May 2012 Bill Inserts
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.
- Stay cool and safe during extreme heatHigh temperatures can be life-threatening unless you take action to stay cool. During periods of unusually high heat, visit your local PG&E Cooling Center or other public buildings such as a theater, library, mall or museum.
Tips to stay cool and safe:
• Drink plenty of water, even when you are not thirsty
• Take a cool shower or bath
• Wear lightweight, loose, light-colored clothing
• Stay out of direct sunlight
• Avoid alcoholic or caffeinated beverages
• Check on loved ones, pets and neighbors
• Plan ahead—check your local weather forecast
To find a Cooling Center near you, please call your local city or county government, or call PG&E's toll-free cooling centers locator line: 1-877-474-3266.
For additional information, visit www.pge.com/coolingcenter.
If extreme heat could pose a health concern for anyone in your home during an outage, please contact PG&E for special programs for Temperature Sensitive Customers. To download a Temperature Sensitive Customer Application or call 1-800-743-5000. - Agricultural Customers: You may save money by selecting an alternate electric rate scheduleElectric rate schedules available to Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) agricultural customers are summarized below. Your current rate schedule is found at the beginning of the Electric Account Detail section of your bill. Detailed rate 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 perform your own rate analysis online at www.pge.com/ratetools.
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.
(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 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 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's Ag Hotline 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 program 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.
* 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 2012, daylight saving time will start on March 11. During the additional weeks 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. - Notification of Application Filing by Pacific Gas and Electric Company to Recover In Rates Costs Associated with the Oakley Generating Station ProjectWhat is the Oakley Generating Station Project?
The Oakley Generating Station (Oakley Project) is a new 586 megawatt (MW) combined cycle facility that will be located in Oakley, California. The Oakley Project is being developed by Contra Costa Generating Station, LLC (CCGS), wholly owned by Radback Energy. The Oakley Project is highly efficient and will provide significant operating flexibility, as well as a number of important ancillary services to the California Independent System Operator.
Detailed Information About PG&E's Application:
On March 30, 2012, PG&E filed an Application with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to approve the terms and conditions, including ratemaking and cost recovery, of the Amended and Restated Purchase and Sale agreement for the Oakley Project. The Oakley Project is forecasted to be operational by 2016, at which point it would be transferred by the developer to PG&E.
Will Electric Rates Increase?
Yes. PG&E is requesting an increase in electric rates for the cost of the new utility owned generation. If the Application is approved by the CPUC, rates for existing bundled customers (those who receive electric generation, as well as transmission and distribution services from PG&E) will increase by $222 million, or 1.9%, in 2016, (relative to current rates), which is the first and highest single year of recovery.
In general, rates for existing direct access and community choice aggregation customers (those who purchase their electricity from non-PG&E suppliers) will not be subject to change. Finally, customers who depart PG&E's bundled service in the future may be responsible for a portion of these costs via a non-bypassable charge. The rate changes proposed in the Application for 2016 are provided by customer class in the table below.
If the Commission approves the Application, a typical residential customer using 550 kilowatt-hours per month will see the average monthly bill change from $89.73 to $91.05, an increase of $1.32 per month. A residential customer using 850 kilowatt-hours per month, which is about twice the baseline allowance, will see the average monthly bill change from $185.92 to $191.16, an increase of $5.24 per month. Individual bills may differ.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
To request a copy of the application and exhibits or for more details, call PG&E at
1-800-743-5000. For TDD/TTY (speech-hearing impaired), call 1-800-652-4712.
You may request a copy of the application and exhibits by writing to:
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Oakley Generating Station Application
P.O. Box 7442, San Francisco, CA 94120
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 all utility customers throughout the state and obtain the lowest possible rate for service consistent with reliable and safe service levels. The DRA has a multi-disciplinary staff with expertise in economics, finance, accounting and engineering. The DRA's views do not necessarily reflect those of the CPUC. Other parties of record may also participate.
The CPUC may hold evidentiary hearings where parties of record present their proposals in testimony and are subject to cross-examination before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). These hearings are open to the public, but only those who are parties of record may present evidence or cross-examine witnesses during evidentiary hearings. Members of the public may attend, but not participate in, these hearings.
After considering all proposals and evidence presented during the hearing process, the ALJ will issue a draft decision. When the CPUC acts on this 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 PG&E's application.
If you would like to learn how you can participate in this proceeding or if you have comments or questions, you may contact the CPUC's Public Advisor as follows:
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 name of the application (Oakley Generating Station Project) to which you are referring. All comments will be circulated to the Commissioners, the assigned Administrative Law Judge and the Energy Division staff.
