Your Rate Options

Take Control of Your Energy Bill

Electricity rates can be complicated, but understanding them can help you save money. Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) provides clean electricity, and PG&E delivers it to your home and prints and mails your bill. You can choose the rate plan that works best for you.

What is a Rate Plan?
A rate plan determines how you pay for the electricity you use. There are two main types of rate plans – Time-of-Use (TOU) and Tiered rates.

Time-of-Use (TOU) Rates
On a TOU rate plan, the price you pay for electricity is determined by the time you use it. TOU rates can vary by the time of day, the day of the week, and season. Here’s how it works:

  • Peak Hours: These are the times when electricity demand is highest, usually in the late afternoon and early evening. During these hours, electricity costs the most.
  • Off-Peak Hours: These are times when demand is lower, like late at night or early in the morning. Electricity is least expensive during these hours as it is also when there is abundant renewable energy on the grid.
  • Park-Peak: These are the ‘shoulder’ hours of the day, between off-peak and peak times. During these hours. Electricity costs are in between the on- and off-peak costs.

By using electricity during off-peak times, you can save money and help the transition to a clean grid. For example, running your dishwasher or charging your electric vehicle (EV) in the middle of the day when renewable resources like solar are in high production.

Tiered Rates
Tiered rates are based on how much electricity you use each month. The more you use, the higher the rate you pay. Here’s a simple breakdown:

  • Tier 1: This is the ‘baseline’ amount of electricity. It’s priced at the lowest rate.
  • Tier 2: Once you use more than the baseline amount, you move into Tier 2, where the rate per kilowatt-hour (kWh) is higher.

Before 2021, tiered rates were the default rate plan for Californians. To support the state’s transition to a clean energy grid, most Californians were transitioned to TOU rates in 2021 which has been the default rate plan ever since. TOU rates allow customers to save money on their electric bills by changing the times they use energy, rather than needing to greatly reduce their total electricity use.

SVCE Rate Options
SVCE offers several rate options to fit different needs:

  1. TOU-C: This plan charges less for electricity used before 4 p.m. or after 9 p.m.
  2. E-TOU-D: This plan charges more for electricity on weekdays from 5 – 8 p.m.
  3. EV2-A and EV-B: These rates are for EV owners. They offer least expensive off-peak times for cheaper vehicle charging.
  4. E-ELEC: This rate is for homes with electric equipment like heat pumps or EV chargers. It offers a discount on electricity used from 12 a.m. to 3 p.m., but peak prices are higher so residents on this rate should be intentional about shifting their energy use to off-peak.
  5. E-1: This is the only tiered rate still offered for residential customers. Once you surpass the baseline amount of energy in a month, all energy used over that threshold will cost more.

Click here to view all SVCE residential electricity generation rates.

How Do I Save Money on Time-of-Use Rates?
TOU, E-ELEC and EV rates are all “Time-of-Use” rates. Residents can save on their utility bill by doing these things during “off-peak” hours:

  • Run your dishwasher, washing machine and dryer, or other major appliances.
  • If you have air conditioning, run it in the afternoon before peak time, to pre-cool your home
  • If you have an EV, charge it during off-peak hours

Things to do during “peak” hours

  • Kick your air conditioning up to 78 degrees, health permitting
  • Load your laundry or dishwasher so it is ready to run after peak hours
  • Turn off unused devices like computers or televisions

Ensuring your home is utilizing LED lightbulbs and smart power strips can help avoid inefficient electricity use during on- and off-peak times. Smart electric appliances can now be set to run during specific times of the day, browse electric appliances with the Appliance Marketplace.

How to Choose the Right Plan
To pick the best plan, think about your electricity needs:

  • Do you have an electric vehicle or electric heating/cooling?
  • Will your electricity needs change soon?
  • Do you have tools like a smart thermostat or appliances with delayed start?
  • Do you have rooftop solar?

You can also use PG&E’s Rate Comparison Tool to analyze your energy usage and get a personalized rate comparison. Note that this tool pulls from historical usage.

How to Change Your Rate Plan
Changing your rate is simple. Log into your PG&E account and select “Explore Rate Plans” to choose your desired rate. You can change your rate once every 12 months.

Have questions about understanding your electricity bill? Visit svcleanenergy.org/your-bill