Frequently Asked Questions

East Bay Community Energy purchases power with higher renewable content than PG&E. Other than receiving more renewable electricity at competitive prices, all other aspects of your electricity service remain the same. PG&E continues to deliver the electricity, maintain the power lines, handle billing, and respond to new service requests and emergencies. If you want to stay with PG&E for your electricity, you can opt out of East Bay Community Energy.

EBCE started service to most municipal and commercial accounts in June 2018 and to residential customers in November 2018. EBCE serves Alameda County and 14 of its member cities (Albany, Berkeley, Dublin, Emeryville, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Newark, Oakland, Piedmont, Pleasanton, San Leandro, and Union City) as well as the City of Tracy. The City of Stockton will begin EBCE service in 2025. The City of Alameda is not eligible as it has its own municipal electric utility.

No. EBCE procures electricity for our customers, and PG&E 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. Those who prefer to have PG&E continue to buy their electricity can choose that option.

Yes, absolutely. PG&E crews in their distinctive blue trucks will maintain the lines and repair them as needed, just as they do today.

The power portfolio is currently under development, but to date EBCE has signed contracts to build over 740 megawatts of wind and solar power, and over 274 megawatts of battery storage. The intent is to purchase as much renewable electricity as possible from sources located in California at prices that remain competitive with PG&E. EBCE is subject to reporting requirements, just like PG&E, including a Power Content Label that is published annually in October for the previous year’s electricity.

Cities and counties throughout California are already moving forward with similar programs. There are currently 24 operational Community Choice Energy programs (CCEs) in California, serving more than 11 million customers, and that number is estimated to grow. According to a 2017 report from the Center for Climate Protection, CCEs will reduce at least 5 million metric tons of GHG emissions cumulatively compared to the Investor-Owned Utilities (IOUs), and CCE customers will save $188 million more per year by the end of 2020 compared with what customers would have spent if they stayed with the incumbent utilities.

No! EBCE does not go door-to-door to customers' homes nor does EBCE have any relationship with gas service providers. If someone comes to your door representing themselves as being with EBCE, please ask for their name and then report them to EBCE and/or local authorities.

EBCE started service in 2018. EBCE serves Alameda County and 14 of its member cities, as well as the City of Tracy.

EBCE replaces PG&E as the default electricity provider throughout EBCE’s service area. Anyone with a PG&E electric account in these areas was automatically enrolled in EBCE.

That’s the way the law governing the formation of CCE programs like EBCE was written. When a city or county decides to participate, all their residents and businesses are automatically enrolled. Nevertheless, if you wish to remain with PG&E, you may do so by opting out of EBCE. An online opt-out form is available.

Customers may opt out of EBCE and choose PG&E service. To do so, visit this page and complete the form, or call our call center at 1-833-699-EBCE (3223) and use the automated phone system, or talk with a customer service representative (available 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. weekdays). Note that unless you choose PG&E, you will remain enrolled in EBCE service if your premise is in our service area.

That’s the Power Charge Indifference Adjustment or PCIA, sometimes called an “exit fee.” It will appear on your bill as a separate line item under the PG&E Electric Delivery Charges. PG&E has various long-term contracts for buying electricity for its customers; some are as long as 20 years. It bought power based on the number of customers it serves. The price is locked in, which is good when the cost of generating electricity is rising as one might expect over a long time period. Recently, however, the cost of natural gas, has been going down.

When customers switch to EBCE, PG&E needs to provide less electricity but still has to pay for the amount of power in its long-term contracts. So PG&E sells the excess power on the open market. Right now, contracted electricity generated by natural gas or renewable sources is selling for less than what PG&E paid for it. That difference is charged to EBCE customers under the guidance of the California Public Utilities Commission.

What’s most important to know is that EBCE’s rates—including the PCIA charge—will still be competitive with PG&E’s rates.

The vast majority of PG&E employees provide transmission and distribution system maintenance and upgrades, billing, and customer service—all of which PG&E will continue to provide. There have not been any noticeable job losses in communities that have a second, local electricity provider—in fact new jobs have been created constructing and operating local energy generation facilities. The EBCE Technical Study also anticipates a net increase in good paying jobs as the result of the EBCE program.

