PG&E and EBCE to implement Time-of-Use rate plan, encouraging energy usage when renewable energy is most plentiful on grid
In response to a statewide policy to create a cleaner energy future for California, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) and East Bay Community Energy (EBCE) will move the majority of their residential electric customers from a tiered rate plan to a Time-of-Use (TOU) rate plan in May 2021, followed by the transition of their remaining customer base in 2022. In the TOU rate plan, peak pricing will be from 4-9 p.m. every day. This window was identified in an effort to encourage residents to shift some of their energy use to the non-peak hours in which demand is lower, and energy on the grid is more likely to have been generated by renewable sources, like solar and wind power.
As part of the statewide mandate, all California utilities are required to automatically transition customers to the TOU rate plan to support a cleaner, healthier, and more reliable energy grid. However, whether part of the initial May 2021 group, or the full customer base transition in 2022, customers can choose to enroll in an alternate TOU rate plan or another rate plan, including a tiered rate plan, at any time. Customers enrolled in the Medical Baseline program will not be a part of the automatic transition.
PG&E and EBCE customers who are automatically transitioned to the TOU rate plan will receive risk-free Bill Protection for the first 12 months. This means that if a customer pays more during their first year on the TOU rate plan than what they would have paid for the same amount of energy on their pre-transition rate plan, PG&E and EBCE will automatically credit the customer the difference for the first year.
To help conserve energy and reduce electricity during peak periods, residents and households can utilize free online services such as Ohm Connect (https://www.ohmconnect.com/) or Home Energy Analytics (https://corp.hea.com/). For more information about the transition to TOU rates, customers can visit www.pge.com/toutransition and www.ebce.org/timeofuse. 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.