A copy of PG&E's Oakley application and exhibits is also available for review at the California Public Utilities Commission, 505 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102, Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–noon, and the CPUC's website at www.cpuc.ca.gov/puc. - Notice of Application of Pacific Gas and Electric Company for Recovery of Costs of the 2011 Market Redesign and Technology Upgrade Initiative (A.12-04-009)On April 16, 2011, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) filed an application with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) requesting changes to its electric rates effective January 1, 2013. Specifically, the request seeks to recover in rates the costs PG&E has incurred to comply with the mandated Market Redesign and Technology Upgrade (MRTU) initiative.
The MRTU initiative, which was developed by the California Independent System Operator and approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, was launched on March 31, 2009. The MRTU initiative changed the manner in which electricity is procured and sold by participants in newly redesigned markets in California. Costs presented in this application represent actual costs to implement the MRTU initiative that were incurred by PG&E through December 31, 2011.
The total electric revenue (the total amount PG&E collects in rates from all customers) requirement request in A.12-04-009 is $7.9 million. PG&E requests that electric rates designed to recover this amount become effective on January 1, 2013.
Will rates increase as a result of this application?
Yes, approval of this application will increase electric rates by less than one percent for bundled service customers (those who receive electric generation, as well as transmission and distribution service from PG&E) and for customers who purchase electricity from other suppliers (e.g., direct access and community choice aggregation). The revenue requirement of $7.9 million will increase PG&E's bundled system average rates, relative to current rates, by 0.07 percent in 2013.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
To request a copy of the application and exhibits or for more details, call PG&E at
1-800-743-5000. For TDD/TTY (speech-hearing impaired), call 1-800-652-4712.
You may request a copy of the application and exhibits by writing to:
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
2011 MRTU Application
P.O. Box 7442, San Francisco, CA 94120
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 all utility customers throughout the state and obtain the lowest possible rate for service consistent with reliable and safe service levels. The DRA has a multi-disciplinary staff with expertise in economics, finance, accounting and engineering. The DRA's views do not necessarily reflect those of the CPUC. Other parties of record will also participate.
The CPUC may hold evidentiary hearings where parties of record present their proposals in testimony and are subject to cross-examination before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). These hearings are open to the public, but only those who are parties of record may present evidence or cross-examine witnesses during evidentiary hearings. Members of the public may attend, but not participate in, these hearings.
After considering all proposals and evidence presented during the hearing process, the ALJ will issue a draft decision. When the CPUC acts on this 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 PG&E's application.
If you would like to learn how you can participate in this proceeding or if you have comments or questions, you may contact the CPUC's Public Advisor as follows:
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 (12-04-009) to which you are referring. All comments will be circulated to the Commissioners, the assigned Administrative Law Judge and the Energy Division staff.
A copy of PG&E's 2011 MRTU application and exhibits are also available for review at the California Public Utilities Commission, 505 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102, Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–noon and on the CPUC’s website at www.cpuc.ca.gov/puc.
- Notice of Public Participation Hearing Regarding Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s Proposal for an Economic Development Rate for 2013-2017 Application 12-03-001The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is interested in hearing from you.
Your public comments on the Economic Development Rate proceeding are important to the CPUC. Two Public Participation Hearings (PPHs) are scheduled for the location and times listed below. A CPUC Administrative Law Judge assigned to this proceeding will be present to listen to and take all public comments on the formal record.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Fresno City Hall Council Chambers
2600 Fresno Street
Fresno, California 93721
The Fresno City Hall Council Chambers is wheelchair accessible. If you need interpreters for language or for the hard of hearing, please contact the Public Advisor's Office at the numbers listed on the back of this page at least five working days in advance of the meeting date.
INFORMATION ABOUT THIS APPLICATION
On March 1, 2012, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) filed
Application No. 12-03-001 with the CPUC. In this Application, PG&E requested authority from the CPUC to establish an Economic Development Rate (EDR) that is specifically tailored to address varying economic conditions in the Company's service area. PG&E's current EDR, Schedule ED, is set to close to new customers at the end of 2012. PG&E submitted the current proposal as a replacement for Schedule ED, to be effective and open to new customers from 2013 through 2017. PG&E's EDR proposal asserts that it is designed to enhance California's competitiveness as a business location for companies to create or retain jobs and will provide benefits for California residents generally and PG&E's customers specifically. PG&:E's EDR proposal further asserts that it will help local, regional and state economic development partners compete with other states to attract or retain qualifying businesses; that it will increase the Company's flexibility to respond to local economic conditions; and will thereby provide more certainty for PG&E's customers and communities.
