Direct Access—Electricity
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is not currently accepting Six Month Notices to Transfer to Direct Access (Six Month Notice) for Year 3 (2012 DA load) of the 4-year Limited Direct Access (DA) Reopening period. DA Open Enrollment for Year 4 (2013 DA Load) is scheduled to begin at 9:00 AM (PST) on Friday, January 13, 2012.
Please note, per Decision D. 10-03-022 and PG&E Electric Rule 22.1, if DA load becomes available under the Year 3 (2012 DA Load) Cap, the accounts accepted from the January 13, 2012 Open Enrollment will be switched to DA starting six months after the Six Month Notice date. If DA load does not become available during 2012, customers will switch starting in January 2013 following a successful and timely Direct Access Service Request for each eligible Service Agreement.
For information regarding the January 13, 2012 DA Open Enrollment process, please visit Direct Access Enrollment for Year 4 (2013 DA Load).
Overview
Direct Access (DA) is an option that allows eligible customers to purchase their electricity directly from competitive energy service providers (ESPs). The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued Decision D.10-03-022 on March 11, 2010, approving a limited reopening of DA for non-residential customers. PG&E will continue to transport and deliver electricity for all its customers taking service under DA.
Decision D.10-05-039, approved May 20, 2010, extended the initial Open Enrollment Window from April 16, 2010 to July 15, 2010, and changed the enrollment date for Direct Access Enrollment for 2011 to July 16, 2010.
Background
DA has not been available to new customers in California since the Legislature suspended the program during the energy crisis in September 2001. CPUC Decision D.10-03-022 implements Senate Bill 695, a new law signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in October 2009, providing for a limited reopening of DA to non-residential customers starting in April 2010.
For more information on this, see frequently asked questions.
Details on DA Reopening
Under the reopening rules, customers may enroll in DA up to a maximum allowable annual limit (measured in gigawatt-hours). PG&E’s DA load will be permitted to increase over the next four years from the current (November 2009) 5,574 GWh of DA load to a new total cap of 9,520 GWh.
The approximate annual increases permitted under the new cap are:
- First year (April - December 2010): Up to 35% of the room available under the cap (1,381 GWh)
- Second year: Up to 70% of the room available under the cap (an additional 1,381 GWh)
- Third year: Up to 90 % of the room available under the cap (an additional 789 GWh)
- Fourth year: Up to 100% of the room available under the cap (an additional 395 GWh)
