Core Gas Aggregation program

We’re mandated to allow Core Transport Agents (CTAs) to operate and offer service. Regardless of whether you continue to buy your natural gas from us or from a CTA, we remain committed to the safe and reliable delivery of gas to your home or business. We’re still your first point of contact for safety issues regarding gas service. CTAs are in charge of marketing their own services.

A CTA is a third-party supplier, other than PG&E, who procures gas for customers for end use. CTAs are not affiliated with us.

In the past, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) didn’t have jurisdiction to regulate CTAs’ business or marketing activities. The jurisdiction changed as a result of Senate Bill (SB) 656. The bill was signed into law on October 5, 2013. Its passing provides the CPUC with jurisdiction over CTAs, and allows the CPUC to adopt new consumer protections for customers served by CTAs. Read more about SB 656. Visit Senate Bill No. 656.

The CPUC continues to adopt rules addressing SB 656's remaining consumer protection provisions, such as complaint resolution and consumer information including:

• Rate comparisons
• Permissible CTA marketing activities
• Minimum CTA service standards

In addition, we continue to require new CTAs to enter into service agreements that outline their obligations and responsibilities. We continue to require that all new CTAs complete a certification process. The process includes meeting credit and technical requirements before the CTAs are eligible to enroll and serve customers.

As of September 2, 2014, all current and new CTAs are required to register with the CPUC before providing service. Visit How to Register as a CTA. The CPUC may suspend or revoke a CTA's registration if it finds that a CTA:

• Made material misrepresentations in the course of soliciting customers
• Committed fraud
• Misrepresented a material fact in obtaining a registration

The CPUC may suspend or revoke a CTA's registration if the Commission finds evidence that a CTA is not financially viable or technically and operationally capable. In addition, CTAs must, before the start of service, provide customers with a written notice describing the price, terms and conditions of the service. The CPUC will continue developing and updating the regulatory framework to implement all of SB 656's provisions. View the final decision. Download Rulemaking 14-03-002 March 13, 2014 (PDF, 593 KB).

Before joining Core Gas Aggregation Service, an end-use customer such as a resident or business owner must agree through verbal or written contract to buy natural gas from a CTA other than PG&E. The CTA then procures the natural gas, while we continue to transport the natural gas to the end-use customer. Customers are required to make a minimum 12-month commitment to Core Gas Aggregation Service and purchase natural gas from a CTA, instead of buying it from us. Under certain circumstances, a customer may return to PG&E or go to another provider within their 12-month commitment.

All core end-use customers are eligible for service with a CTA. Following are the rates:

• Residential: G1, GM, GS, GT, GL-1, GML, GSL, GTL
• Residential NGV: G1-NGV, GL1-NGV
• Commercial: G-NR1, G-NR2
• Natural gas vehicles: G-NGV1, G-NGV2

A CTA is responsible for ensuring that sufficient gas is delivered daily to our pipeline system to supply our customers' forecasted usage. As part of our ongoing service, we’re the backup supplier in the event that your CTA fails to arrange for an adequate supply of natural gas, defaults on its obligations or goes out of business.

Yes, in most cases. We provide three types of billing options for a CTA.

• PG&E Consolidated Billing. We consolidate our monthly gas distribution and transmission charges and a CTA's gas charges into a single bill.
• CTA Consolidated Billing. A CTA consolidates its monthly charges and our charges into a single bill.
• Separate Billing. PG&E and a CTA separately bill for our respective monthly charges. You can experience delays of a few days in receiving your monthly bill if your CTA is using us as its biller. However, your payment due date is not affected by the process.

You can access our bill inserts online. Visit PG&E Bill Inserts

Customers who join Core Gas Aggregation Service have a Procurement Credit listed under the gas details page on their bills. The Procurement Credit is our gas commodity cost for the month. The cost varies from month to month.

Contact us for any questions regarding our gas delivery and other charges shown on your monthly bill. Contact your CTA for any questions about the CTA's monthly gas charges.

Yes, the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) discount is mandated by the State of California, and continues for all qualified customers regardless of whether we supply or a CTA supplies the gas. The CARE discount for the customer’s gas commodity, distribution and transmission charges continues to appear on our portion of the bill. The discount is the same as if the customer remained a bundled customer with us.

Yes, customers are still eligible for the Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA), Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and energy-efficiency related rebates, incentives and programs.

For customers who are applying for medical baselines, these discounts are only applied on our portion of cost.

No, due to the way natural gas utilities are regulated, we don’t make a profit from the sale of natural gas to our retail customers. Instead, we make our regulated profit from delivering gas through our pipeline system, and from other sources.

We don’t assess any "extra" charges to customers who purchase natural gas from a CTA. Under any of the billing options available to a CTA (for example, PG&E Consolidated Billing, CTA Consolidated Billing and Separate Billing), a customer’s bill is first calculated as if the customer remained on bundled service with us. Our procurement (gas) portion is then subtracted from the bill through a "Procurement Credit." A franchise fee is added to our portion of the bill.

PLEASE NOTE: The franchise fee is not an extra charge for customers who buy gas from CTAs. It’s part of our procurement charge, and is collected under Gas Schedule G-SUR to pay franchise fees of roughly one percent on the gas volumes purchased from a CTA.

Continue to call us in any emergency involving gas service to your home or business. We’ll also continue to respond to your safety-related calls, such as gas leaks, and maintain the distribution system leading to your home. You can reach us at 1-800-743-5000.

Be sure to carefully review the agreement or contract you enter into with your CTA which outlines the cancellation process and conditions. If a CTA terminates service to you, you will be returned to PG&E's bundled service which means that PG&E will resume buying gas for your home or business. You can contact your CTA for more details.

Your return date to our bundled service is determined based on the meter read cycle. If a CTA submits a disconnect enrollment with us, and we accept the disconnect request 15 days before the next meter read date, your PG&E service resumes on the next meter read date. If the disconnect request is submitted less than 15 days before the next meter read date, your PG&E service begins on the next month's meter read date.

View your meter read date. Visit Meter-Reading Schedule.

The dispute resolution process is currently being developed by the CPUC. We suggest that you contact your CTA, first, to see if you can resolve the issue. If you’re unable to resolve the issue, then you may contact our Customer Service line for CTA-related questions at 1-877-442-7457.