Customers who opt out within the first 60 days of EBCE service may return to EBCE at any time. Based on state law, customers who opt out after the first 60 days of service with EBCE must wait one year before returning to EBCE.

Customers may be charged a one-time termination fee of $5 per residential account or $25 per commercial account.

You may opt out of EBCE electric generation service at any time by calling 1-833-699-EBCE (3223) or by completing the opt-out form at ebce.org/optout. You will need your PG&E account information to begin the opt-out process.

If returning to PG&E generation service after receiving EBCE service for more than 60 days, PG&E requires that you choose one of the following options:

Option 1: Return to PG&E generation service at the end of the current billing cycle. You will be billed at PG&E’s transitional rates for a six-month period, and PG&E’s standard bundled electricity rates thereafter.

Option 2: Give six month’s advance notice of your intent to return to PG&E generation service. At the end of the six-month notice period, you will be returned to PG&E service and billed PG&E’s standard bundled electricity rates.

If you are on EBCE's Bright Choice service, then your monthly electricity bill is slightly lower than it would be if you were on PG&E standard service. EBCE's Bright Choice rates, plus all applicable fees from PG&E, total 3% less than what customers would otherwise pay. For details, please visit https://ebce.org/understand-your-bill/

You can run a rate comparison online at pge.com/myrate to get an estimate of your charges on different rates. Note that the rate comparisons use your last 12 months of usage to calculate your estimated charges.

Your PG&E bill now includes charges from East Bay Community Energy, your new electricity provider, and a new Generation Credit from PG&E. You had been previously paying PG&E for electricity generation, as well as for transmission and distribution. Now, your bill shows that you’re receiving electricity from EBCE and transmission and distribution from PG&E.

Please see this web page for more information on how to understand your bill. Customers on EBCE’s Bright Choice service will see a small reduction on their total energy bill and receive energy that’s cleaner than PG&E’s power mix. Renewable 100 customers pay a little bit more for 100 percent renewable energy.

Most EBCE customers see a Generation Credit on their PG&E bill each month (usually on page 3), showing what they would have paid PG&E for generation service. The Generation Credit appears because PG&E first charges customers the fully-bundled retail cost per kilowatt-hour, which includes transmission, distribution, generation, fees, taxes, etc. Then for EBCE customers they remove the cost of generation service from that total, and issue that amount as a Generation Credit. EBCE provides the generation service, and our charges replace that Generation Credit.

In two cases customers do not see a Generation Credit: solar net energy metered accounts, and customers who use minimal amounts of electricity. These customers pay PG&E’s Minimum Delivery Charge instead of paying per kWh for PG&E electric delivery service. These accounts are not charged by the kilowatt-hour for electric delivery service, they are charged a daily fee instead.These customers do not pay a fully-bundled retail cost per kilowatt-hour, and are never charged by PG&E for generation service, so there is no need for PG&E to issue a kWh-based Generation Credit.

If these customers are interested in comparing their EBCE charges to what they would have paid PG&E for generation service, they can calculate a “proxy” Generation Credit by multiplying their monthly kWh consumption times the generation rate(s) in their PG&E rate schedule (available here https://www.pge.com/tariffs/index.page). It is important to note that customers who do not receive a Generation Credit on their bill are still saving 1% compared to PG&E rates if they are on EBCE’s Bright Choice service.

What makes EBCE so powerful is that it supports clean energy market competition in three ways:

1. EBCE buys power through a competitive process that encourages private energy companies to compete to provide more clean, renewable power at lower costs.
2. EBCE is a local government agency with low overhead costs.
3. Because there are no shareholder investors expecting dividends, EBCE can reinvest net revenue into the community and keep rates low.

EBCE electricity rates are set through a transparent public process and approved by the EBCE Board of Directors, elected officials from all participating jurisdictions. Members of the public are encouraged to participate in publicly noticed hearings for each step of the process.

