When there’s a new power provider in town, you’re bound to have lots of questions! We’ve assembled some of the top concerns expressed by community members — read on for answers to these common inquiries. If you have additional questions, we encourage you to explore our website, check out our FAQ page or contact us.
Oceanside and Vista customers will have 60 days following the April 2024 launch to opt out of Clean Energy Alliance without restriction. To do so, call (833) 232-3110 or opt out on our website at TheCleanEnergyAlliance.org within 60 days of your April meter read date.
If you decide to opt out and stay with SDG&E after the 60-day opt out period (ending on May 31, 2024), SDG&E will charge a small (currently $0.56) one-time account processing fee. By opting out, you will also be subject to SDG&E’s then-current rates and terms and conditions of service. For details on SDG&E’s rates and terms and conditions, please visit SDG&E.com. You will not be charged any fees if you cancel electric service altogether (for example, if you move).
If you opt out, you will still be charged for all electricity you used before the transfer of electric generation service. Accounts will be transferred on the day the electric meter is read and cannot be transferred during the middle of a billing cycle. In order for your request to be processed on your next meter read date, your request must be received at least 5 business days prior to the date on which the meter is read.
Customers who opt out before or within the first 60 days of Clean Energy Alliance (CEA) service may return to CEA at any time. Customers who opt out after the first 60 days of service with CEA are prohibited by SDG&E from returning to CEA for one year.
To opt out, please call CEA at (833) 232-3110 or visit TheCleanEnergyAlliance.org. Have your electric bill handy so that we can process the request.
Since its inception in 2021, CEA has saved an average residential customer approximately $6.16 per month on their electricity bills. Due to recent SDG&E rate changes, while CEA’s generation rates are currently slightly higher (around $2 to $3 per month), all customers will currently be realizing a decrease in their overall electricity bills until increased by SDG&E. CEA’s goal is to provide energy to our customers at competitive rates while providing cleaner, renewable energy to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions while also providing local programs that directly benefit our customers.
The CEA Board of Directors reviews rates annually in order to provide long-term rate stability for residents and businesses. CEA has a goal of achieving a minimum 2% savings on generation costs compared to SDG&E, and has achieved that up until SDG&E’s 2024 rate change. Check out our current rate comparison, and visit the Your Options webpage for the updated cost of residents’ average monthly bill.
Clean Energy Alliance has and continues to work closely with SDG&E in order to ensure that this transition goes smoothly. SDG&E will continue to be responsible for the delivery of energy to our customers. We look forward to continuing to partner with SDG&E during this transition.
Importantly, SDG&E will also continue to handle billing for CEA customers. SDG&E bills include all recent electric charges, including CEA’s power generation charges. For your convenience, SDG&E forwards the power generation portion of the payment to CEA. SDG&E will continue to charge you for the transmission and delivery services they provide.
CEA is governed by a board of local elected officials from member agencies who oversee decisions regarding power purchasing, programs, and rate setting, and are directly accountable to the people who elected them. Meetings are conducted monthly in an open, transparent manner, ensuring the public has a voice in decisions made for CEA. If you want to make your voice heard, or have questions about CEA, contact askcea@thecleanenergyalliance.org or visit our Agendas & Minutes webpage for a full schedule of board and community advisory committee meetings.
Clean Energy Alliance procures its energy, including its higher percentage of renewable energy, from a variety of suppliers and also takes advantage of purchasing some of SDG&E’s excess energy they no longer need. CEA’s objective is to purchase power for its member communities directly from the generators that produce it. SDG&E will still handle energy delivery to CEA members and will continue to handle the energy billing process.
CEA’s Board of Directors consists of one elected council member from each of the seven member cities’ city councils. These board members represent a variety of professional backgrounds and, similar to their roles as elected officials, are responsible for setting policies and priorities and approving programs of CEA.
The CEA Board has appointed a chief executive officer who hires and manages staff and consultants who implement CEA Board policies and clean energy priorities. CEA staff are experienced energy industry experts and CEA partners with energy consultants with decades of experience in local energy markets, energy costs and rate setting.
Together, CEA staff and its consultants prepare a financial pro forma and budget upon which rate-setting recommendations are prepared for the Board’s consideration. Rates are set to cover the cost of energy supply and a reserve target established by the Board. CEA’s rate setting process is transparent and encourages public participation. CEA reviews its rates annually as part of the budget process, which is approved by the Board of Directors each June.
CEA solar customers enjoy the same financial benefits as SDG&E solar customers and may even gain additional advantages by transitioning to CEA.
When Net Energy Metering (NEM) customers switch to CEA, they retain their NEM status (1.0, 2.0 or 3.0) and the solar rates they had under SDG&E.
Solar customers with SDG&E agreements in place by April 14, 2023, will keep their current NEM status and compensation rates and remain on their existing NEM tariff for 20 years after connecting to the grid.
New customers who installed rooftop solar after April 14, 2023, are still expected to pay off their systems within 9 years and will save approximately $100 on their electricity bills (according to the California Public Utilities Commission).
Customers already enrolled in SDG&E’s Net Energy Metering will automatically be enrolled in CEA’s Solar Impact or Personal Impact programs upon transitioning to CEA. NEM surplus generators are compensated at 6 cents per kWh, which is slightly higher than the credit currently provided by SDG&E. CEA customers with surplus generators receive a check on their annual true-up date if their credit amount is $100 or more. Customers with surplus generation below $100 of value will receive a credit towards their next annual NEM billing cycle.
For more information, visit our Net Energy Metering Explained page.
The San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) Income Graduated Fixed Charge (IGFC) will partially replace the current per-unit cost for maintaining the grid, which means the per-unit rate for electricity usage will decrease. While you will see a fixed charge on your bill, the overall impact on your monthly electricity bill will depend on your electricity usage and income level.
The monthly charge will be $24.15 for most customers, $12.08 for those in the Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA) program or affordable housing, and $6.00 for California Alternative Rates for Energy (CARE) program participants.
The IGFC was authorized by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and implemented by SDG&E to help cover the costs of building and maintaining the electric grid. It was mandated by Assembly Bill 205 and will become effective from late 2025. The IGFC applies to all residential customers except those with specific exemptions. Visit the FAQs page to learn more.
All Clean Energy Alliance (CEA) customers will see a Power Charge Indifference Adjustment (PCIA) on their energy bill.
The PCIA represents a fee for exiting from an investor-owned utility (IOU), like SDG&E, that customers pay for choosing another provider of electricity generation through direct access or community choice aggregation (CCA).
The fee is designed to cover the costs of energy that was already contracted for a customer’s behalf by the IOU and it is set annually by that IOU.
Although the PCIA is not included as a separate line item on your electricity bill before joining CEA, it is embedded in the total charges and still paid by all bundled SDG&E customers. The PCIA will be included in your electric charges, even if you return to SDG&E. The PCIA rate for an SDG&E bundled customer is always for the current vintage year, compared to a CEA customer that retains the same vintage year that they left SDG&E.
When returning to SDG&E from CEA, customers are placed on a transitional rate for six months. This rate is determined by SDG&E, and is based on current energy market conditions, meaning that it may fluctuate during this period.
SDG&E uses transitional period pricing because they need to purchase electricity for returning customers on short notice, potentially resulting in different costs compared to their standard bundled rate.
Customers return to SDG&E’s standard bundled rate after six months. CEA’s power charge indifference adjustment (PCIA) and franchise fees will continue to apply during the transitional period but are removed once the account fully returns to SDG&E’s standard service.
Customers can contact SDG&E for more information at (800) 411-7343 on how the transitional rate might affect their bill.