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Borrego Springs Local • March 19, 2023

Borrego Springs Switches to San Diego Community Power

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Starting April 1, 2023

Residents and businesses in Borrego Springs will purchase power from San Diego Community Power (SDCP) instead of San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E). SDCP, a not-for-profit public agency, is one of 25 community choice aggregators (CCAs) in California, created to encourage renewable energy growth and competition with traditional utilities like SDG&E.

In 2021, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors committed the unincorporated communities to use SDCP for electricity. The agency aims to supply more green energy from sources like solar, wind, geothermal, and hydroelectric power. Although SDCP will handle power purchases, SDG&E will still be responsible for maintaining infrastructure and providing customer services such as billing.

Residents who prefer to stay with SDG&E can opt-out of SDCP within 60 days without charge. However, those who choose SDG&E cannot switch back to SDCP for a year. SDCP currently serves over 700,000 customer accounts and will expand to nearly a million consumers with the addition of unincorporated communities and the City of National City in April 2023.

As a publicly-owned non-profit, SDCP’s board is directly accountable to ratepayers and holds monthly meetings open to the public. The agency offers two plans: “PowerOn,” with at least 50% renewables, and the “Power100” plan, which guarantees 100% renewable energy. Choosing Power100 will cost almost the same as SDG&E’s base rate.

SDCP’s 2023 rate plan offers an overall bill savings of 1.5% compared to SDG&E. This discount will help SDCP reach $384.3 million in financial reserves by October 2023, which can secure an investment-grade credit rating by November 2025, allowing the agency to enter more renewable contracts. SDCP plans to invest in and build local renewable energy projects over time, following the footsteps of other established CCAs.

In summary, Borrego Springs residents will soon have the option to purchase power from SDCP, a not-for-profit public agency offering more renewable energy at a lower rate than SDG&E. This change represents a step towards energy independence and cleaner air for the community.

To Sum It Up:

SDCP:

  • Aims to supply more green energy from sources like solar, wind, geothermal, and hydroelectric power.
  • Will handle power purchases, while SDG&E will maintain infrastructure and provide customer services such as billing.

Opting out:

  • Residents can opt-out of SDCP within 60 days without charge, but can’t switch back for a year.

SDCP’s growth:

  • Currently serves over 700,000 customer accounts.
  • Will expand to nearly a million consumers with the addition of unincorporated communities and the City of National City in April 2023.

SDCP’s board:

  • Directly accountable to ratepayers.
  • Holds monthly meetings open to the public.

SDCP’s plans:

  • “PowerOn”: at least 50% renewables.
  • “Power100”: 100% renewable energy, costing almost the same as SDG&E’s base rate.

SDCP’s 2023 rate plan:

  • Offers an overall bill savings of 1.5% compared to SDG&E.
  • Will help SDCP reach $384.3 million in financial reserves by October 2023.
  • Aims to secure an investment-grade credit rating by November 2025, allowing the agency to enter more renewable contracts.

Local renewable energy projects:

  • SDCP plans to invest in and build local renewable energy projects over time, following the footsteps of other established CCAs.

Comparison with SDG&E:

  • Under the new 2023 rates, an average SDCP residential customer using 327 kilowatt-hours of electricity would save about two dollars on their monthly bill compared to SDG&E, according to the company’s calculations.

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