EBCE’s rates are based on PG&E generation rates. In general, when PG&E updates their rates, EBCE rates will also be adjusted accordingly to maintain our customer discount. EBCE’s value proposition, which sets the discount from PG&E generation rates, goes through a public rate setting process once per year. The public is encouraged to attend these value proposition meetings and submit public comments.

EBCE default service level is dependent on jurisdiction and timing of enrollment. Your city's City Council determines the default service for customers in your jurisdiction. For more information and to find your service level, check out our webpage at https://ebce.org/terms/.

No. By law, EBCE can only be funded through revenues—revenue is used to reduce or stabilize rates, incentives, local renewable projects, and customized programs such as energy efficiency services and rebates. EBCE’s budget is completely separate from the general funds of participating local governments and is approved by the board before the start of the fiscal year on July 1 each year.

If you receive a low-income discount on your electricity bill through the CARE, FERA or Medical Baseline Allowance programs, that discount will continue to apply as an EBCE customer. Renewals and new enrollment applications are still handled by PG&E – visit pge.com/financialassistance for more information.

Yes. The conservation incentive is applied by PG&E (not by EBCE) but impacts your bill the same way whether you are on EBCE service or not. For a detailed example, see page two of this document (PDF) (PDF) under the section entitled “Unbundling of Total Rates.” In that section, there is a Generation charge of $0.11778 per kWh. That is PG&E’s rate, which will be replaced by EBCE. Below that you see “Conservation Incentive Adjustment.” That is the baseline treatment. Whether you are a PG&E customer for generation service or on EBCE, that treatment remains the same. So no matter what tier of usage you have in a given month, EBCE’s rates will reflect the value proposition proposed depending on which service you are on (Bright Choice, Brilliant 100, or Renewable 100).

Yes, EBCE supports the same Time-of-Use rate schedules as PG&E. EBCE will offer bill protection to residential customers that are automatically transitioned to this rate and remain on both the TOU-C rate and with EBCE for 12 months. Check out our Time of Use page for more information

No. SmartRate is a program offered only to PG&E generation customers. However, EBCE customers can sign up for a similar service through companies that offer demand response programs. The California Public Utilities Commission maintains a list of these companies.

EBCE supports this Time-of-Use rate schedule. EBCE will offer bill protection to residential customers that are automatically transitioned to this rate and remain on both the TOU-C rate and with EBCE for 12 months. Check out our Time of Use page for more information.

No, you will continue to receive one monthly bill from PG&E that includes EBCE charges. The general look, appearance, and setup of your bill will not change, although EBCE electricity supply charges will replace PG&E electricity supply charges. A full description of how to read your bill is available here.

That’s the Power Charge Indifference Adjustment or PCIA, sometimes called an “exit fee.” The PCIA is intended to ensure that customers who switch to EBCE pay for energy that was contracted by PG&E to serve them prior to their switch. It will appear on your bill as a separate line item in the PG&E Electric Delivery Charges section of the bill. What’s most important to know is that EBCE’s rates—even with the PCIA charge included—will still be competitive with PG&E’s rates.

No. PG&E must provide the same transmission and distribution rates for all customers in their service area whether or not they receive electricity from PG&E or a Community Choice Energy program such as EBCE.

Yes, the PG&E employee discount is exactly the same dollar value whether you are on EBCE generation service or PG&E bundled service.

Yes. The conservation incentive is applied by PG&E (not by EBCE) but impacts your bill the same way whether you are on EBCE service or not. For a detailed example, see page two of this document (PDF) (PDF) under the section entitled “Unbundling of Total Rates.” In that section, there is a Generation charge of $0.11778 per kWh. That is PG&E’s rate, which will be replaced by EBCE. Below that you see “Conservation Incentive Adjustment.” That is the baseline treatment. Whether you are a PG&E customer for generation service or on EBCE, that treatment remains the same. So no matter what tier of usage you have in a given month, EBCE’s rates will reflect the value proposition proposed depending on which service you are on (Bright Choice, Brilliant 100, or Renewable 100).

