
Lynette Niebla
IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – As Imperial County temperatures climb to triple-digits, so do electricity bills, taking a toll on local families and business.
The hottest summer months are just around the corner, but now, community members can breathe a sigh of relief.
This year, customers of the Imperial Irrigation District (IID) will receive an approximate 12% of bill credits refunded on their 2026 monthly electricity bills.
“The credit is going to be from June to September but our customers will see it from July to October because our billing system is always a month behind,” said Moises Cardenas, Public Information Officer for IID. “Different customers will see different savings depends on their usage.”
Under this plan, approved by the District Board of Directors on Tuesday, roughly $48.4 million, that was saved in 2025, will be distributed to customers.
“What we like to say is that it was more collection in 2025. So, after getting that number, the board decided to give that money back to the customers to make sure it’s back in the customers pockets,” Cardenas shared.
2025 was a lower-than-expected cost year. That’s due to cooler temperatures, reduced customer demand, and decreased fuel and purchased power expenses.
It’s not the first time we see this action be taken by the IID. Just last year, summer bill reductions were put in place by an $81 million allocation.
“This is the second consecutive year that this is coming out. Our IID Board is working on a plan so that it can automatically happen to bill credits to customers without waiting for a board action,” Cardenas expressed.
In the meantime, in order to continue seeing reduced prices in your electricity bills, Cardenas suggests other ways you can save.
“The easy ones are not to be using power during peak times from 4 to 9 p.m. Don’t use your laundromat, set your AC at 78 degrees. However, especially for low-income customers, it’s also very important to look into our other programs,” he explained.
IID offers a multitude of programs that customers can apply for to receive other types of discounts on their monthly bill.
To learn more about this, click here.