July 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.

• Know what's below
  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.
  
  To learn more
• Proposition 65 – Public Warning
  The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, commonly referred to as Proposition 65, requires the governor to publish a list of chemicals "known to the State of California" to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm. It also requires California businesses to warn the public quarterly of potential exposures to these chemicals that result from their operations.
  
  Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) uses chemicals in its operations that are "known to the State of California" to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm.
  
  For example, PG&E uses natural gas and petroleum products in its operations. PG&E also delivers natural gas to its customers. Petroleum products, natural gas and their combustion by-products contain chemicals "known to the State of California" to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm.
  
  Signs of a gas leak: Don't rely solely on your nose
  A warning odorant is added to natural gas so that leaks of unburned gas can be quickly detected, however the following signs may also indicate the presence of a gas leak: a hissing, whistling or roaring sound near a gas appliance or pipeline; a rotten-egg smell; a damaged connection to a gas appliance; dead or dying vegetation in an otherwise moist area over or near pipeline areas; dirt or water being thrown in the air; a fire or explosion near a pipeline; and an exposed pipeline after an earthquake, fire, flood or other disaster.
  
  If you detect a gas leak, you should contact PG&E immediately at 1-800-743-5000. For more gas safety information, visit www.pge.com/safety
  
  For additional information on this Proposition 65 warning, write to:
  Pacific Gas and Electric Company
  Proposition 65 Coordinator
  77 Beale Street, Mail Code B23H
  PO Box 770000
  San Francisco, CA 94177
• Residential Customers
  You may save money by selecting an alternate rate schedule
  
  INCOME-QUALIFIED RATE OPTIONS
  Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) has two programs to help income-qualified households reduce their gas and electric bills.
  
  California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) provides a monthly discount on energy bills for income-qualified households. For additional information, visit www.pge.com/care or call 1-866-743-2273.
  
  Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA) provides a monthly discount on bundled electric service for income-qualified households of three or more persons. For additional information, visit www.pge.com/fera or call 1-800-743-5000.
  
  ELECTRIC RATE SCHEDULES*
  Below are the electric rate schedules available to residential customers. Your current rate schedule can be found at the beginning of the Electric Account Detail section of your PG&E bill. Detailed gas and electric rate schedule information is available at www.pge.com/rateoptions.
  
  Standard Service (E-1): The cost per kilowatt-hour for this rate schedule does not vary by season or time of day. It is suited for those who opt not to shift load.
  
  Time-of-Use (TOU) Service (E-6)†:
  Summer (May 1–October 31) Peak: 1–7 p.m. M–F; Partial-Peak: 10 a.m.–1 p.m. and 7–9 p.m. M–F, plus 5–8 p.m. Sa–Su; Off-Peak: All other times, including holidays.
  
  Winter (November 1–April 30) Partial-Peak: 5–8 p.m. M–F; Off-Peak: All other times, including holidays.
  
  Low-Emission Vehicle Fueling Service (E-9)†: This is an optional time-of-use rate for customers with an electric vehicle, or with a home refueling appliance for a natural gas vehicle.
  
  Summer (May 1–October 31) Peak: 2–9 p.m. M–F; Partial-Peak: 7 a.m.–2 p.m. and 9 p.m.–midnight M–F, plus 5–9 p.m. Sa–Su; Off-Peak: All other times, including holidays.
  
  Winter (November 1–April 30) Partial-Peak: 7 a.m.–midnight M–F and 5–9 p.m. Sa–Su; Off-Peak: All other times, including holidays.
  
  Master-Metered Customers with Submetered Tenants (ET, ES, ESR, GS, GT): If you submeter electricity or gas to your tenants, you are required by Section 739.5 (a) of the California Public Utilities Code to charge your tenants the same rates as if they were being billed directly by PG&E and pass along any refunds or rate reductions to your tenants. If you have questions regarding your obligation, please call us at 1-800-743-5000.
  