Yes. Twice a year, in Spring and Fall, you will see the California Climate Credit appear on your PG&E bill. This credit is your share of money from California’s Greenhouse Gas Cap-and-Trade Program. You will see this credit whether you are a customer of EBCE or PG&E.

Unfortunately, EBCE does not offer this. Customers on EBCE service can have budget billing for their PG&E charges, but not for their EBCE charges. You will still receive one bill, but with some month to month fluctuation that corresponds to the generation charge.

The Arrearage Management Plan (AMP) is a debt forgiveness program. EBCE participates in this program and it is administered by PG&E. AMP allows for 1/12 of a customer's past-due balance to be forgiven every month the customer's current bill is paid-in-full. At the end of one year, the past debt is fully forgiven. Forgiven debt includes money owed for EBCE generation service and PG&E services. All past-due debt, up to $8,0000, accrued at the start of the program is eligible for forgiveness. This includes debts owed to EBCE.

Customers that meet the following requirements will qualify for AMP:
*Enrolled in the CARE or FERA programs
*Owe a minimum of $500 in arrearages, with at least some of that debt being more than 90 days past due
*Has been a PG&E customer for at least six months
*Has made at least one on-time payment in the past two years
*CCA customers (EBCE customers) qualify to participate in AMP

If you think you qualify, call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000 and ask to enroll in AMP. PG&E is unable to enroll customers via the web at this time.

EBCE encourages our customers to enroll in AMP when they are able to pay their bill in full for a full year. If you miss two payments in a row, you will be removed from the program. Past debts that have been forgiven will remain forgiven.

EBCE will use the same rate schedules as PG&E, including those rates specific to agricultural customers such as AG-1, AG-4, and AG-5. The current rate sheet can be found on the website here.

Owners of multiple accounts can choose to opt up or opt out your individual accounts. Enrollment is by account, so you’ll be able to see all your accounts and decide what is best for each one.

Any existing direct access arrangements will not be automatically enrolled in EBCE’s program. Direct Access (DA) service is retail electric service where customers purchase electricity from a competitive provider called an Electric Service Provider (ESP), instead of from a regulated electric utility. However, those customers can choose to become EBCE customers. Special direct access termination provisions may apply.

While the financial benefit for EBCE’s Standard EBCE NEM customers may be similar to PG&E NEM service, EBCE provides other benefits as a local not for profit public agency. As an EBCE customer, you can choose your service level and electricity mix: Bright Choice or Renewable 100. EBCE offers Bright Choice at a lower rate than PG&E, Renewable 100, which is 100% renewable energy, and we have a goal of offering 100% carbon-free Bright Choice power by 2030. EBCE is a local not-for-profit public agency, which means all of our board meetings are open to the public and net revenues are reinvested in our communities to create local jobs, innovative energy programs and clean power projects. EBCE’s Board is composed of democratically elected leaders from each jurisdiction the agency serves; which makes them more available and accountable to the communities they serve.
You can also participate in both EBCE and PG&E programs. For more information on EBCE programs, visit our website at ebce.org/programs.

With EBCE service, the default is a monthly true-up. That means that, if you are a net consumer, you will pay for that month’s charges or your credits will be applied to cover the cost. If you are a net producer, you will accumulate credits that can be applied to future bills. These credits are paid out during the April cash-out period according to our annual cash-out terms. Your PG&E electric delivery charges will continue to be trued up on an annual basis.

Beginning in April 2023, you can also choose an annual true-up with EBCE, which would roll over credits and debits until the true-up in April. Annual true-up customers will receive either a bill if usage exceeds generation or a payment for surplus generation at the April true-up. The majority of EBCE’s NEM customers consume more electricity than they generate annually.

Your PG&E electric delivery charges will continue to be trued up on an annual basis.

