The following press release was issued by Pacific Gas and Electric Company:
As part of a multi-year, statewide energy policy to create a cleaner energy future for California, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and Sonoma Clean Power (SCP) will move approximately 140,000 eligible residential electric customers to a Time-of-Use rate plan in April 2021. On the Time-of-Use (Peak Pricing 4-9 p.m. Every Day) rate plan, when customers use energy is as important as how much they use. Customers are encouraged to shift some energy use to times when rates are lower, demand is lower and renewable resources, like solar and wind power, are most plentiful.
Eligible PG&E and SCP residential electric customers in Mendocino and Sonoma counties will be among the first to transition to the new plan in April 2021. The transition to this Time-of-Use rate plan will occur by geographical region and affect approximately 2.5 million customers in PG&E’s service area in stages through 2022. Customers in Mendocino and Sonoma will receive a series of notifications by mail starting this week, four months in advance of the automatic transition, to allow them ample time to make a choice if they prefer another rate plan.
All California investor-owned electric utilities are required to automatically transition customers to the Time-of-Use rate plan to support a cleaner, healthier and more reliable energy grid. PG&E does not profit from this change. Customers can choose an alternate Time-of-Use rate plan or another rate plan, including the Tiered rate plan, at any time. Customers enrolled in the Medical Baseline program will not be part of the automatic transition.
“When customers use energy is just as important as how much they use on a Time-of-Use rate plan. This is different than a traditional Tiered rate plan, where customers manage energy use only by using less energy over a billing month. This puts customers in the driver’s seat so they can have more control over their bills while supporting the state’s clean energy goals,” said Geof Syphers, Chief Executive Officer of SCP.
PG&E and SCP customers who automatically transition to this Time-of-Use rate plan will receive risk-free Bill Protection for the first 12 months. If a customer pays more on the Time-of-Use (Peak Pricing 4-9 p.m. Every Day) rate plan than they would have on their current rate plan, PG&E and SCP will automatically credit the customer the difference for the first year.
More About Time-of-Use Rate Plans
Customers on these rate plans can choose to shift and reduce some energy use to lower-cost time periods (19 hours) every day, including weekends and holidays. The hours of 4 to 9 p.m. are higher priced (peak times). All other times are lower priced (off-peak).
“The notifications being sent to eligible customers in Mendocino and Sonoma beginning this week include personalized rate plan comparisons to help customers select the best rate plan for their needs as well as energy saving tips. We are here to help and proactively offering support well ahead of the transition,” said Laurie Giammona, Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer for PG&E
Starting in 2018, approximately 150,000 residential customers from across the service area representing diversity in climate, household size and energy use were randomly selected as part of the first phase of transitions. Eighty percent of those customers stayed on the new Time-of-Use rate plan for more than a year. PG&E incorporated feedback from this initial group into the plans for the full rollout.
For more information about the transition to Time-of-Use rates, customers can visit www.pge.com/toutransition. To view a customized rate plan comparison, customers can visit their account online at www.pge.com/TOUchoice. Dedicated rate plan specialists are available at 1-866-743-7945 to answer questions and help customers choose a rate plan.