  EM: This is a master-metered rate schedule for customers without submeters.
  
  EM-TOU: This is a time-of-use rate schedule which is now available for customers who qualify for Schedule EM. The time-of-use periods are the same as on Rate Schedule E-6.
  
  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 kilowatts. 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.
  
  Please visit www.pge.com/gen for more information about the net energy metering program and eligibility requirements.
  
  E-SRG: This rate schedule is available for renewable generators up to 1.5 megawatts. For more information, e-mail gen@pge.com.
  
  ELECTRIC BASELINE ALLOWANCE
  The last character in your electric rate schedule determines your electric baseline allowance. If your permanent source of heat is not correctly reflected in your rate schedule per the following list, please contact us at 1-800-743-5000.
  
  
  
  For details on rate options, visit www.pge.com/rateoptions. You may also call 1-800-743-5000 to request a free electric rate analysis, make a rate schedule change or obtain additional rate option information.
  
  GAS OPTIONS
  
  Core Gas Aggregation Service (G-CT): For those customers who choose to purchase their gas from a supplier other PG&E, this service provides pricing for only the gas delivery and service response portion of PG&E gas service. The alternate gas supplier provides the gas pricing and/or billing services.
  
  Natural Gas Rate For Home Refuel Appliances (G1-NGV or GL1-NGV): This is an optional residential rate schedule for customers with a natural gas vehicle and associated home refueling appliance.
  
  COMMON AREA ACCOUNTS
  Common area gas and/or electric accounts that are separately metered may have the option of selecting a non-residential rate schedule.
  
  * 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 your DA or CCA provider.
  
  † In 2011, Daylight Saving Time will end on November 6th. During the additional weeks of Daylight Saving Time, your time-of-use periods will begin and end one hour later.
• Notification of Pacific Gas and Electric Company's 2012 Electric Procurement Forecast Costs and Other Project Costs Application
  On June 1, 2011, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) filed application 11-06-004 with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to request an increase in electricity rates of $205 million, or an average of approximately 1.6 percent, effective January 1, 2012. This increase is due primarily to rising energy prices as compared with the current costs reflected in PG&E rates.
  
  Each year, PG&E is required to file an application that forecasts how much it will spend the following year to ensure an adequate supply of electricity for its customers. The CPUC carefully reviews PG&E's forecast to ensure that customers are not charged more for electricity than it costs PG&E to provide. The forecasted costs approved by the CPUC are included in PG&E's electric rates the following year. During that year, PG&E's actual costs and revenues are tracked, and any difference is allocated to PG&E's customers at a later date.
  
  This application requests that the CPUC adopt PG&E's 2012 electric procurement forecast of approximately $4.5 billion for the Energy Resource Recovery Account (ERRA) and Generation Non Bypassable Forecast costs. PG&E recovers its electric procurement costs dollar for dollar, with no profit margin.
  
  Will rates increase as a result of this application?
  Yes, because of rising energy costs, rates will increase for most customers; although impacts for individual customers will vary. As shown in the table below, bundled customers, or those customers who receive electric generation as well as transmission and distribution service from PG&E, will see rate increases. Most direct access customers, or those customers who purchase their energy from a non-utility supplier, will see rate decreases.
  
  
  
  If the CPUC approves this application, a typical bundled residential customer using 550 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per month will see his or her average monthly bill change from $79.70 to $80.61, an increase of $0.91 per month. A residential customer using 850 kWh per month, which is about twice the baseline allowance, will see his or her average monthly bill change from $178.64 to $183.97, an increase of $5.33 per month. Individual customers' 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
  2012 ERRA and 2012 Generation Non Bypassable Forecast Proceeding
  P.O. Box 7442, San Francisco, CA 94120
  
  THE CPUC PROCESS
  
  The CPUC's Division of Ratepayer Advocates (DRA) and the Energy Division 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)
  E-mail 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.11-06-004) 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 2012 ERRA and 2012 Non Generation Forecast Proceeding 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.