A true-up is a reset of your NEM charges and credits. If you over generated throughout the year, you will receive compensation for your surplus generation. If you consumed electricity throughout the year, you will be billed for your usage at your true-up. PG&E does an annual true-up for the transmission and delivery charges. EBCE offers a monthly and annual true-up for generation charges, with a monthly true-up being the default.
* With a monthly true-up, customers receive credits for overgeneration and are billed for usage each month. Every April, customers receive compensation for any surplus generation.
* With an annual true-up, customers are not billed monthly. Customers receive credits for overgeneration monthly and credits and debits roll over until the annual true-up in April.

PG&E true up bill example:


EBCE true-up bill example:

The main difference between monthly and annual is the timing of when you pay for usage that is not covered by your own generation. Most customers will, over the course of the year, do about the same financially on either true-up option. Customers that tend to significantly over-generate in March and April may see a small financial benefit to choosing the annual true-up option. This is because on an annual true-up you can use credits generated at the end of the year to cover previous months' charges. On the other hand, customers that tend to be net consumers annually may not like the annual true-up because it involves a larger lump sum payment once a year, rather than paying a smaller amount on a monthly basis.

If you typically see a large true-up bill from PG&E’s annual NEM true-up for your delivery charges, you’d likely see a significant true-up bill from EBCE. Some customers don’t mind this, while others prefer to spread payments out over the year.

EBCE offers both a monthly and annual true-up for your generation charges. You can change your true-up cycle at any time by visiting ebce.org/nem or calling us at 1-833-699-3223, but it will only be effective once the current NEM settlement period concludes in April. All true-up cycle selections are implemented each April.

If you see negative numbers for both your net generation and net usage, this indicates that you have generated more electricity than you used that billing period.
Your consumption is your total electric usage for the billing cycle. Your net generation is the amount of electricity that your NEM system delivers to the grid and your net usage is your net electricity usage from the grid.

The net usage is the net electricity usage for the billing period. It is the consumption minus the positive net generation. Your charges are based on your net usage.
Net usage= Consumption - Net Generation (positive)In the example below, the net usage = 431.78 - 444.237 kWh

The net generation is the amount of electricity that your system is putting back onto the grid during the billing period.

The rollover credit balance is your calculated cash-out from the previous April cash-out period. If your cash-out value was less than $100, this will stay on your account and can be used for future monthly charges. If your cash-out value was greater than or equal to $100, this will only stay on your account until your check has been sent.

The baseline allowance applies to customers on the following rates: the Tiered Rate Plan (E-1), the Time-of-Use (Peak Pricing 4 - 9 p.m. Every Day) E-TOU-C, and those receiving PG&E gas service.

Energy used within the baseline allowance amount is billed at the lowest price.

The baseline credit ensures that you are paying (or being credited at) the lowest price for energy used within the baseline allowance.

All EBCE customers receive the generation credit from PG&E since they are no longer providing you with electric generation service. This credit is what PG&E would have charged you for electricity that you use. EBCE now provides the generation service. NEM customers receive credit for surplus generation with EBCE that show up on the EBCE page of the bill as the “NEM Balance''. This NEM balance tracks your credits each month for any overgeneration your NEM system produces.

Yes, you keep your annual true-up with PG&E for your electric delivery charges. Please refer to PG&E for more information on their NEM services.

You can find your PG&E estimated annual true-up charges on the first or second page of your bill. As an EBCE customer, these estimated true-up charges will only include delivery and transmission charges.

EBCE’s April cash-out/ true-up period is when we pay customers for their surplus generation throughout the year. You can find your EBCE credits on the EBCE page of your bill listed as the “NEM Balance”. During the April cash-out period, any retail credits will be converted to your cash-out value, which depends on your NEM program with EBCE. As a Standard EBCE NEM customer, your surplus generation in kWh will be multiplied by the wholesale or Net Surplus Compensation (NSC) rate (PDF)(PDF) (PDF) for electricity to find your cash out value. The NSC rate is typically about 3-5 cents per kWh.

On the first page of your bill, you may see the following table, which includes an estimate of your PG&E true-up.


On the second page of your bill, you may see the following tables, which track your monthly PG&E charges/ credits and provide an estimate of your charges at true-up.

On the EBCE page of your bill, you will see the NEM Balance, which tracks your retail credits/ debits for net generation or net usage.

