Frequently Asked Questions
SDG&E supports customer choice and encourages you to evaluate all options. Regardless of which energy service provider you choose, SDG&E remains committed to providing safe and reliable delivery of energy.
For more information on customer rights, obligations and updates regarding CCA programs, please visit the California Public Utilities Commission website.
Enrollment in CCA
Typically, if you reside within the CCA’s territory, you’re automatically enrolled in the CCA program on the next bill date after the CCA begins serving customers. However, a CCA may choose to phase-in customer enrollment in the program. CCAs are required to offer service to all residential customers and have the option to provide service to non-residential customers within its service territory.
The CCA will provide two notices during a 60-day period prior to the start of CCA service and at least two additional notices during a 60-day period after the start of CCA service. These notifications will include how you can opt out of the program if you choose.
Always contact us to start or stop electric service. To start or stop service click here or call 1-800-411-7343.
If you move to a city or county that has established a CCA program, you’re automatically enrolled in the CCA program on the date you start service. You’ll receive at least two notifications from the CCA during the initial 60-day period after you start service. These notifications will include how you can opt out of the program if you choose.
For information on active CCAs in our territory click here.
In some cases, customers in neighboring communities are located within the CCA’s jurisdictional area. This may be the case if you reside in an unincorporated area of a county. If you believe your service location is ineligible for CCA service, please contact the CCA that sent you the program information.
No, your gas service will remain unchanged. If you receive your gas service from us, you’ll continue to see your gas charges on your bill. You can contact us for any gas service requests.
Programs and Services
For CCA customers, SDG&E will continue to manage the transmission, distribution and delivery of electricity. This includes providing billing, metering, collection and customer services. Additionally, CCA customers will still be able to access My Account . Programs such as California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE), Medical Baseline, Level Pay Plans, and some demand response and energy efficiency programs are still available to CCA participants. The CCA may offer different programs than those provided by us.
The following SDG&E programs and pricing plans are not available for CCA participants:
- Direct Access
- CPP Event Day pricing plans like Time-of-Use-Plus or Critical Peak Pricing
If you choose to purchase electricity through a CCA, you'll be removed from these programs or pricing plans.
Yes. We’ll continue to provide billing, metering collection, customer service, and other services to customers participating in a CCA program. Each month, the CCA will calculate its charges for electric generation and send them to SDG&E. We’ll then include the CCA electric generation charges on your monthly SDG&E bill. After we receive customer payments, we’ll transfer payments for CCA charges to the CCA.
Also note that if you take service from a CCA, you’ll no longer pay our rates for electric generation; instead you pay the CCA’s generation rates. A CCA may charge different electric generation rates than SDG&E, which can change your overall electric bill. For more information on your combined energy bill visit our “Understanding your combined energy bill” page.
If you’re receiving electric generation from a CCA, you’ll receive a consolidated bill from SDG&E that includes both the electric delivery charges from us and the electric generation charges from your CCA. These charges will appear as separate line items on the bill, and both will be included in the total amount due.
For more information on your combined energy bill visit our “Understanding your combined energy bill” page.
Participants in a CCA will not pay SDG&E’s electricity generation charges, but instead will pay the CCA’s electric generation charges. The electricity for everyone participating in the CCA will be delivered using our electrical transmission and distribution system. Regardless of the Electric Service Provider, everyone is required to pay SDG&E delivery charges, whether the electricity is purchased from SDG&E or a CCA. For a comparison of SDG&E and CCA rates, visit our joint rate comparison page.
The Power Charge Indifference Adjustment (PCIA) is not a new charge. All customers in SDG&E’s service territory have been paying the PCIA to cover the costs of older long-term energy contracts. For customers whose electricity is provided by SDG&E, the PCIA is bundled in with SDG&E’s electricity generation charges.
The PCIA helps to ensure that all customers (regardless of who procures energy on their behalf) pay their portion of legacy contract costs. SDG&E entered into energy contracts on behalf of their customers based on their needs at the time. Even though many customers have since transitioned to CCAs for their commodity service, SDG&E is still responsible for paying for the costs of the contracts.
The California Public Utilities Commission requires a separate line item on the bill for the PCIA charge as a way to raise awareness that all customers are responsible for paying for the costs of legacy contracts. As of November 1, 2021, all customers’ bills include a PCIA line item.
The portion of SDG&E’s generation rate that needs to be recouped through the PCIA depends on the year that your CCA began serving electric generation in your city. This year is your vintage rate.
While your vintage year remains the same, the PCIA charge for the vintage year will likely change annually. Schedule CCA-CRS provides information on the current PCIA charges by vintage year.
If you have questions about the SDG&E charges on your bill, you should contact us at 1-800-411-7343. Also contact us if you have questions related to changes to your pricing plan, or CARE and Medical Baseline.
If you have questions about the CCA charges on your bill, CCA rates or programs, you should contact your CCA.
You can reach Clean Energy Alliance at 1-833-232-3110.
You can reach San Diego Community Power at 1-888-382-0169.
Customers should call SDG&E or visit MyAccount to request a pricing plan change.
Opt-out Information
Visit our Opt-out request page to learn more.
Net Energy Metering
If your city or county participates in a CCA and you are a NEM customer, you will automatically be enrolled in the CCA's NEM program, if one is available. SDG&E will perform an initial true-up when you are enrolled in the CCA. This ensures that you will have the same anniversary date on both the SDG&E and CCA NEM programs. SDG&E will continue to calculate your monthly charges or credits for delivery charges and will perform an annual true-up of those charges and credits. The CCA will be responsible for determining your generation-related charges and credits.
Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs), purchase or generate electricity on behalf of customers. If your electricity is purchased by a CCA and you also generate your own solar energy, your CCA sets the price for the energy exported from your solar system, as well as the cost for energy imported to your home. Please refer to your CCA for more information about import and export pricing.
SDG&E’s NEM tariff, as approved by the California Public Utilities Commission, states that a true-up must occur for NEM/SBP customers at the time of their transition to a new electric service provider. This true-up results in a new anniversary date.
You are assigned a new anniversary date on the date you transfer to your new electric service provider and this date is unable to be changed.
After you transition to a CCA program, SDG&E will begin calculating the rolling or export credits for electric delivery only. Your generation credits will be maintained by your CCA. If you have questions about the CCA charges or credits on your bill, you will need to contact your CCA directly.
As a NEM/SBP customer, you will continue to true up annually. After transitioning to a CCA program, you will no longer receive excess generation export credits from SDG&E. Your CCA program will calculate your charges and credits and any applicable credit will be handled by your CCA. If you have any questions about your NEM/SBP excess generation or generation export credit payout, you will need to contact your CCA directly.