Clean Energy Alliance customers in Del Mar, Solana Beach and Carlsbad will pay about 8% less this year compared to the bills they would receive from San Diego Gas & Electric, following a CEA meeting Jan. 26 where board members approved a rate adjustment.
The rate adjustment was based on changes in the energy market that drove up expenses for the CEA, which is one of the newest Community Choice Aggregation programs in the state. CCAs allow local governments to band together and offer more renewable energy than traditional utilities.
Customers in San Marcos and Escondido will have a rate decrease of less than 1% compared to what they would be paying with SDG&E, since those cities joined the CEA more recently and for now have to pay a higher exit fee to SDG&E.
The relative discount is based on the CEA’s default plan compared to a comparable SDG&E plan.
Customers in Del Mar and Carlsbad will have an average monthly bill of $210.12, which represents an estimated $20 savings from SDG&E. For Solana Beach, the average bill is $212.23, which is about $18 less than SDG&E. Those calculations are based on customers who are enrolled in the Clean Impact Plus Premium Plan.
“We want to remain competitive with San Diego Gas & Electric,” said Barbara Boswell, the CEO of the Clean Energy Alliance. “Our customers do have the option to opt out and return to service with SDG&E. Even though they are automatically enrolled and so we want to be competitive, we want to offer rates that are, if possible, lower than what is charged by SDG&E for electric generation.”