A printed copy of PG&E’s A.12-03-001 may also be obtained from PG&E by calling
1-800-743-5000. For TDD/TTY (speech-hearing impaired), call 1-800-652-4712 or from the PG&E website at www.pge.com
CPUC PROCESS
Staff from the CPUC's Public Advisor's Office will be present at this hearing to assist you. If you are unable to attend this important hearing and would like additional information on how to participate at this public hearing or if you would like to submit written comments about A.12-03-001, please contact:
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
A copy of PG&E's Application No. 12-03-001 is available for review at the CPUC, 505 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102, Monday–Friday, 8 a.m. – noon, and on the CPUC's website at www.cpuc.ca.gov/puc. - Notification of Application Filing by Pacific Gas and Electric Company to Approve Its 2013 Cost of Capital Proposal A. 12-04-018On April 20, 2012, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) filed an application with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to decrease its authorized cost of capital for its electric and gas utility operations for test year 2013. If approved by the CPUC, PG&E's electric revenues1 would decrease by approximately $74.6 million or 0.6 percent, and its gas revenues would decrease by approximately $22.7 million, or 0.7 percent.
In addition, PG&E proposes that the CPUC continue to authorize the automatic cost of capital adjustment mechanism referred to as the Annual Cost of Capital Adjustment Mechanism (ACCAM). The ACCAM automatically adjusts PG&E's authorized cost of capital based on changes in benchmark interest rates, in lieu of an annual COC proceeding for the period 2014 to 2015.
Definition of the cost of capital
Cost of capital is a financial term defining how much a corporation is allowed in rates as a return on its invested capital. In this proceeding, the CPUC will determine the appropriate capital structure2 for PG&E, as well as PG&E's reasonable costs of long-term debt, preferred stock and common stock that are part of the authorized cost of capital. The cost of capital authorized in this application will be applied to capital investments authorized by the CPUC for PG&E.
Summary of PG&E's key reasons for its cost of capital request
Approval of PG&E's cost of capital proposals will assist the company in:
• Maintaining an investment-grade credit rating, thereby reducing overall financing costs
• Attracting the capital necessary to serve PG&E's customers safely and efficiently at reasonable rates
• Continuing the ACCAM to remove the costs and burdens associated with an annual cost of capital proceeding, while adjusting cost of capital based on defined changes in utility bond interest rates
The potential impact of the cost of capital request on revenues collected as rates from customers
Below is an allocation to illustrate the 2013 electric and gas revenue decreases across customer classes under PG&E's proposal, as shown in the tables below:
Will rates increase as a result of this application?
No, approval of this application will decrease electric rates by less than one percentfor bundled service customers (those who receive electric generation as well as transmission and distribution service from PG&E) and for direct access and community choice aggregation customers (those who take electric supply from non-PG&E suppliers). Electric rates for some departed load customers (customers who purchase their electricity from a non-utility supplier and receive transmission and distribution service from a publicly owned utility or municipality) will decrease slightly due to changes in the California Alternative Rates for Energy (CARE) discount. The annual electric revenue requirement decrease of $74.6 million will decrease the system bundled average rate by 0.6 percent (relative to current rates).
A typical bundled residential electric customer using 550 kWh per month would see a decrease in their average monthly bill of 0.6 percent or $0.50, from $89.73 to $89.23 per month. A customer using 850 kWh per month (roughly twice baseline) would receive a decrease of 1.1 percent or $1.98, from $185.92 to $183.94 per month. Individual customer bills may differ.
If the CPUC approves PG&E's request, a typical residential customer using 37 therms per month would see an average monthly gas bill decrease of $0.25, from $46.13 to $45.88. Individual customer bills may differ.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
To request a copy of the application and exhibits or for more details, call PG&E at
1-800-743-5000. For TDD/TTY (speech-hearing impaired), call 1-800-652-4712.
You may request a copy of the application and exhibits by writing to:
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Cost of Capital Application
P.O. Box 7442, San Francisco, CA 94120.
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 all utility customers throughout the state and obtain the lowest possible rate for service consistent with reliable and safe service levels. The DRA has a multi-disciplinary staff with expertise in economics, finance, accounting and engineering. The DRA's views do not necessarily reflect those of the CPUC. Other parties of record may also participate.
The CPUC may hold evidentiary hearings where parties of record present their proposals in testimony and are subject to cross-examination before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). These hearings are open to the public, but only those who are parties of record may present evidence or cross-examine witnesses during evidentiary hearings. Members of the public may attend, but not participate in, these hearings.
After considering all proposals and evidence presented during the hearing process, the ALJ will issue a draft decision. When the CPUC acts on this 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 PG&E's application.
If you would like to learn how you can participate in this proceeding or if you have comments or questions, you may contact the CPUC's Public Advisor as follows:
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 (12-04-018) to which you are referring. All comments will be circulated to the Commissioners, the assigned Administrative Law Judge and the Energy Division staff.
A copy of PG&E's Cost of Capital Application and exhibits is also available for review at the California Public Utilities Commission, 505 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102, Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–noon, and the CPUC’s website at www.cpuc.ca.gov/puc.
1 Revenue describes the total amount of money customers pay in rates for the gas and electric service they receive.
2 Capital structure is a financial term used to describe the relative amounts, or weighting, of debt and equity used to fund PG&E’s investments in its plant and equipment.
