May 2013 Bill Inserts
Summer time-of-use rates take effect in May 2013 as part of a requirement by the California Public Utilities Commission. This means that there will be three rate periods starting this summer: off-peak, partial-peak, and peak. During peak periods, defined as weekdays from noon to 6 p.m., May through October, your business’ electric rates will be highest. In return, time-of-use rates at all other times will be lower than the peak rate.
Sign up or login to My Energy today for ways to prepare for summer time-of-use rates.
PG&E does not own, maintain or inspect the gas lines beyond the meter. Customers* are responsible for maintaining any customer-owned piping on their property from the meter to the house or business.
A licensed plumber or qualified contractor can locate, inspect and repair buried piping on your property. If corrosion or a dangerous condition is discovered, piping should be immediately repaired.
Damage from excavation is the most common cause of pipeline accidents. Always be sure to call Underground Service Alert (USA) at 811 at least two working days before you dig—even in your own yard—to have underground lines located and marked.
USA is a free service that will notify underground utility operators in the areas of your planned work. PG&E will then locate and mark our underground gas and electric facilities. Customer-owned pipelines are typically not located by calling 811. Contact a plumber or licensed contractor to have customer-owned pipelines located before digging. Respect the marks and dig with care using hand-digging methods.
If you have questions about gas pipeline safety, please call PG&E at
1-800-743-5000.
*“Customer” refers to the owner of the gas piping system served by PG&E. This may be either the property owner or another party who owns the gas piping.
A FREE RATE ANALYSIS IS AVAILABLE
You can complete your own rate analysis online at www.pge.com/ratetools. For a rate schedule change or additional rate option information, contact your local PG&E business representative or call PG&E’s Agricultural Center at 1-877-311-3276 (FARM).
ELECTRIC RATE SCHEDULES*
AG-1 is for customers with low annual operating hours (generally less than 500 hours) and who are unable to minimize their electricity use during summer weekdays (May 1 through October 31) from 12–6 p.m. It is not available to customers whose meter registers a maximum demand of 200 kilowatts (kW) or more for three consecutive months. Starting March 1, 2013, AG-1 customers with 12 months of interval data will start transitioning to AG-4.
(Note: A Time-of-Use (TOU) rate may still be the best choice even if you need to run equipment from 12–6 p.m., so please review the TOU rate options below.)
Time-of-Use Service: TOU plans offer lower rates during periods when electric demand is low and higher rates when demand is high. A TOU meter is required for all services and must be installed to meet this requirement. There is no charge for the meter installation; however, meter access is required at all times.
AG-4 is for customers who are able to minimize their electricity use on summer weekdays between 12–6 p.m. Service load with a single motor of at least 35 horsepower (hp) or multiple motors of at least 15 hp may save even more on the AG-4C rate schedule if usage can be minimized on summer and winter weekdays from 8:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m.
AG-5 is for customers with high annual operating hours (generally greater than 1,200 hours). Additional savings are possible if you can minimize electricity use on summer weekdays between 12–6 p.m. Service load with a single motor of at least 35 hp or multiple motors of at least 15 hp may save even more on the AG-5C rate schedule if usage can be minimized on summer and winter weekdays from 8:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m.
Net Energy Metering Service (NEM, NEMFC): These schedules are for customers who operate a fuel cell, photovoltaic (solar) system and/or wind electric generating facility on their premises with a maximum total capacity of 1,000 kW. These are available when eligible generation offsets all or part of your electric load when connected to the PG&E grid.
You may interconnect more than one generator, each subject to different rate treatment (for example, NEMFC and NEM solar), on a single account. Contact PG&E at gen@pge.com for more information.
Please visit www.pge.com/gen for current requirements or for more information about additional net metering options.
E-SRG is available for renewable generators up to 1.5 megawatts. For more information, email gen@pge.com.
Peak Day Pricing: Peak Day Pricing is a Time-Varying Pricing Plan that combines time-of-use with Peak Day Pricing Event Day surcharges. Participants will see additional charges during peak hours (weekdays from 2–6 p.m.) on a limited number of Peak Day Pricing Event Days (9–15 annually) and receive credit for all other usage throughout the summer. Notification is provided in advance of Peak Day Pricing Event Days. Bill protection is provided for the first year, so you can participate without risk. If you can reduce or shift use away from higher priced peak periods, you may be able to lower your overall electricity bills.
As of February 1, 2011, bundled service agricultural customers with a demand greater than or equal to 200 kW for three consecutive months began automatically transitioning to Peak Day Pricing. Other eligibility criteria and exclusions apply. To learn more visit www.pge.com/pdp, contact your PG&E Account Manager or call PG&E at 1-877-311-3276.
California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) provides agricultural customers a monthly discount on energy bills for qualifying agricultural housing facilities. For additional information on this program, contact your local PG&E business representative or call PG&E at 1-877-311-3276.
