Help us achieve 100% renewable electricity. Stay opted in to Community Choice Energy.
For over a decade, CEC has advocated for Community Choice Energy in the San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura region. These programs are the single most effective way the Central Coast can collectively move to renewable energy.
We have made great progress, with Community Choice Energy programs now serving 21 cities across these three counties.
What is Community Choice Energy? Simply put, Community Choice Energy is a new way to get cleaner electricity to local homes and businesses and provide greater local control over how that electricity is sourced. Community Choice Energy programs procure cleaner power and work in partnership with Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) and Southern California Edison (SCE), which are still responsible for billing, transmission, and distribution of energy.
When a Community Choice Energy program launches, all customers are automatically enrolled in the new program, allowing them to get the benefits of more renewable energy and access to new rebates and programs to make clean energy technologies more affordable. If you want these benefits, no action is needed on your part.
Today, we're sharing about the two programs launching in Santa Barbara County. You should be receiving notification by mail if one of these programs affects you. We encourage you to stay opted in.
Program 1: The City of Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara Clean Energy (SBCE) will begin serving customers in the City of Santa Barbara in October 2021, and will offer 100% carbon-free electricity to all customers for a small premium. Customers can also opt down to a 50% carbon-free electricity supply at a similar rate to the current provider, Southern California Edison. SBCE customers will also have access to new programs that are in development.
Program 2: Other Areas of Santa Barbara County
In January 2021, Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) started serving Northern Santa Barbara County including the Cities of Santa Maria, Guadalupe, and Solvang. (They also serve many cities in San Luis Obispo County and further north).
In October 2021, 3CE will extend service to the South Coast Santa Barbara region, including the Cities of Goleta (read the press release here), Carpinteria, and unincorporated areas.
3CE offers lower rates than PG&E/SCE and has a commitment to reaching 100% renewable electricity through long-term renewable energy and storage contracts by 2030. That's 15 years before the 2045 100% carbon-free electricity goal set by the State of California.
3CE customers are also able to access programs to save thousands of dollars on clean energy technology, such as:
Electrify Your Ride – Electric vehicle rebates of up to $5,000 and up to $2,400 for an EV charger and electric panel upgrade.
3CE is also expanding programs to help customers electrify their homes and businesses, electrify diesel agricultural equipment, add battery storage, and more.
Why we encourage you to stay opted in
3CE and SBCE are now sending out mailers that describe the programs you have been automatically enrolled in. You also have the ability to opt out and stay with Southern California Edison. We want to make it clear that by staying in the program and supporting Community Choice Energy, you are helping the Central Coast get closer to our zero carbon goals.
Staying opted in provides a host of benefits already proven by 26 Community Choice Energy organizations in California:
Cleaner electricity with lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
Competitive electricity rates
Local control and local accountability of our energy provider
New opportunities for local renewable energy projects and high paying, union jobs
Opportunities for greater local resilience
Faster progress toward local climate goals
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ‘Community Choice Energy’?
Community Choice Energy (CCE) allows local governments to take over the buying of power for their communities. These are local programs that prioritize the environment by buying clean, carbon-free energy on our behalf and then reinvesting it into the community. There are over 26 Community Choice Energy programs around California and over 30% of Californians are served by them.
Why are local governments doing this?
The City of Santa Barbara has a goal of carbon neutrality by 2035, and many other cities have their own sustainability goals. Getting 100% clean energy into our community is an important first step to get there.
How is this different from our current energy system?
Currently, customers only have one choice of a monopoly energy provider, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) in North Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County, and Southern California Edison (SCE) in the South Santa Barbara region. These are investor-owned companies, meaning they are beholden to shareholders and are committed to providing profits to their investors. Community Choice Energy programs give us a choice in who buys our power, while directing profits back into the community (instead of to investors).
Will this increase power outages?
No. SCE will still maintain the poles and wires. As a customer, you probably won’t even notice a change. In fact, your bill will still come from SCE. The Community Choice Energy program is just taking over the power contracting to align with climate goals and generate local revenue and community resilience.
Will this lead to more or less PSPS events?
Since local governments are not in control of SCE’s poles and wires, safety shutoffs and unscheduled utility outages will remain the same. However, a major goal of these Community Choice Energy programs is to invest in local energy resilience (which includes renewable energy and battery banks) and will therefore look to help local area residents and businesses establish this infrastructure at their homes and places of work.
FAQs related to Santa Barbara Clean Energy
Why should I trust the City to buy my power?
The City has contracted with a company called CalChoice to provide expertise and management of the power purchasing process. CalChoice provides a similar service for 9 other local Community Choice Energy programs. These programs are having great success throughout the state in creating local programs and incentives for all kinds of climate work.
Will my bill go up?
The City of Santa Barbara's Community Choice Energy program defaults its customers into its 100% Green product, which is 100% carbon-free. This greener, climate-friendly electricity does come at a slight premium (about $5 per month for your home) but is much cheaper than fully outfitting your house with solar panels. Should you choose to, you can also opt down to the Green Start product, which is at least 50% carbon-free and costs the same amount that you've typically paid Southern California Edison.
What do I need to do to sign up?
Nothing. All customers are automatically enrolled in the new Community Choice Energy Program and will stay that way unless they take steps to opt out. Because most of the community enrolls in the new program together, Community Choice Energy is a very powerful program to increase renewable energy, gain access to new rebates and programs, and help our region meet our climate goals. By staying opted in, you support a local program that aligns with local climate goals and keeps decision-making local.
Want to help us advocate?
Take action by spreading the correct information.
We want to clear up any questions or concerns from our community members so that we can all confidently stay opted in to Community Choice Energy.
Please help us address any misinformation you hear from other residents, whether in person or on social media platforms such as Nextdoor.
Refer to the FAQs above when sharing information to your networks. The City of Goleta official press release is another great resource. Also, feel free to send this email to anyone in your contact list who has questions.
Have more questions that aren’t answered below? Send them to us! Email Michael Chiacos, CEC's Energy and Climate Program Director, at mchiacos@cecmail.org.