Summer is Here and Electricity Usage is Up!

Fortunately, with Valley Clean Energy (VCE), local electricity customers are not paying any more to run their air conditioners than they would have paid under PG&E. At the same time, they are reaping the environmental benefits of a greener energy portfolio.

Additionally, VCE has rolled out a new Energy Efficiency Program in time for the season. Here you can find the most effective smart home improvements you might consider for your home. The dollars you spend once will keep paying you back in money, energy, and emissions savings for years to come.

VCE costs the same as PG&E but delivers so much more:

  • Local control: VCE is governed by an eight-member board made up of elected officials from the jurisdictions we serve — the cities of Davis, Woodland, Winters (in 2021) and the unincorporated area of Yolo County. VCE’s Board and all-volunteer Community Advisory Committee (CAC) hold their monthly meetings virtually. Members of the public are encouraged to join and make their voices heard.
  • Customer choice: VCE offers choice in electricity suppliers for the first time ever – empowering customers to take control of their clean energy future.
  • Community investments: VCE is not-for-profit, which means we are 100% working for our customers. For example:
    • VCE and our local partners won a $2.9 million dollar grant from the Sacramento Area Council of Governments to install up to 60 public electric vehicle charging stations throughout the service territory.
    • VCE donated to the Yolo Food Bank COVID–19 Relief Fund in response to our community’s needs. We invite you to do the same here.
    • VCE offers customers benefits such as our Electric Vehicle and Energy Efficiency Programs.
  • Going green: VCE’s Standard Green service option is 45 percent renewable and 75 percent carbon-free. It is cost-competitive with PG&E’s standard product, which is 33 percent renewable.
  • Going greener: VCE customers also have the ability to opt up to the UltraGreen premium service, which is both 100 percent renewable and carbon-free. Generated from completely renewable sources within California including solar and wind energy, UltraGreen costs 1.5 cents per kilowatt hour more than the standard service, which is about $7 to $10 more per month, depending on how much electricity is used.

Is there a downside? We don’t think so. VCE provides these benefits at no extra cost to customers. Our automatic enrollment means there is no hassle to qualify or sign up. And if you don’t want to be part of the program, you can simply opt out. With 21 operational programs already serving more than 10 million California customers, Community Choice Energy programs like VCE are providing a clear path to a well-managed, economically beneficial, clean energy future. That’s why there are dozens more being planned throughout the state and nation.

Maybe you have questions about the program. We’ve tried to answer some of the most commonly asked questions here. You can also call us at 855-699-8232 from 7:00am to 7:00pm Monday through Friday, or email us at customerservice@valleycleanenergy.org.

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