DEMAND RESPONSE PROGRAMS
Demand Bidding Program (E-DBP) offers demand metered TOU participants incentives for reducing their power usage when contacted. AG-R1 and AG-V2 customers are not eligible for E-DBP. Base Interruptible Program (E-BIP) offers participants incentives for reducing electric load down to a firm service level when contacted. AG-R1 and AG-V2 customers are not eligible for E-BIP.
Capacity Bidding Program (E-CBP) offers participants incentives for reducing energy consumption by a nominated capacity amount when contacted.
To see if a demand response program is right for you, please visit www.pge.com/demandresponse for additional requirements and details.
Visit the For My Business section of www.pge.com for information on energy usage, billing history, rate comparison tools, energy outage and restoration status, bill detail, account aggregation and more.
Please note that rate schedules and options may change. For more information about current rate schedules and options for your business, visit www.pge.com/tariffs.
* For Direct Access (DA) and Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) customers, PG&E delivers the electricity to your home or business, and your DA or CCA provider purchases and/or generates the electricity you consume. Net Metering, CCA and DA customers are eligible for many, but not all, of the rate schedules or features of rate schedules listed in this notice. For more information, call the numbers below or call your DA or CCA provider.
Daylight saving time ended on November 4, 2012 and will start again March 13, 2013. During the additional days of daylight saving time, your time-of-use periods will begin and end one hour later.
1 AG-R is for customers who need to operate 24 hours a day for up to four consecutive days a week (Thu–Sun or Sat–Tue) during the summer but can minimize use from 12–6 p.m. on the three remaining weekdays.
2 AG-V is for customers who can minimize electricity use on summer weekdays during any one of these time periods: 12–4 p.m.; 1–5 p.m.; or 2–6 p.m.
THE CALIFORNIA PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU
ATTENTION STOCKTON AREA RESIDENTS: THE DATE OF THE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION HEARING IN YOUR AREA HAS BEEN CHANGED!
The new date for the Public Participation Hearing in your area is
June 10, 2013, 7:00 p.m.
At Location: Stockton City Council Chambers, 425 N. El Dorado Street Stockton, CA 95202
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is requesting in its 2014 General Rate Case (GRC), a total increase of $1.282 billion in annual revenue for gas and electric service, effective January 1, 2014.
PG&E’s proposal would increase the monthly electric bill for typical residential customers using 550 kilowatt hours per month by $4.61— or 5.2 percent—from $89.36 to $93.97. The monthly gas bill for typical residential gas customers using 37 therms per month would increase by $7.06 or—15.3 percent—from $46.13 to $53.18.
Information about this GRC is outlined in this notice. Also included is the Public Participation Hearing (PPH) schedule which identifies the dates, times, and locations of the hearings.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION HEARINGS
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) will hold a series of PPHs in May and June 2013 at various locations throughout PG&E’s service area. At each location, customer service representatives from PG&E and consumer affairs representatives from the CPUC will be present to assist with individual customer billing and service concerns. These hearings will be your opportunity to express your views. The PPHs will be facilitated by an Administrative Law Judge and oral comments will be accepted from the public. The CPUC will consider public comments and include them as part of the formal record in the GRC proceeding.
All locations are wheelchair accessible. If you need a language interpreter or need a device to help you better hear the proceedings, please contact the CPUC’s Public Advisor’s Office (PAO) at the address listed below at least five days in advance of the hearing date (contact information for the CPUC’s PAO below).
BACKGROUND ON THE GRC
On November 15, 2012, PG&E filed its 2014 GRC application (A.12-11-009) with the CPUC. Every three years, PG&E is required to file a GRC in which the CPUC sets annual revenue levels. PG&E will use this revenue to generate electricity, to purchase gas and electricity and to distribute electricity and gas to PG&E’s customers. PG&E sent a notice of this application to all customers, beginning in December 2012.
During the first phase of the GRC (GRC Phase I), the CPUC will determine the total amount of money PG&E may collect in rates. In the second phase of the GRC (GRC Phase II), the CPUC will determine how the total amount of money will be allocated among different classes of customers and how customer rates will be designed (that is, how much it will cost customers to buy gas and electricity). The GRC Phase II application will be filed in April 2013. Once it is filed, PG&E will send out a summary of that application in a separate bill insert.
The proposed increase consists of the following:
• An increase in electric revenues of $796 million over the currently authorized level for 2014. The increase is made up of the costs of (1) delivering electricity to PG&E’s customers ($587 million); and (2) operating and maintaining PG&E’s power plants ($209 million). This increase does not include the cost of electricity procured for PG&E’s customers or the cost of fuel used in generating electricity by PG&E, which are recovered in a separate proceeding; and
• An increase in gas revenues of $486 million over the currently authorized level for 2014. The increase does not include gas procured for PG&E’s customers, which is recovered in a separate proceeding.
The CPUC’s PAO will be present at all meetings to provide assistance. If you would like more information on how to participate at these hearings, or if you would like to submit written comments about PG&E’s 2014 GRC Phase I application, please call or write the PAO at the address shown below. When writing, include the application number as a reference.
