February 2011 Bill Inserts

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Each month, PG&E offers important information on rebates, saving energy and safety in printed inserts that accompany your bill. Now, access this information online whenever you wish.

• PG&E's Winter Gas Savings:
  The season to SAVE TWO WAYS is going on now.
  
  Now through the end of February, you can save two ways when you reduce your gas usage:
  
  1. SAVE ON MONTHLY GAS COSTS
  2. GET UP TO A 20% BONUS CREDIT
  
  Here's how the Winter Gas Savings program works:
  
  When you reduce your gas use a little this January and February, you can save money two ways. You’ll save once on your monthly gas costs and a second time with a bonus credit of up to 20 percent on your Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) bill this spring.
  
  There are many easy ways to conserve energy this season. Something as simple as turning down the thermostat just one degree can save you up to five percent on your energy costs.
  
  Learn more at www.pge.com/wintercredit

• Simple safety measures to ensure reliable gas service
  PG&E is committed to the safe operation of our pipelines. As a part of our commitment, we regularly patrol and monitor our pipelines and also conduct internal and external pipeline inspections. Visit www.pge.com/pipelineplanning or call 1-800-743-5000 for important safety information.
  
  Call 811 before you dig
  
  A common cause of pipeline accidents is damage from excavation. If you plan on digging or trenching, please call Underground Service Alert (USA) by dialing 811 at least two working days before you begin. This free service will notify underground utilities in the area of your planned work. PG&E will locate and mark our underground gas and electric facilities.
  
  Signs of a gas leak: Don’t rely solely on your nose
  The most obvious warning sign of a gas leak is usually a rotten-egg smell. However, sometimes there may be no odor at all. Other signs could include dirt spraying in the air, a hissing sound, continual bubbling in a pond or creek or plants that seem to be dying for no reason.
  
  If you suspect a gas leak:
  

  
  
  • Leave the area immediately and move to a safe location. Then, dial 911 and call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000.
  
  
  • Warn others to stay away.
  
  
  • If gas is burning, do not attempt to extinguish the fire or stop the flowing gas.
  
  
  • Only PG&E employees should operate pipeline valves.
  
  
  • Unless you are a safe distance away from the suspected leak, do not light a match, start an engine, use metal tools, or operate any device with the potential to create a spark that might ignite gas, including electric switches, door bells, radios, TVs, lights, appliances, and garage door openers.

  
  
  Transmission pipeline markers
  Gas transmission pipelines transport high volumes of natural gas. In rural and open space areas, these pipelines are identified by transmission pipeline markers. These markers specify the approximate location of pipelines, but not all pipelines follow a straight path between two markers and markers do not detail the depth of the pipeline. In urban areas, these pipelines often follow city streets where markers are impractical.
  
  For pipeline information, including locations in rural and urban areas, check the marker, visit www.pge.com/pipelineplanning or call 1-800-743-5000 for PG&E pipeline maps and information. For other pipeline maps, visit www.npms.phmsa.dot.gov.
• Agricultural Customers:
  You may save money by selecting an alternate electric rate schedule
  
  The electric rate schedules available to agricultural customers are summarized below. Compare your current rate schedule, found at the beginning of the Electric Account Detail section of your Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) bill, with the ones listed below. Detailed gas and electric rate schedule information is available at www.pge.com/rateoptions.
  
  A FREE RATE ANALYSIS IS AVAILABLE
  
  Contact your local PG&E business representative or call PG&E’s Agricultural Center at 1-877-311-3276 (FARM) to request a free electric rate analysis, rate schedule change or additional rate option information. You may also do your own rate analysis online at www.pge.com/mybusiness.
  
  ELECTRIC RATE SCHEDULES*
  
  AG-1 is for customers who have low annual operating hours (generally less than 500 hours) and who are unable to minimize their use of electricity during the summer weekdays (May 1 through October 31) between noon and 6 p.m. However, it is not available to customers whose meter registers a maximum demand of 200 kilowatts (kW) or more for three consecutive months.
  
  (Note: A Time-of-Use (TOU) rate may still be the best choice even if you need to run equipment from noon to 6 p.m., so please review the TOU rate options below.)
  
  Time-of-Use (TOU) Service†:
  The TOU schedules listed below may save you money if you are able to shift your hours of energy usage. A TOU meter is required for service on all TOU schedules. If a TOU meter must be installed to meet this requirement, the installation will generally occur within four weeks of your request. There is no charge for the meter installation; however, meter access is required at all times.
  
  AG-4 is for customers with moderate annual operating hours (generally 500 to 1,200 hours). Additional savings are possible if you can minimize electricity use on summer weekdays between noon and 6 p.m. Customers whose service has a single motor load of at least 35 horsepower (hp) or multiple motor load of at least 15 hp may save even more on the AG-4C rate schedule if they can minimize usage on summer and winter weekdays from 8:30 a.m. through 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 noon and 6 p.m. Customers whose service has a single motor load of at least 35 hp or multiple motor load of at least 15 hp may save even more on the AG-5C rate schedule if they can minimize usage on summer and winter weekdays from 8:30 a.m. through 9:30 p.m.
  
  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 noon to 6 p.m. on the three remaining weekdays.
  
  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.
  
  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 services are available when the eligible generation offsets all or part of a customer’s electric load when connected to the PG&E grid.
  
  Customers interested in interconnecting more than one generator, each subject to different rate treatment (for example, NEMFC and NEM solar), on a single account can now do so. Contact PG&E at gen@pge.com for more information.
  
  Please visit www.pge.com/gen for NEM and NEMFC’s current requirements or for more information about additional net metering options.
  
  E-SRG is a new rate schedule available for renewable generators up to 1.5 megawatts. For more information, e-mail gen@pge.com.
  
  Peak Day Pricing (PDP): Customers who can reduce their load during high cost periods, or shift load from higher cost to lower cost periods, may benefit on this plan. Customers will see additional charges during peak hours on a limited number of “Event Days” throughout the year. In exchange, customers will receive credits for all usage throughout the summer. Starting February 1, 2011, bundled service Agricultural customers with a demand greater than or equal to 200 kW for three consecutive months in the last year will default to PDP, but can choose to opt out. Other eligibility criteria and exclusions apply. Contact your PG&E Account Manager or PG&E’s Ag Hotline 1-877-311-FARM for additional details.
  
  DEMAND RESPONSE PROGRAMS
  
  Demand Bidding Program (E-DBP) offers demand metered TOU participants incentives for reducing their power usage when contacted. AG-R and AG-V customers are not eligible.
  
  Base Interruptible Program (E-BIP) offers participants incentives for reducing their electric load down to a firm service level when contacted. AG-R and AG-V customers are not eligible.
  
  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 program requirements and details.
  
  Please visit the Business Services section for energy-saving tips, safety messages, rebate programs for energy-efficient products and more. You can also obtain information on energy usage, billing history, rate comparison tools, energy outage and restoration status, bill detail, and account aggregation by going to www.pge.com/mybusiness.
  
  * 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.
  
  † In 2010-2011, Daylight Saving Time will end on November 7 and start on March 13. During the additional weeks of Daylight Saving Time, your time-of-use periods will begin and end one hour later.