SmartRate™ frequently asked questions

What is SmartRate?

SmartRate is a tool that helps you manage your summer electricity costs and conserve California’s power grid.

When you're on the SmartRate plan, you pay a reduced electric rate within a bill period in exchange for shifting or reducing your electricity usage when SmartDays™ are called.

SmartRate is a voluntary rate supplement that sits on top of your base electric rate plan. You can cancel at any time.

On SmartDays, electric rates are higher from 4 – 9 p.m. A minimum of nine and a maximum of fifteen SmartDays may be called per year.

To see if SmartRate is right for you, review your rate plan options or use the Electric Rate Plan Comparison tool.

What are SmartDays™?

• SmartDay events are called on especially hot days when demand for California's electricity resources peak.
• Participants are asked to shift or reduce electricity usage between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. when SmartDays are called.
• A minimum of nine (9) and a maximum of fifteen (15) SmartDays may be called year-round, but most SmartDay events are expected to occur on summer weekdays. Barring emergency conditions, SmartDays may include weekends and holidays.
• On SmartDays, electric rates are higher during the event hours of 4 – 9 p.m.

How can I plan for SmartDays?

• A little planning goes a long way toward saving money on your electric bill. Find new ways to shift or reduce your electricity usage on SmartDays or other days of the year.
  Visit SmartDay tips
• We'll notify you before a SmartDay so you can plan to shift your electricity use.

How will I be notified of SmartDays?

• You may add up to four contacts to receive notifications by email and/or text. Notifications will be sent before a SmartDay, allowing you to plan how to shift or reduce electricity usage on SmartDays.
• Select how you would like to be notified. Sign in to choose your notification preferences.
• Receipt of a courtesy SmartDay event notification is the responsibility of the participating customers. PG&E will make best efforts to notify all active SmartRate Plan participants of a SmartDay event. However, it is the customer's responsibility to check the PG&E website to see if a SmartDay event has been activated and ensure that their SmartDay notification information is accurate and current. PG&E does not guarantee the receipt of notification by the notification system, telecommunications system, the email system or internet site by which the customer receives notification.

SmartRate is risk-free for the first full summer (May through October) and any preceding partial summer, and is backed by our Bill Protection guarantee. If the total SmartRate costs are more than your regular residential pricing plan, PG&E credits the difference on your November electricity bill. You'll receive two notifications before your Bill Protection ends.

If you opt out of SmartRate during the initial bill protection period, you will receive bill protection up to the date you terminate your participation.

The SmartDay event dates will be reflected on your bill, and will outline the credits earned or additional charges incurred during that billing statement.

If SmartRate is not for you, call PG&E at 1-866-743-0263 to opt out at any time.

For those on a Time-Of-Use rate plan, please refer to your peak and off-peak times of day as additional hours may be required to maximize savings when SmartDays are called.

Beginning on March 1, 2022 customers on the Time-of-Use (Peak Pricing 5-8 p.m. Weekdays) (E-TOU-D) rate plan and EV2A are now eligible for SmartRate.

I'm enrolled in SmartRate. What happens if I join SmartAC?

If you are a participant on SmartRate, you cannot join SmartAC. If you were already participating in both SmartRate and SmartAC prior to October 26, 2018, you may continue to do so.

What are the differences between SmartAC event days and SmartDays?

• SmartDays can happen any day of the year but usually when it is hottest, in summer. SmartAC events are only permitted May through October.
• There can be a maximum of 15 SmartDays. SmartAC doesn't have a maximum but usually there are around 4 to 8 events per customer.
• SmartDay hours are 4 – 9 p.m. SmartAC events don't have set hours and are usually 1 to 3 hours in the late afternoon and evening.

What are the similarities between SmartAC event days and SmartDays?

• Both SmartAC events and SmartDays can be on the same day. If you are on both programs, the SmartAC device will cycle your air conditioner during the SmartDay hours only.
• Event days are usually on summer weekdays.
• Event days can, however, happen on the weekend, although it is rare.

What are the eligibility requirements?

Under Rule 24, customers are not eligible to participate in a PG&E demand response program (DRP) and a third-party DRP program during the same period.*

Please note that certain Demand Response Programs such as SmartRate are unavailable to customers who receive their energy from third-party energy providers, such as Energy Service Providers and Community Choice Aggregators.

Customers taking service through a residential master metered rate, in conjunction with a net metering or standby rate schedule, or as a Transitional Bundled Service customer under electric Rule 22.1, electric vehicle rates, are not eligible to participate in the SmartRate Plan.

The CPUC's Decision [D18-11-029] prohibits customer enrollment in multiple energy incentive, energy reducing, peak hour or direct bidding programs. You may join SmartAC instead of, but not in addition to SmartRate. If you were already participating in both programs prior to October 26^th, 2018, you may continue to do so.

Certain rate plans, energy providers and/or program participation status may affect your enrollment in the SmartRate program.

Is a SmartMeter required and when would SmartRate become active?

You must have a SmartMeter to participate in SmartRate. Upon your request to participate, and verification of eligibility by PG&E, you will be placed on SmartRate on the first day of the next billing cycle where the bill cycle start date is at least five business days after your request. If your request is received within five business days of your next billing cycle, you will be placed on SmartRate in the following billing cycle.

Beginning on March 1, 2022 customers on the Time-of-Use (Peak Pricing 5-8 p.m. Weekdays) (E-TOU-D) rate plan and EV2A are now eligible for SmartRate.

Charges

Participants will be charged $0.60/kWh in addition to their regular rate charges for all usage between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. on each SmartDay. A minimum of nine and maximum of 15 SmartDays may be called in any calendar year. By voluntarily remaining on the plan beyond the bill protection period, you are accepting that you will pay a higher rate between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. on SmartDays and your bill may be higher than your regular rate plan.

Credits

Participants will receive a SmartRate Non-High Price credit ($0.00636/kWh and a SmartRate Participation Credit ($0.00167/kWh)) for usage other than 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. during SmartDay and all usage on those days within a bill period that are not declared as SmartDays. These credits are only applicable for bill periods in which at least one SmartDay occurs. The SmartRate Participation and Program credits are multiplied by the number of SmartDays in a bill period.