There is a minimum delivery fee to be interconnected to the grid. This fee is typically about $10/ month for the average residential NEM customer and is assessed on the PG&E delivery portion of your bill.

Delivery and transmission charges are based on your usage in kWh. Net generators that do not have any net usage may only be charged the minimum delivery fees for being connected to the grid.

No, the EBCE NEM balance credits will only be used to cover EBCE generation charges.

Yes, you will receive credits at the retail rate from PG&E and EBCE when you net generate in a billing cycle. These credits are used to cover future monthly charges. Your annual cash out is calculated based on your over generation in kWh, so your annual cash out will only come from EBCE.

If your cash-out value with EBCE is less than $100, this will stay on your bill as the Rollover Credit Balance.

Alternatively, this may be due to a time-of-use rate schedule. You may have overgenerated during peak periods when electricity was more expensive, but you were a net consumer in total. This would result in you accruing NEM credits throughout the year, but not being eligible for the annual cash-out since you did not have any surplus generation. You can reach out to us at 1-833-699-EBCE (3223) and we can review your bill in more detail.

Yes, we are aware of an option to make a one-time request to change your true-up month with PG&E. In addition, any time there is a significant change to your service, a true-up of your NEM charges will be triggered and your true-up month will be changed. Please reach out to PG&E’s solar hotline at 1-877-743-4112 with any questions.

The retail rate is the rate that you are charged for electricity. Every month, you receive credits for over generation at the same rate that you would have been charged. The wholesale rate is the Net Surplus Compensation (NSC) rate, which is the same rate that PG&E pays out for surplus generation. The NSC rate (PDF)(PDF) (PDF) is based on the market rate for energy and is updated every month.

As a Standard EBCE NEM customer, your surplus generation of kWh is multiplied by the NSC to calculate your cash-out payment. The cash-out payment is not affected by your service level.

As a CARE/ FERA EBCE NEM or legacy municipal NEM customer, your monthly credit is based on the generation rate you are paying during that bill cycle + $0.01/kWh. If you switch service levels, the change will occur on your next bill cycle and you will then incur credits or pay for net usage based on that service level. At the April cash-out, you will be paid the dollar amount that is listed as your credit.

Accounts that terminate or leave EBCE service prior to April are eligible for the EBCE annual cash out process and will be sent a check for any surplus generation that amounts to a credit balance. Customers that opt out and choose PG&E should be advised that PG&E will perform a true‐up of their account at the time of return to PG&E bundled service, and that PG&E’s standard terms for transitional rates apply to customer returns with less than a six‐month advance notice if they have been an EBCE customer for 60 days or more.

Your credit is based on the applicable TOU period-specific rates/charges. You will be credited based on the rate when you over-generate and you will be charged based on the rate when you consume electricity.

For the annual cash-out, Standard EBCE NEM customers will have their surplus kWh (generation) multiplied by the NSC rate. CARE/FERA EBCE NEM and Legacy Municipal NEM customers will be paid the dollar amount listed as credit.

At the April cash-out for Standard EBCE NEM customers, the surplus generation of kWh is multiplied by the net surplus compensation rate regardless of service level.

During regular months, the surplus generation is saved as a credit at the retail rate (the rate you are charged for power by EBCE), including the extra premium for Renewable 100.

Interested in learning more about NEM 3.0? Then check out this presentation “Informational Discussion on Proposed CPUC Net Energy Metering Decision” by Michael Quiroz, Regulatory Analyst at EBCE.
Slides (PDF)(PDF) (PDF)
Video

East Bay Community Energy (EBCE) is a Community Choice Energy (CCE) program. State law allows cities and counties to pool the electricity demand of their residents and businesses for the purpose of buying electricity on behalf of those customers as part of a CCE program.

EBCE, a joint powers authority formed in 2016, is a locally controlled, not for profit public agency covering most of Alameda County and also the City of Tracy. It provides residents and businesses in those communities with an option to have more of their electricity supplied from clean, renewable sources—such as solar and wind—at competitive rates.

