By Melissa Yu
San Francisco's local Community Choice power provider CleanPowerSF now offers cleaner energy at cheaper rates than PG&E. The same goes for MCE, whose default program costs its Marin, Napa, and Contra Costa County customers 2-5% less than PG&E as of March 1st.
The share of renewable electricity in both power providers' default services (which customers are automatically enrolled in) is steadily increasing. Currently, CleanPowerSF's Green service contains at least 43% renewable energy that meets California’s strict Renewable Portfolio Standards — and it costs less than PG&E's 33% renewable energy. MCE's Light Green service is 50% renewable from sources like solar, wind, bioenergy, geothermal, and small hydro.
The CleanPowerSF Green product and MCE Light Green product represent a great first step toward sustainability. But customers can make the ultimate clean energy commitment by choosing to enroll in their power provider's 100% renewable energy option: SuperGreen for CleanPowerSF customers or Deep Green for MCE customers. For the average residential customer in San Francisco, SuperGreen costs less than $5 more than Green per month. Meanwhile, for the average MCE customer, Deep Green is just $2 more per month than PG&E’s 33% renewable service.
With 100% renewable power you can make a huge impact by cutting your greenhouse gas emissions from electricity to zero. That’s how we improve air quality. That’s how we fight climate change right here in the Bay Area — and around the globe. And because Community Choice energy programs are locally owned non-profits, ratepayer funds are reinvested in the local economy.
What are you waiting for? MCE customers can enroll in Deep Green 100% renewable energy online at www.mcecleanenergy.org/100-renewable. CleanPowerSF customers can opt up to the 100% renewable SuperGreen program at www.cleanpowersf.org/supergreen.
Melissa Yu is Conservation Program Coordinator for the Sierra Club SF Bay Chapter
Images: MCE and CleanPowerSF residential rate comparisons.