Public Advisor’s Office
California Public Utilities Commission
505 Van Ness Avenue, Room 2103
San Francisco, CA 94102
1-415-703-2074 or 1-866-849-8390 (toll free)
TTY 1-415-703-5282 or 1-866-836-7825 (toll free)
E-mail: public.advisor@cpuc.ca.gov
Background
On April 18, 2013, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) filed the application in the second phase of our 2014 General Rate Case (GRC Phase II) with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). In this application, we are requesting approval from the CPUC to allocate our approved revenue—that is, the amount that the CPUC has authorized for PG&E to collect in rates to operate our utility business—across different customer classes and to design electric rates for these classes. We are proposing this in order to better align our rates with the costs of providing electric service to our customers, and to simplify rates to make them easier to understand.
Will Rates Increase as a Result of this Application?
Approval of this application will decrease rates for some customers and increase rates for others. Our GRC Phase II application does not propose any increases in annual revenues, but rather seeks to distribute our approved revenue across different customer groups. The actual rate increases or decreases will depend on the CPUC’s final decision in this application, and will go into effect as early as mid-2014.
Rate and Bill Impacts for Bundled Customers
Most of our customers are bundled customers meaning that we provide electricity (generation), transmission and distribution service. The table below shows the proposed allocation of revenue (the total dollars collected through rates from our customers) and the percentage change, by customer group.
The table below shows the projected impact on monthly bills for bundled customers on the standard residential rate (E-1) who live in the climate zone labeled as Baseline Territory X. The projected impact for customers taking service on the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) Program is also listed below.
Rate and Bill Impacts for DA/CCA Customers
Direct Access (DA) and Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) customers receive only transmission and distribution service from PG&E but purchase electricity (generation) from other suppliers. We charge DA/CCA customers the same distribution and Public Purpose Program (PPP) rates as we do bundled customers. The projected electric rate changes for DA/CCA customers by customer group are illustrated in the table below.
Departing Load (DL) customers do not receive generation, transmission or distribution from PG&E but will be affected by our application because they are required to pay the PPP rate. We charge DL customers the same PPP rate as we do bundled and DA/CCA customers. Total DL revenue will be reduced because of a reduction in PPP rates by about $2.6 million or 6.1 percent.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
If you have questions regarding the GRC Phase II application or for more details, please contact PG&E at 1-800-743-5000. For TDD/TTY (speech-hearing impaired), call 1-800-652-4712.
If you would like a copy of the application and exhibits, please write to PG&E at the address below:
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
2014 General Rate Case Phase II Application
P.O. Box 7442
San Francisco, CA 94120
You can also view PG&E’s GRC Phase II application and exhibits online at www.pge.com/RegCases. Select “GRC 2014 Ph II” from the Cases drop-down menu.
A copy of PG&E’s 2014 GRC Phase II application and exhibits is also available for review at the CPUC, 505 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102, Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–noon. A copy of the application (without exhibits) is available on the CPUC’s website at www.cpuc.ca.gov/puc
THE CPUC PROCESS
The CPUC’s Division of Ratepayer Advocates (DRA) will review this application. The DRA is an independent arm of the CPUC, created by the Legislature, to represent the interests of utility customers throughout the state and obtain the lowest possible rate for service consistent with safe and reliable service levels. DRA has a multi-disciplinary staff with expertise in economics, finance, accounting, engineering and rate design. The DRA’s views do not necessarily reflect those of the CPUC. Other parties of record, such as those representing various customer groups, will also participate.
Evidentiary Hearings
The CPUC will schedule Evidentiary Hearings (EHs) for the GRC Phase II, where parties of record present their proposals in testimony and are subject to cross-examination before the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). These hearings are open to the public, but only those who are formal parties of record can present evidence or cross-examine witnesses during EHs. Members of the public may attend, but are not allowed to participate in the hearings, Public Participation hearings are already being held in Phase I of PG&E’s GRC (A.12-11-009). Notification of those public participation hearings was already sent to you either by a separate mailing or included as a bill insert in your monthly bill. Customers may also submit written comments to the CPUC at the address listed on the back. All such correspondence to the CPUC should reference PG&E’s 2014 GRC Phase II Application (A.13-04-012).
After considering all proposals and evidence presented during the hearing process, the ALJ will issue a draft decision. When the CPUC acts on the application, it may adopt all or part of PG&E’s request, amend or modify it, or deny the application. The CPUC’s final decision may be different from the ALJ’s draft decision.
Public Advisor’s Office
505 Van Ness Avenue
Room 2103
San Francisco, CA 94102
1-415-703-2074 or 1-866-849-8390 (toll free)
TTY 1-415-703-5282 or 1-866-836-7825 (toll free)
Email to public.advisor@cpuc.ca.gov
If you are writing a letter to the Public Advisor’s Office, please include the number of the application (A.13-04-012) to which you are referring. All comments will be circulated to the Commissioners, the assigned ALJ and the CPUC’s Energy Division Staff.
