Clean Power is Coming to Santa Monica

November 16, 2018 3:17 PM
by Dean Kubani

In October, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a report warning that if global carbon emissions are not significantly reduced by 2030, the world will experience more intense climate change and extreme weather.  

Fortunately, fighting climate change will soon be as easy as turning on the lights. Starting in 2019, Santa Monica electricity customers will be served by a new entity called the Clean Power Alliance of Southern California (CPA). CPA will offer customers competitively priced electricity sourced from 100%, 50% or 36% renewable energy. Nothing else changes -- Southern California Edison (SCE) will continue to deliver power to customers, send the bills, and be responsible for resolving any electricity service issues. 

Choosing 100% renewable energy is the most significant action businesses and individuals can take with the least amount of effort.  

Santa Monica has committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 or sooner. By sourcing renewable energy from the Clean Power Alliance, Santa Monica can take one large step to achieving that goal and reduce the City’s emissions by as much as 20%   

How does this work? 

The Clean Power Alliance (www.cleanpoweralliance.org) is a Joint Power Authority (JPA) made up of 32 public agencies across Los Angeles and Ventura counties -- including Santa Monica -- working together to bring clean, renewable power choices to our communities. Clean Power Alliance chooses where to source its energy from and delivers it to customers. 

Clean Power Alliance (CPA) will offer three-tier rate options:  

All CPA product options will provide greater renewable energy than what SCE currently offers. All low-income qualified customers will still enjoy their same discount and experience no net increase to their bills, regardless of the tier.  

On October 23, 2018 Council selected the 100% default tier rate for Santa Monica customers when the transition to CPA occurs in February 2019.  By selecting 100% renewable rate, Santa Monica has the opportunity to decarbonize the electricity supply which is the most substantial action the City can take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.   

All customers will enjoy the shared benefits of Clean Power Alliance including: 

When will this happen? 

Residential customers will be first served by Clean Power Alliance starting in February 2019. Commercial customers will be served starting summer 2019. 

As Clean Power Alliance begins to offer service, customers will receive a total of four notices via mail before and after the switch from Southern California Edison to Clean Power Alliance. The first notice is scheduled to be distributed at least two months before service launch and will include additional details, including instructions on how to choose a different percentage of renewable content and customer support contact information. 

What are my options? 

All customers will automatically be enrolled in the 100% default rate option chosen by the City; however, customers may opt down to a less renewable rate option or opt out of CPA service and stay with SCE. To opt out or down, customers can contact CPA customer service at any time via online portal, email or phone to indicate their preference. Alternatively, customers can opt back in or up at any time if they choose to do so.  Rate information will be mailed to you starting in December. 

For more information, visit www.smgov.net/cleanpower. Contact Clean Power Alliance customer service at 888-585-3788 or customerservice@cleanpoweralliance.org.  

 

Authored By

Dean Kubani
Assistant Director of Public Works