1. Diving Into Bills
I wish…

3. Legacy Grid
Typical flow
Meter
Customer side
Utility side

4. Net Metering
2-way flow
Meter
Customer side
Utility side

5. Communication Prioritize information Indicate risk level
Consistent voice

6. Variable: Prime Rate, not under your control.
Example: Home Loan
20-year adjustable, fixed for 5-years then moves to Prime + 2, adjusted semi-annually.
Variable: Prime Rate, not under your control. 3
Financial terms: 5-years fixed at 4%, then adjusts to Prime Rate + 2 points. 2
Basic agreement: The bank will lend you money for 20 years, no prepayment penalty. 1

7. Tariff vs. Rate
Tariff: Rules that define purchasing or selling electricity.
Includes things like tiers, baseline allocations, peak periods, winter & summer times, etc.
Rate: The dollar amounts per kWh.

8. Variable: Cost per kWh (rate), not under your control.
Net Metering
Variable: Cost per kWh (rate), not under your control. 3
Terms: TOU tariff for 5 years, then adjust. Likely still peak/offpeak separation. 2
Basic agreement: The utility will accept your surplus power for 20 years and credit you at retail. 1

9. Uncertainty
Low
Medium
High
6 mos
5 yrs
20 yrs

10. Terms Generation charge (credit) T & D charge Monthly minimum
Non-Bypassable Charges (NBCs)
Power Charge Indifference Adjustment (PCIA)
Franchise Fee Surcharge
Credit Balance, Green Balance, etc.

11. Monthly minimum + taxes
Generation only
T & D + PCIA

12. PG&E kWh charge
31.67
-15.60
$16.07
T & D
PG&E Gen
16.07
+ 4.68
$20.75
x 0.08
$ 1.66
PCIA

13. Generation charges comparison: PG&E = $15.60
MCE kWh charge
MCE Gen
Generation charges comparison:
PG&E = $15.60
MCE = (PCIA) = $15.46

14. Trueup
PG&E trueup process and date remains the same (but now is T&D charges only)
CCA “trueup” only relevant to customers who have more than $100 credit balance.
CCA date is end of April, when >$100 credit customers have the choice to get a check or keep rolling credits over.

15. Working Group Meeting 6/12
Pursue additional collaboration on…
Future energy product offerings (between utility, CCA, and solar contractors or other vendors)
Dealing with data access for customer and contractor
Get ahead of NEM 3.0
Proactively share info across industry and vendors
Consolidate and simplify billing

16. Working Group Meeting 6/12
Communication opportunities
Leveraging solar industry media more to create the same buzzword qualities around CCA as community solar did
Use energy concierges or sites like nextdoor.com (can CCAs use it like government does?)
Is message about choice and not just saving $5?
Single source communications to customers but working with CCA and utility
Communicate costs clearly and simply
Develop consumer-facing shared resources informed by underlying data