Direct Access

September 1, 2023

IMPORTANT UPDATES


  • Due to DA load space limitations, 2022 DA Lottery participants will be placed on a Wait List for any load space that becomes available next year (January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2023).
  • PG&E is currently reviewing 2022 DA Lottery submissions and will notify 2022 DA Lottery participants of their 2023 DA Wait List number by August 15, 2022.


Overview


Direct Access (DA) is an option that allows eligible customers to purchase their electricity directly from third party providers known as Electric Service Providers (ESPs). Under this service option, PG&E will continue to deliver electricity and provide all safety related services regardless of which electric supplier the customer chooses.


The amount of load space available for DA service is currently limited to an annual load of 11,393 gigawatt-hours (GWh). Customer who are interested in enrolling in DA service must submit their enrollment request in the June 2023 Lottery described below.


History


Prior to April 2010, DA had not been available to new customers in California. This is because the Legislature suspended the program in September 2001 during the California Energy Crisis.


In October 2009, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Senate Bill 237 into law. This provided for an increase in the annual maximum total kilowatt-hour limit for DA previously established under Senate Bill 695. The Commission issued two decisions, Decision (D.) 10-03-022 and D.10.-05-039, which established Annual Load Caps for a phased reopening over a 4-year period and an Overall Load Cap of 9,520 GWh.


In September 2018, Governor Edmund Brown Jr. signed Senate Bill 237 into law. This provided for an increase in the annual maximum total kilowatt-hour limit for DA previously established under Senate Bill 695. The Commission issued two decisions, Decision (D.)19-05-043 and D.19-08-004, which allocated an annual load increase of 1,873 GWh to PG&E, established Annual Load Caps for a phased reopening over a two-year period (2020 and 2021) with enrollments beginning on January 1, 2021 and an Overall Load Cap of 11,393 GWh.

Direct Access Lottery process


To participate in PG&E's Direct Access Lottery, Non-residential customers must submit a Six-Month Notice to Transfer to Direct Access Service (Electric Form 79-1117) (PDF, 229 KB) during the Direct Access Submission Period scheduled in June of each year. The next Direct DA Lottery enrollment period will be held at 9 a.m. PDT, June 12, 2023, through 5 p.m. PDT, June 16, 2023.


NOTE: For timely processing, PG&E requests that you use our updated spreadsheet template to submit your list of service agreements. If youhave used our sample spreadsheet template in the past, to facilitate accurate processing please use the updated version. The sample spreadsheet template may be accessed on our Direct Access Lottery webpage through the link below.



Learn More about the direct access lottery

How to return to PG&E bundled service


DA customers choosing to return to bundled service must submit Electric Form No. 79-1011, Notice to Return to PG&E Bundled Portfolio Service (BPS) (Notice to Return), indicating that they wish to return in six (6) months. Customers have three (3) business days after PG&E receives their Notice to Return form to rescind the Notice and remain on DA service. Customers electing BPS make a binding, minimum eighteen (18) month commitment and will not be eligible to return to DA service until their eighteen (18) month minimum commitment has been completed. The Notice to Return forms and attachments must be emailed to the following address: