SmartRate™ is a voluntary Summer Pricing Plan that gives you a new way to save money and gain more control on your summer electric bills. For no more than 15 days — what we call SmartDays™ — we’ll notify you to shift your energy use between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. There’s a higher rate between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on SmartDays, but at all other times during the summer season, from June through September, you’ll pay a discounted rate. How much you save is up to you. It’s really that simple.
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Joining the SmartRate program is easy and gives you an opportunity to save money on your summer electricity bills. You’ll also be helping the environment. Because California tends to experience high temperatures between May and October, the demand for electricity can reach extreme levels. Until now, there were two traditional ways to solve this overflow in demand:

1. Purchase additional power outside the grid.
   Excess power is often "dirty" power, because it has to be supplied by inefficient power plants that don’t use the same mix of clean-burning fuels available to PG&E.
2. Add more power plants to the grid.
   Building new power plants to address overflow demand for only a few days a year is an extremely inefficient solution, raising costs for everyone. Even worse, the environmental impact of such an undertaking would be enormous.

Small changes in your routine—such as shifting power-hungry activities to the morning or evening—will help ease the load on California’s power grid, and balance demand for electricity on SmartDays™. These simple adjustments can help minimize the need for "dirty" power from inefficient power plants when demand on the grid is at its limit.
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Knowing what to do on SmartDays is the easiest way to ensure you’ll save money on the Summer Pricing Plan. These tips from SmartRate customers make it easy for you and your whole family. Check back often, we’ll be posting new tips throughout the season.
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See when SmartDays have been called this season.
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