What Makes Up Your Electricity Bill

You get clean electricity from Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE), and PG&E delivers that energy to you and maintains the poles and wires. The electricity charges on your bill can be simplified into two categories:

1. Electric Generation

   This pays for the clean electricity you’re using. Rates vary, depending on your rate plan and the type of service you choose: SVCE GreenStart, SVCE GreenPrime, or PG&E. Click here to view all SVCE residential electricity generation rates, and how SVCE prices compare to PG&E’s generation rates.

2. Electric Delivery

   PG&E delivers your electricity on existing power lines and maintains those lines. PG&E delivery rates are the same for everyone. Both SVCE customers and PG&E customers must pay for delivery services.

You also pay the Power Charge Indifference Adjustment (PCIA). This charge represents the costs PG&E incurred as a result of historically buying energy to serve you. All SVCE and PG&E customers pay this fee.

You’ll find a thorough bill explainer on the Understanding Your Bill page.

Your Rate Plan Options

A rate plan determines how you pay for the electricity you use. There are multiple rate plans for you to choose from. All rate plans fall under one of these two pricing structures – Time-of-Use (TOU) or Tiered.

• • 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 the season and normally have peak hours (electricity costs the most) and off-peak hours (electricity costs the least). Some TOU rate plans have part-peak hours when electricity costs fall between on- and off-peak rates. A TOU rate plan gives you more control over your energy bill. Shifting electricity usage to off- and part-peak times of the day will result in bill savings.

• • Tiered Rates – On a tiered rate plan, prices are based on how much electricity you use each month within pre-set tiers. The more you use, the higher the rate you pay. Once you have surpassed your baseline amount of electricity (electricity costs the least) you move to the next tier where the rate per kilowatt-hour (kWh) is higher. A tiered rate offers opportunities to save when you reduce your total electricity use but does not offer reduced pricing for certain hours of the day. A tiered rate does not offer as much control to save as a TOU rate.

Payment Assistance Programs

SVCE customers can receive discounts through CARE, FERA, Medical Baseline, and other payment assistance programs. Eligibility for these programs remains the same with SVCE—check eligibility and apply directly through PG&E. Please have your account number ready.