Berkeley is Going Green
with 100% Renewable Energy
In 2022 your service changed to 100% California wind and solar power.
In order to offer Berkeley businesses and residents cleaner energy, and to help the City of Berkeley achieve its Climate Action Plan goals, the Berkeley City Council voted to join Ava Community Energy (Ava) in November 2016. Ava began serving residential, business, and municipal electricity customers throughout Berkeley in 2018. Customers in Berkeley were automatically placed on Ava’s Bright Choice service, at rates now 5% below PG&E.
Transitioning to 100% California Wind and Solar Energy
In June 2021, the Berkeley City Council voted to set the default electricity option for Berkeley residents to Ava’s Renewable 100 service starting in March 2022 and for commercial customers starting in October 2022. Renewable 100 service is sourced from California wind and solar facilities, including a new wind farm in Livermore. Renewable 100 costs an additional 1/4 cent per kilowatt-hour above PG&E rates. That’s about $1 more per month for a typical Berkeley home. Your participation is helping Ava move toward 100% carbon-free electricity for all customers by 2030.
| Customer Type | Default service in 2021 | Default service in 2022 (no action needed) | Choose a different service (action needed to choose) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential standard | Bright Choice | Renewable 100 (starting in March 2022) | Choose Bright Choice |
| Residential with CARE, FERA, or Medical Baseline | Bright Choice | Bright Choice | Choose Renewable 100 |
| Commercial | Bright Choice | Renewable 100 (starting in October 2022) | Choose Bright Choice |
Your Choices
Ava also offers their Bright Choice service, which is now priced 5% below PG&E rates. Customers who prefer to power their home or business with Bright Choice are welcome to do so, by choosing to Choose Bright Choice. Customers who participate in CARE, FERA, and Medical Baseline programs will remain on Bright Choice service automatically, but can still choose Renewable 100. Customers can change their Ava service or return to PG&E service anytime.
Ava and the City of Berkeley sent notices to Berkeley residents in March and April of 2022 to your PG&E billing address, and an email to customers who have an email address on file with PG&E, containing information about this service transition. Ava sent notices to Berkeley commercial customers in August-October 2022. To learn more about your electric service choices, please visit AvaEnergy.org/service-plans-residential or AvaEnergy.org/service-plans-business/ or contact Ava’s call center at +1 833.699.3223 during business hours (9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on weekdays).
Businesses in Berkeley that want to choose Bright Choice instead of Renewable 100 service can elect to Choose Bright Choice.
Enrollment Notices
Ava and the City of Berkeley sent residential notices in March and April to PG&E billing addresses, and an email to customers who have an email address on file with PG&E, containing information about this service transition. Ava will send notices to Berkeley commercial customers in August–October 2022.
Notices for customers previously on Ava's Brilliant 100 service (PDF)
Notice for customers on CARE, FERA, and or Medical Baseline (PDF)
More Information
Ava hosted a series of webinars to review the basics about our service. You can watch the recordings here:
FAQ
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What is Ava?
Ava Community Energy (Ava) has been Berkeley's power supplier providing cleaner, greener, and more affordable choices for electricity since 2018. Ava is a Community Choice Energy program, also known as Community Choice Aggregation, which allows public agencies to purchase electricity on behalf of their community members, instead of relying on PG&E to both procure and deliver energy. Ava provides Berkeley with more local control over our sources of energy as well as resilience and efficiency programs. Ava's Board includes one elected official from each member city, and Berkeley's appointee is Council Member Kate Harrison.
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Why do I still receive bills from PG&E?
Ava procures electricity for our customers, and PGE delivers electricity to your home or business. PG&E also continues to handle the billing, turn on and off power when you move, maintain the power lines, and resolve outages. As an Ava customer, your PG&E bill will include Ava charges and also a Generation Credit from PG&E since they are no longer providing power generation to you. Those who prefer to have PG&E continue to buy their electricity can choose that option.
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Why did Berkeley switch to Renewable 100?
Renewable 100 helps the City of Berkeley achieve its Climate Action Plan goals.
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How can I choose Bright Choice?
To choose Bright Choice, please complete the form here. or call us at +1 833.699.3223. Customers who are on CARE, FERA, and Medical Baseline programs will remain on Bright Choice service automatically - but these customers can still choose Renewable 100 by completing this form. Customers can opt-out of Ava service and return to PG&E bundled service anytime.
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Where should I go if I have more questions?
For more FAQs, please visit AvaEnergy.org/faq/. To speak to a call center representative, call +1 833.699.3223 weekdays between 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.