When customers are enrolled with EBCE, they help empower local control of electricity procurement decisions, reduce the carbon footprint associated with their electricity service, and help support growth of local renewables. Rather than paying profits to shareholders, EBCE’s net revenue (after buying power and administrative expenses), can be used to help stabilize electricity prices, provide incentives for more solar installations, support energy efficiency programs, develop more local renewable energy sources in and near Alameda County, and invest in innovative clean technologies and energy-related job training—all while keeping electricity rates competitive with PG&E.

The County and participating cities will govern EBCE. The Board of Directors is composed of elected officials representing each of the participating communities. The Board sets rates and determines the mix of power sources. There is a small staff to run day-to-day operations and provide customer support. The entire process is completely transparent, with all Board meetings open to the public.

In 2002, Assembly Bill 117 was enacted into law to establish Community Choice Aggregation opportunities in California, now referred to as Community Choice Energy (CCE). It allows a city or county (or groups of cities or counties) to become the default electric supplier in its jurisdiction(s). By doing so, it offers an opportunity for Californians to locally influence the sources of their electricity. Marin Clean Energy (now called MCE Clean Energy) was California’s first CCE program launched in 2010. For more information visit our trade association website.

As with any business enterprise, there are risks. The primary risks are customer opt-outs, energy price fluctuations, and changing state regulations. A successful CCE program requires that a significant majority of residential and commercial customers obtain their electricity from the program. This is one reason why CCE programs strive to maintain competitive pricing, while lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and providing higher renewable content than what you can get from the incumbent utility.

California’s energy markets have been stable for several years and prices for electricity from both renewable and conventional energy sources (natural gas) are relatively low. Markets could become more volatile. EBCE will hedge risks by developing a diverse portfolio that includes a mix of long-term and short-term contracts and direct investments in power projects.

The regulatory risk is difficult to predict. A 2002 State law allows cities and counties to develop programs like this—the State is supportive. Many CCE programs have been very active in the California Public Utilities Commission’s regulatory proceedings and have established a strong network. As more local programs are developed, we will have an even stronger presence—it will be essential to actively participate in ongoing regulatory proceedings

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), the entity that regulates all California energy providers, approved the EBCE Implementation Plan in October 2017. The Plan discusses rate design, plan to buy electricity, and how we will carry out all the functions the CPUC requires. EBCE must comply with various reporting requirements issued by the CPUC and the California Energy Commission.

Members of the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) were selected by the EBCE Board of Directors following an application process. The CAC advises the Board on matters related to the operation of EBCE. A list of CAC members is available here.

The County of Alameda issued a $3.7 million loan to launch EBCE. EBCE paid off this loan in full in 2019.

EBCE will provide much of its electricity from renewable sources such as solar, wind and small hydroelectricity—which do not pollute or produce greenhouse gases. Switching from conventional energy sources to renewable energy is the single most effective way to accomplish our communities’ climate action goals. Check out the website for more information on our power mix. EBCE's Board of Directors established the goal of purchasing 100% clean power by 2030 — a full 15 years before the state's goal date.

PG&E offers two options to customers—a standard product with 31% renewable energy (as of 2020) and a “Solar Choice” product with 100% solar energy.

Currently, PG&E owns some electricity generation facilities such as natural gas-burning plants, large hydroelectric dams, and one nuclear plant. It also buys electricity on the open market.

EBCE will directly contract for electricity generated from renewable sources, and also on the open market as needed. EBCE will also invest in and build local renewable energy projects. Several projects have been built specifically to serve EBCE customers - for more information about our power projects, visit here.

Not any more. During the past 30 years the costs of fossil fuels have been rising, although natural gas and oil prices have come down recently. During the same time, the cost of renewable sources has dropped dramatically. In fact, in California, renewable energy is often cheaper than fossil fuel because after the initial construction costs, the fuels—wind and sun—are free.

