Medical Baseline
EBCE customers who depend on electricity for their medical needs get our lowest rates
What is Medical Baseline?
The Medical Baseline program helps people who have serious medical conditions and/or medical equipment that can make it hard to afford their monthly bill. EBCE customers enrolled in the Medical Baseline program get a special “Baseline Allowance” — a set number of kilowatt-hours of electricity each month charged at a reduced rate.
Eligibility for the Medical Baseline program is based on medical condition and/or use of medical devices only — not on income. The Medical Baseline discount applies to your gas service too. Anyone who lives in their home full-time can qualify for this program.
More than 19,000 EBCE customers rely on electricity to power their essential medical equipment
- Medical Baseline customers get our lowest rates for electricity. This discount also applies to gas service via PG&E. As your natural gas provider, PG&E will bill you at their lowest rate as well.
- Partially waived PCIA fee. This discount saves our Medical Baseline customers approx. $19 per month on average.
- Save $1,000 on the purchase of a GoalZero Yeti 3000X portable power station. Enhance your emergency preparedness in the event of a grid outage with this dependable backup source of power for your home. Details here.
If you have a serious medical condition, you can have your electricity billed at EBCE’s lowest rate through the Medical Baseline program.
The Medical Baseline Discount Explained
Medical Baseline customers get an allocation of 16.438 kWh/day at the lowest price (Tier 1) rates. For a typical Medical Baseline customer, that provides $30 per month of savings. Medical Baseline customers are partially exempt from paying the PCIA fee to PG&E, which amounts to an additional discount of $19 per month on average.
Our residential electricity customers — including those enrolled in the Medical Baseline program — also benefit from an additional 3% of savings because EBCE’s Bright Choice service offers lower rates than PG&E.
Recent changes to the waived fee
The CPUC has authorized PG&E to eliminate the PCIA fee exemption for EBCE and other exempt customers and will introduce the fee over a four-year period starting in 2022. When this begins, EBCE Medical Baseline customers will still save more money each month than they would have with PG&E, but the amount of savings will decline until 2026 when Medical Baseline customers on EBCE and PG&E service will pay the same fee amount.
Learn more about the Medical Baseline allowance, its benefits, and how to apply by visiting PG&E’s webpage. When you enroll in the program, the Medical Baseline discount will automatically be applied to EBCE’s electricity service.
Limited Time Offer
Get $1,000 cash back on the purchase of a Goal Zero Yeti 3000X portable power station.
Back-up electrical power is vital for your emergency preparedness plan.
EBCE customers Ed and Ibrahim share their personal stories of how EBCE’s Medical Baseline portable battery program helped them to increase their resilience in the event of a power outage. Click to hear their stories below.
East Bay Community Energy (EBCE) has a limited number of portable backup battery rebates available to eligible Medical Baseline customers on a first-come, first-served basis.
Save $1,000 on the purchase of a GoalZero Yeti 3000X portable power station.
Be prepared for the next grid outage.
Apply now to receive $1,000 off the cost of a Goal Zero Yeti 3000X Portable Power Station—safe, clean backup electricity to enhance your emergency preparedness in the event of a grid outage.
If you have questions or need assistance completing the application, please contact energyresilience@ebce.org or call EBCE at 1-833-699-3223, 9AM–5PM on weekdays.
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Eligibility
To qualify for EBCE’s $1,000 rebate, you must meet all of the program requirements:
• Active EBCE electricity customer, and
• Enrolled in the Medical Baseline program, and
• Have an electricity-dependent medical device at home. -
Proof of purchase is required
Submit a copy of your receipt or invoice as proof of purchase for your GoalZero Yeti 3000X Portable Power Station.
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Low interest financing
If you need financial assistance to purchase your portable backup battery, FreedomTech provides low-interest loans for assistive technologies.
A representative from EBCE will follow up about your application shortly