EBCE will buy the same amount of electricity that customers use, and feed it into California’s electric grid. When the electrons hit the grid, no one can determine where each individual electron goes. EBCE will provide cleaner electricity to the grid (with higher renewable content and fewer greenhouse gases), displacing what PG&E had been providing. It’s like when you deposit $100 into one ATM and later take it out of another ATM. It’s not the same $100, but it is your money. The advantage of EBCE is that EBCE has lower rates, we offer additional energy programs and incentives for our customers, and we are on track toward our goal of 100% carbon-free power for all customers by 2030.

Electricity generated from solar, wind, geothermal, and small hydroelectric plants is renewable because those sources are never depleted. They do not create greenhouse gases so they are also carbon-free.

Other sources of electricity include nuclear facilities and large hydroelectric dams. They don’t create greenhouse gases so they are considered to be carbon-free. However, the state of California does not recognize those two sources as renewable.

Initially, there may be natural gas or carbon-free hydroelectric components which are purchased on the open market. However, EBCE, like its counterparts in Marin, Sonoma, and San Mateo, will reduce its reliance on carbon-producing sources over time.

Never.

There is a mix of small (renewable) and large (not renewable, but carbon-free) hydroelectric power in Bright Choice in order to minimize carbon emissions.

EBCE’s 2019, 2020, and 2021 power mix contained about 1% nuclear power. This 1% nuclear power comes from asset controlling supplier (ACS) systems that own, operate, or market interconnected electricity generating facilities. For example, Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) is an asset controlling supplier. While ACS suppliers can provide low GHG-free power, they cannot sell directly from a particular resource, but rather they provide a slice of their overall portfolio. Most of the ACS that EBCE purchased consists of hydropower from the Pacific Northwest. The resource mix is primarily hydropower, but they also have a small amount of nuclear power.

ACS purchases were previously reported as unspecified sources of power, per California disclosure rules. In 2020, the reporting requirements changed and became effective retroactively for 2019, requiring load-serving entities to list the individual components of ACS.

Unspecified sources of power refers to electricity that is not traceable to a specific generating facility, such as electricity traded through open market transactions. Unspecified sources of power are typically a mix of resource types, and may include renewables. For more information visit: https://www.energy.ca.gov/data-reports/energy-almanac/california-electricity-data/2020-total-system-electric-generation

There are a number of reasons why the greenhouse gas emissions intensity for Bright Choice was relatively high (564 lbs CO2e/MWh) in 2021 compared to the state utility average (456 lbs/MWh) and PG&E (98 lbs/MWh). The primary difference in EBCE’s electricity supply is the amount of nuclear power. As reflected in our 2021 (most recent) Power Content Label (PDF)(PDF) (PDF), EBCE’s power supply for Bright Choice was 1.7% nuclear, whereas the state average was 9.3% and PG&E was 39.3%. Nuclear power is not renewable, but it is considered emissions-free in those calculations.

EBCE elected to not accept the nuclear power allocation from PG&E. Our Board voted, with strong input from the public, to take that step knowing that one consequence was having a temporarily higher emissions factor. EBCE is on a path to 100% carbon-free for all customers by 2030. Our plan aims for Bright Choice to be sourced from at least 50% renewable and 68% carbon-free sources in 2022 and 54% renewable and 71% carbon-free resources in 2023. We're on a fast path to decarbonizing our customers' electricity!

SB 350 is a great law. Yet we don’t see any reason to wait until 2030 to reach that level of renewable energy content in the power delivered to our community. We can do it now. That level has already been achieved in Marin and San Mateo and will soon be achieved in Sonoma and San Francisco.

EBCE’s baseline energy product has as large a portion of renewable energy sources as possible, and that’s just the beginning. Our 2020 power mix for Bright Choice was 40% renewable, plus 14.5% large hydropower. Our Board of Directors established the goal of purchasing 100% clean power by 2030 — a full 15 years before the state's goal date for carbon-free power.

EBCE is required to report to the California Public Utilities Commission and California Energy Commission on an annual basis to verify the amount of renewable energy procured for our customers. This is the same standard used by all California utilities, including PG&E, for verification purposes. Each megawatt-hour of renewable energy is tracked in the Western Renewable Energy Generation Information System (WREGIS).